How to Stay True to Yourself as an Artist

 Photography is constantly changing with rapid changes in technology including AI and so many creative tools available to us. There is also an influx of new photographers into our profession. It is easy for the changes in our industry to bring a sense of uncertainty and concern among professional photographers that have been in business for many years.

We must adapt to the changes in the industry, and we constantly need to be improving our skills and embracing the changes in technology to continue to keep our skills at the forefront of our profession. We also must adapt to the changing needs and expectations of our clients. 

 As a professional photographer for 40 years, I have personally wrestled with some of the navigation on how to move forward in my business. We take our profession seriously and we pour so much of our heart, emotions, time and finances into our work to create beautiful images that will be meaningful to ourselves and our clients.

With the influx of so many more photographers, with so many more tools for creating beautiful images, sometimes doubt creeps in and we second guess our ability, our purpose, our ability to continue to make a living, and to be attractive to clients. 

During times like this, we first need to be reminded why we create. I think this is something that goes deeper than making a saleable image for a client. We have the opportunity to create images that inspire people and that can make the viewer feel emotions.  We create memories that they will treasure. We also need to create for ourselves and for the joy of creating.

I believe it is important to support, encourage and teach other photographers so we can all flourish and sustain the profession of photography. For that to successfully happen, we need to not see other photographers as our competition.  No one else is you, so you have no real competition.

What you offer as a photographer is your unique perspective on how you see the world around you. You see and capture the beauty around you and in your subjects like no one else can. When you fully understand and embrace that, your work as an artist can be a better reflection of who you are.  It is a gift to all those who view your work.

So how will this affect how we run our businesses? It gives you the freedom to decide how you would like your photography displayed and what products you feel are the best to offer to your clients, and how they will best enjoy the experience of viewing your images.

You can choose to edit your images to your style that is authentic to you and not worry about the editing trends that come and go. You can focus on the experience that you would like to create for your client when they work with you. You can be authentically yourself with people and build a client relationship based on trust and transparency.

You can create artwork that makes you happy and fuels your passion to create something beautiful, meaningful and impactful. You can strive to be a photographer that can make a difference in this world, by creating beautiful images that can impact one life at a time. 

My hope is that your takeaway is to remember that what we do as photographers has great value, as each of us personally has great value. Let us remember that and create from a place of authenticity and thankfulness for the opportunities our photography profession creates to enhance our lives and the lives of others.