Amazing photographers sometimes make me want to quit

With all the amazing photographers out there, it's easy to get overwhelmed with awesome talent. I'll scroll through a gallery (it can be wedding, fine art, documentary, travel, or even instagram) and just stare. How can people be so amazing?! There are so many photographers out there that do stunning, inspiring and amazing work. It's easy to want to switch your style to look like someone else's (who is usually more successful) and abandon what you love to create. Maybe it's just me, but what I have learned is that, just like every person, every photographer has a style. Some are similar to mine, some totally different. So instead of feeling overwhelmed and wanting to throw in the towel, I have decided to be inspired and use that to further develop my style, the way I see things. And since there is only one of me, I don't want to be a copy.

I love that the photo world can be so incredibly diverse, sharing, uplifting and challenging all at the same time. It's scary putting yourself out there, risking failure and opening yourself up to haters (because there will always, always be haters), but I would prefer any of those over remaining to scared to try. I like what Sylvia Plath said about her craft: I write only because there is a voice within me that will not be still.

And the most important voice you have is your own.

 

(Thought I would throw in a picture of Max since he's been absent from the blog for a while - a cat's life...must be rough)