Be thankful.
Dream big.
And never give up.
- Nick Vujicic
When Angie asked me if I would be a guest on her photographer series, without hesitation, I said YES! Then the discussions began regarding what I would share. I quickly asked if I could write a bit about passion and being yourself — as I feel that both concepts are so important in our industry and not shared enough with photographers, especially those just starting out. I hope you enjoy…
Be passionate! Whether you’re an emerging or an established photographer, one of the most important concepts in our industry is passion – developing the passion, fueling the passion and even sometimes rediscovering or reigniting the passion. The importance of passion is ongoing, no matter where you are in your photography journey.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines passion as: an intense, driving or overmastering feeling or conviction a strong like or desire for devotion to some activity, object or concept.
It’s passion that will help you discover the authentic you. It’s passion that will encourage you to keep going through the challenges and difficult times. It’s passion that will allow you to continue to learn, grow and be creative. It’s passion that will attract people and will help set you apart.
Someone once commented on one of my blog posts: fear will take you in one direction and love will take you in the other direction.
The commenter wasn’t referencing photography but I feel the same could be applied to photography – fear can take you in one direction (fear of believing in yourself, fear of risk, fear of failure) and passion can take you in the other.
Be passionate, dream big and never allow yourself to settle on mediocrity. If you can honestly say photography is your passion, work to always remain passionate about what you do and create. And if you do ever feel that that passion is dwindling, be proactive in finding a spark to set the fire ablaze again. Remember that the fuel is always there, but sometimes it just needs a little extra spark to get things going again.
Find yourself and — be yourself! Sounds simple, yet it is so often overlooked and can be oh-so challenging. I think the concept of being yourself should be one of the first things shared with new photographers. It’s so easy to get caught up in the things you think are right and you should be doing (how to shoot, how to edit, what to show, etc.) – especially when just starting out…but really, the correct way and the things you should be doing are right inside of you. Believe in yourself, follow your heart and do what you love. Know and embrace that the way you see is unique!! Allow yourself to just be and trust that doing so is not only okay, it’s the direction you should be traveling while on this artistic journey. And with every bump in the road you encounter, remember to stay true to yourself and know that you will travel plenty more rocky roads before you’re done.
With the above being said, I can’t help but also share that there’s the technical and business aspects that must also be studied, learned and in a sense, mastered. You can be yourself and have all the passion in the world, but if you’re not willing to work hard and study the foundation, that passion will take you nowhere.
I posted this on my blog a few weeks ago and I think it fits perfectly here:
your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. and most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. they somehow already know what you truly want to become.? – steve jobs
it’s so easy to get caught up in being inspired by others’, which often results in feeling frustrated and discouraged with our own work. and that’s exactly when we need to dig a little deeper, trust ourselves and follow the direction our heart is telling us to go.
In closing, I encourage you to:
- Work hard — really hard.
- Be passionate.
- Find and be yourself.
- Believe in yourself.
- Do your art.
- Never stop learning, growing and creating.?Never forget why you starting in the first place.
- Follow your dreams.
- And see the most amazing places this journey will take you.
Thank you for allowing me to share and be a part of this incredible photography series.
After graduating college, Deb spent 10 years as a registered nurse in the US Air Force. It wasn’t until she left the military that her career as a photographer began. In 2006, with the support of her husband, Deb decided to pursue her dream – she purchased a DSLR camera, began teaching herself photography and never looked back. Today, Deb has a successful child and family portrait business and in partnership with Leah Zawadzki, they host the Wallflower Friends photographer’s retreat. Deb will be relocating from Kansas to Tampa, Florida this month.
Website:
www.www.debsphotographs.com
Blog:
www.debsphotographs.com/photoblog
Wallflower Friends Workshop:
www.wallflowerfriends.com
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/debschwedhelm
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