Many successful photographers and great teachers create content online. So, why would anyone want to read about photography from a guy who hasn’t won awards or made millions by selling his work?
I asked myself this question a lot while thinking about starting this blog.
Indeed, Internet is full of much better sources of knowledge about core photography techniques. However, this blog will not be about photography techniques alone. It will be about growing as a photographer and sharing personal stories and lessons learned as they happen. I felt this was missing in the content I saw, and I saw a lot of it.
Successful people talk about their beginnings, but how they describe their road to success often makes it seem straightforward and almost too easy. The message is usually like, “Hey, I proved it can be done, and I’m just an ordinary person, so if you work hard, you can be there too. BTW, buy my course, and I will teach you how :).”
As interesting and motivating as they are, these stories always seem to miss a few key details which can be frustrating. It often seems that things just worked out for them, while you are still struggling to find that key ingredient of success.
I don’t think successful people try to look like geniuses or hide anything. It is just that your initial struggles look different when you look at them from the distance that time and success bring. The distance between them and you might seem just too big.
The world is full of amazing people whose stories you can admire and use as an inspiration for your vision, but you might find more relatable tips and encouragement from someone in a situation closer to yours.
Like in tennis or other sports, you are more likely to improve your game by playing with someone slightly better than with the world’s “number one.” He will be too good for you, and after a few balls, you will stop trying. I’ve tried that once with someone who regularly trained with a top-10 player, and I know how it feels.
Or another first-hand example. When I started my pilot’s lessons, for the first few hours, I felt being “behind the plane” most of the time. I knew the theory but could not do it quickly and precisely. What helped me was one article from a more advanced student pilot who shared his story about struggles in the first hours and how it all sorted itself out when his brain, hands, and feet got used to the controls and sensations. I’ve read many articles and books about flying from pilots and experienced instructors, and none talked about this problem of the new pilot’s first hours. Maybe they didn’t experience it like that, or, more likely, it seemed too trivial to talk about it later. However, it was precisely the kind of encouragement I needed at that point in my flying.
That is my approach for this blog. Share helpful and exciting discoveries as they happen to me. Share what I experienced and how I felt in these situations. Share them when they’re fresh in my mind; before I start seeing them as too obvious and, therefore, not worth sharing.
