Why I don't consume a lot of photography

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The sheer amount of amazing images being made nowadays can be overwhelming. “Comparison is the thieve of joy”; and today, there’s no shortage of photographs to compare ours to. This can make us feel miserable.

This is why I don’t consume a lot of photography. I follow a handful of photographers whose work I admire, enough to get some inspiration every once in a while, and focus all my energy on developing my own vision and approach to the medium.

Simply copying someone else’s work won’t lead us anywhere, but constantly trying to stand out among the crowd can be even worse. Our work shouldn’t be based on what others have or haven’t done. We need to stop trying to be unique, because we already are.

Photography is about not giving up

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“The prize never goes to the fastest guy. It goes to the guy who slows down the least.” ~ Finding Ultra

Photography is not a marathon. It’s a million marathons, one after the other.

You can find some success with a lucky image, but a body of work is done and built over decades of dedication to the craft. Day after day.

This means taking new photos as often as possible, but also working on the ones we’ve already taken. Reflecting on them. Putting them in books, publishing them online, sharing our experiences. Day after day.

Photography is relatively easy, there’s no secret to it: no magic setting we are yet to discover, no better camera we should buy, no missing preset we should get, no discontinued film stock we should miss.

Everyone wants a shortcut because the truth is boring: it’s about putting the work, the hours, about never giving up. And the prize is that we get to do it again tomorrow.