# 10 ways NOT to be a successful photographer (and how to avoid them)



## W.Y.Photo (Feb 5, 2015)

Luke Copping said:
			
		

> *10 MORE WAYS NOT TO BECOME A SUCCESSFUL PHOTOGRAPHER*
> 
> In 2010 I wrote, in one long caffeine-fueled night, an article that would become the most widely shared piece that I’ve ever published on my blog called _10 Ways Not To Become A Successful Photographer._ It was part missive, part rant, and part confession about what I saw a lot of people doing wrong in the photography industry at the time – the mistakes and toxic misconceptions that I saw myself and photographers around me, both emerging and experienced, making every day that were poisoning our minds and our work. I’ve read and re-read it so many times over the years, because in many ways it became a litany to stave off my own negativity when things got tough or I felt myself slipping back into those shitty patterns that were holding me and my friends back when I wrote it.
> 
> ...




I find this article to be a delightful read so I figured I'd share it with you all.

As photoguy99 pointed out in my previous (far from perfect) post #17 is an especially important thing for any photographer or artist to pay attention to.

I think the writer's last three questions are a good point to begin a conversation on so I'll start by saying that I am making plenty of mistakes myself... including but not limited to passing up opportunity's for shooting and networking with excuses like "I'm too tired" or "after this next episode on netflix". Even when I know in the back of my mind that I'm wasting valuable time sometimes I just can't bring myself to get up and go. If I don't watch myself with that I could fall into a black hole of netflix and snack food, and that isn't helpful to anyone..

I also think that sometimes people think of putting themselves into the industry as a much harder venture than it actually is. I know I have. There are plenty of people out there waiting to find someone with your skills in photography that would love to pay you for your work. It's just a matter of putting yourself in the places that you can find them. The more opportunity we give ourselves the more productive our search for clients will become.


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## DoctorDino (Feb 5, 2015)

Interesting read. I especially like #16. Shoot for yourself. Make photos that you like, not because so-and-so would like it.

#17 is why I'm posting here.


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## minicoop1985 (Feb 25, 2015)

I'm most guilty of #20. Tried to go alone with limited success, but inevitably failed at that. Time to work for someone else.


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## D3PO (Feb 25, 2015)

Thank you for sharing! This article has answered many of my concerns regarding personal development, and is excellent food for though.


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## W.Y.Photo (Feb 26, 2015)

minicoop1985 said:


> I'm most guilty of #20. Tried to go alone with limited success, but inevitably failed at that. Time to work for someone else.



You don't necessarily have to hop on the 9-5 or be an assistant to make sure you're not going it alone. It's more like a recommendation of building a strong professional network around oneself so that when you are overwhelmed with you can call on others for assistance.


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## cgw (Feb 26, 2015)

Just another smarmy, threadbare self-help listicle. Same message as always: you're either in recovery or denial.


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## pgriz (Feb 26, 2015)

Replace "photography" with cooking or woodworking or writing or any number of other creative endeavors, and the article still works.  Which says that so often we're so preoccupied with our mental construct of what we're doing, that we lose sight of what we are ACTUALLY doing.  This mental construct is an imaginary world.  For well-grounded people, the difference between that imaginary world and their actual existence, is very small.  For others, there's almost no relation between them.  It's not that different between our ideas of our partners (BF, GF, BFF, spouse, lover,  etc.) and who that person actually is.  By extension, the same problem exists in politics, in retail marketing, and in any endeavour where humans are supposed to have an idea of how things "should" work.  It's actually very difficult to disentangle what we think we know about something, and what the objective reality is.

One reason that I'm on this (and others) forum, is that it allows me to check my own conception and reading of the situations against the opinions of others.  The good opinions (and they are ALL opinions) get me to question my assumptions, and to see other points of view.  There's always the need to cross-check what we think we know against the available facts.  Since we can't always go back to the original sources, we end up building up trust groups (people and organizations) which we subject to less scrutiny that we would give less known sources.  But even there, occasional rechecking of what we think we know is a good thing.


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## W.Y.Photo (Feb 26, 2015)

pgriz said:


> Replace "photography" with cooking or woodworking or writing or any number of other creative endeavors, and the article still works.  Which says that so often we're so preoccupied with our mental construct of what we're doing, that we lose sight of what we are ACTUALLY doing.  This mental construct is an imaginary world.  For well-grounded people, the difference between that imaginary world and their actual existence, is very small.  For others, there's almost no relation between them.  It's not that different between our ideas of our partners (BF, GF, BFF, spouse, lover,  etc.) and who that person actually is.  By extension, the same problem exists in politics, in retail marketing, and in any endeavour where humans are supposed to have an idea of how things "should" work.  It's actually very difficult to disentangle what we think we know about something, and what the objective reality is.
> 
> One reason that I'm on this (and others) forum, is that it allows me to check my own conception and reading of the situations against the opinions of others.  The good opinions (and they are ALL opinions) get me to question my assumptions, and to see other points of view.  There's always the need to cross-check what we think we know against the available facts.  Since we can't always go back to the original sources, we end up building up trust groups (people and organizations) which we subject to less scrutiny that we would give less known sources.  But even there, occasional rechecking of what we think we know is a good thing.



Couldn't have put it better myself. "Check yo'self before you wreck yo'self" in the words of the great Notorious B.I.G.


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## bribrius (Feb 26, 2015)

W.Y.Photo said:


> minicoop1985 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm most guilty of #20. Tried to go alone with limited success, but inevitably failed at that. Time to work for someone else.
> ...


I liked the article. Vast majority doesn't apply to me.  A lot of it is about presentation and social. I had a stroke a year back. some days i do okay. Other days i walk in a store i get people staring at me as i look visibly "messed up". Bad days my eyes are glossed over, dizzy, i stare at the floor to keep the head in check, start limping on really bad days. Not the kind of thing that goes well with young mother baby photos or senior portraits as i just looked "frucked up".  Also, last anniversary wedding i shot about half way through the day i was pretty much toast. Getting looks from the attendees.  My head gets convoluted. I really dont present well sometimes limping around glossy eyed and dizzy with a camera. Other days, i do semi okay though. seems hit or miss. Nothing i will ever pull off in public or serious professional photography. Maybe if i get artistic in the art world to a extent. But that is about it. Still a decent article though.


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## W.Y.Photo (Feb 26, 2015)

bribrius said:


> W.Y.Photo said:
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> > minicoop1985 said:
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Woah. I had no idea. I'm glad your still alive and kicking and doing so well enough to be out photographing and talking with us all here!!


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## bribrius (Feb 26, 2015)

W.Y.Photo said:


> bribrius said:
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> > W.Y.Photo said:
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It adds another challenge. Half what i shoot i am shooting while dizzy, spacial visual perceptions messed up. I have learned to account for it and not have it kill all my photos and deal with it. But i can't fix how i look to others sometimes. And presentation is the name of the game in this business i think.


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## W.Y.Photo (Feb 26, 2015)

You could hire someone to do all the presenting, speaking, and networking on your behalf and just be the mysterious man behind the camera. 

That might actually be a good business model. "Man Behind the Camera Photography!"


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## Maxim Photo Studio (Mar 24, 2015)

Very succinct article. It really can be summarized by saying that photography is a social medium and your good personality and you technical skills should always go together.


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## The_Traveler (Mar 24, 2015)

Many people on this site cling very hard to #12.
It seems that it shores up their own self-image to define other people out of the game.



> *12. Get Caught Up in Defining and Quantifying Everything*
> 
> It used to be that I couldn’t get online without seeing some pointless argument about Canon vs. Nikon or Mac vs PC – but in the last few years I think we’ve actually become more micro-obsessive as an industry when it comes to categorizing, segmenting, and ranking everything. The discussion isn’t about what brand of light is better, but what KIND of light is better, and even more disturbing, what kind of photographer is better. I see statements like these pop up all the time:
> 
> ...


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