Are There Too Many Photographers In The World?
Dear Folks,
Have you ever thought, ‘there are just too many photographers, I might as well quit now.’
It’s true, if you look around us everyone has a good camera these days and they are all madly snapping photos of almost anything. Phone cameras have become so sophisticated that even they produce the most incredible images and even top end brands are paying ‘stars’ to create million dollar campaigns on their iPhone.
There are images everywhere you look, on buses, social media, television, billboards and giant screens around the cities and sometimes you might ask ‘is there room for one more photographer?’.
But a voice inside of me says ‘so what if there are too many photographers?’. I believe there is enough room for all of us.
I am sure people in other artistic fields feel the same way. A graphic artist, illustrator or even interior designer if they just kept looking at the numbers of people in their field would curl into a ball in the fetal position and throw the pen or fabric down.
But my lovelies, I would ask you not to look to what everybody else is doing and look inside and listen to the voice of your inner photographer who has something to say. Maybe the voice is quiet right now, self-doubting, shy, scared but if you start to trust it and allow yourself to do what it wants, you will find an incredible vision of your own.
It’s your vision that is your Excalibur sword. It’s your vision that will slash its way through all the images out there and have someone saying ‘I have to have my photos taken by THAT photographer or whose photos are these?’
If you trust your vision, if you you listen to your inner voice instead of comparing yourself to everyone else, you will let the magic out!
So on the days you are doubting your greatness, listen to your inner photographer or creative, even if it is a soft whisper and then go create what it is whispering to you.
Sending love and whispers
Related Post: How Photography Delivered The Love Of My Life
If this subject interests you and you would like to know more about creative vision and having your images published the LAST PLACES are going for Get Published 2017, you can read more HERE.
Hi Carla, I wanted to ask if you still feel like this in 2021? I photograph wildlife, it makes/ made me happy but nowadays, seeing the potential effects we all have on the landscape I can resent picking up my camera. My tool for communication with the wider world is suddenly leaking poison. Is our creative outlet through photography mearly a selfish entitlement. I question the ethics of photography, my images are not great images. They mean only something to me but don’t add to the world. How do you reconcile when the world gets more desperate?
Hi Dan, nice question you are asking yourself. I think the first like you are doing, is to understand why you take photos? Is it primarily for you, your pleasure, because you admire that subject or is it to sell etc? I know what you mean about some subjects having too much visibility and destroying them so I believe this is our choice as photographers what we want to share. Often I will go to unspoilt places and I don’t share them, I enjoy them for what they are without feeling it needs to be anything else.
I would ask you ‘why they don’t add to the world?’
When the world gets more desperate I look for the positive, how I can change my experience and my world knowing that will have its influence and that this is where I can start.
I hope this helps. Carla