Have a bias towards making new photos, always:
The Productive Photographer
A productive photographer is a photographer who is always striving to make new photos.
A productive photographer has deep appreciation for their past photos, but they don’t get lost in their older work. They strive to always move forward, to constantly produce NEW photos!
Why produce new photos?
Many of us strive to become more famous or “legitimate” photographers. But this is what I learned about success in photography:
External success in photography is insignificant. The most important thing is to keep the ardent desire to create new photos alive!
Never be satisfied
Perhaps the secret to being a productive photographer is this:
Never be satisfied with your photos, and don’t strive for perfection. Rather, focus on productivity in your photos by shooting LOTS of photos. Strive to shoot a billion photos before you die.
I think “quality” in photography is overrated. Why? A “quality” photo is generally dictated by others. Also, if you make photos you don’t consider are “good”, it is easy to get discouraged.
The secret then is:
Don’t classify your photos as good or bad — just pick the ones you like, and keep shooting and moving!
Also perhaps what this means is:
Don’t strive to make photos to satisfy you — shoot simply because you MUST! You’re not shooting photos to be “happier”— you’re shooting photos as a form of self-expression — your ability to discharge your artistic power through your photos.
Practical tips
- Always have a camera in your front pocket, in your bag, or around your neck.
- Shoot lots of photos of whatever you find interesting.
- Be genre-agnostic: Shoot anything and everything.
- Don’t worry about consistency: Just focus on artistic productivity.
- Aim to shoot photos until you die at age 120!
Keep shooting it!
ERIC