How to Become a Happier Photographer

Question:

Why have I never met a happy photographer?

Especially on the upper-echelon levels (Magnum). It seems that all these photographers are perpetually dissatisfied (in a pessimistic, bad way).

Certainly happiness isn’t the end of life, but it is a good stimulus for our photographic progress. Some thoughts:

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How to Become a Happier Photographer

1. What is detrimental to our happiness?

The first thought:

What is the greatest detriment to our personal happiness as photographers?

I say social media. Practical via negativa thought:

The best thing you can do to grow as a photographer is to figure out what makes us unproductive and miserable. Namely, delete Instagram.

2. De-metricate yourself

Do numbers exist for the sake of humans, or do humans exist for the sake of numbers?

The algorithm don’t have the answers. An algorithm is simply an equation in which a (often very nerdy) individual creates weights to say:

These are the supreme values.

For example on social media, to get more likes and followers is the apex. It goes to the American attitude:

More is better.

But is this true? No. Otherwise McDonalds would be the #1 Restaurant in the world. Or a Honda Accord is probably the ‘best’ car. But what do we desire?

To become more exclusive.

3. Who do you care to impress?

Certainly we first strive to impress ourselves, then others (a small group of others). For example, when I did a Magnum Workshop with David Alan Harvey and Constantine Manos, I will never forget:

When David Alan Harvey was scrolling through my ‘SUITS‘ project, he paused when looking at one of my photos and said: “THAT IS A GREAT PHOTO” (then proceeded).

To me this was worth 100000x more than getting a trillion likes on Instagram or Social Media.

So the question:

Who are you trying to impress?

4. Inter-Pares

It seems we only want to impress our equals. This is why I don’t really care for the critical feedback of my street photos from non-street photographers. Similarly speaking, better to impress 1 Magnum Photographer than 1 billion random people online.

It is a lie to say that we don’t care what others think about our artwork (photos). Rather, we want to figure out who are the few people we are trying to impress.

5. What is happiness?

What is happiness? It is a sense that we are progressing and advancing. For example, who is happier?

A billionaire who overnight becomes a millionaire, or a homeless person who wins a million dollars overnight?

The fall hurts 1000x more than the come-up. This is where the notion ‘ASAP’ (always strive and prosper) is good. And the notion ‘Stay hungry, stay foolish‘.

Once you lose your appetite for growth and progression, then what? Nothing.

6. How do we progress?

My notion of progress in photography is:

To continue making your photography more playful, productive, and simpler.

Simpler compositions. Simpler workflows. More fun shooting on the streets. Less concern about ‘good’ or bad photos. Rather, focusing on the zen of shooting street photography or just photography in general.