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90% of success consists of not quitting. In my locale, 30 years ago, you couldn't swing a dead cat and not hit a pro photographer. Now, there's just about 3 of us within 100 miles. We're the three who didn't quit or fall into "the market is saturated" trap.

This is more true than any of us like to admit. I spend all my time learning, practicing and applying what I learn. I have been able to advance in photography to a point where I can demand what I used to think was an outrageous sum from my commercial clients because they see the value in it. I have a friend who recently picked up a camera. They believe because they bought a camera they deserve jobs and they deserve the money that I am currently getting without having to refine their craft or take the time to learn the skills. They have only seen my portrait and wedding portfolio (which is my day to day work to keep the lights on between commercial gigs), so when they saw my commercial work they immediately understood I was no longer in their league and my skills were far more advanced than what that portfolio portrayed. It was at that moment I had to explain to him that being a photographer is a hard job. There are people who make money and there are people who get by. Currently even with the portfolio I have I get by. There are people far better than me, getting paid far more than me just simply because they have that intangible element of seeing the world in such a way that it captures someone else's attention.

I have a Hasselblad, doesn't make me David Bailey. Also, nothing will come to you unless you're smart about how you seek it out. I know a lot of my photographer friends who have pretty good portfolios who sit around and say, there's no work. There is, but they're not contacting all the right people constantly, they believe they're above taking less on one job to make an important industry contact. They believe they're owed, and they're not. That's what kills most careers.

Love this analogy, had never thought about photographers as drivers. While the basic skills are the same (aperture, shutter speed, iso vs gas, gears, steering), each type of driving/photography requires different additional skills. Some types of photography and driving require greater interpersonal skills, like uber or wedding/event photography. Other types are faster paced, more technical, require more attention to detail, etc. It's all about finding the type of driving or photography which suits your personality, skillset, and ability.

I think it would liberate a lot of people actually giving up on being a professional. If you don’t have to deliver a product to a customer then you don’t have to constrain yourself and you can photograph whatever you want.

You comment about few top end jobs made me think of something somebody who had read Egyptology at university said to me once…”I know how many jobs there are in this country for egyptologists…and I know everybody in them..”

I've been doing photography for about 20 years. I'm 48 years old and I work a retail job and I fear having a career in this is over. But I keep shooting and doing photoshoots because I just love doing it. I may still get there wherever "there" is for me but I do it because I still have ambition. And I haven't reached my peak yet...

I'm a Commercial HVAC Technician, It's the hardest job I've ever done. It requires every ounce of mental and physical concentration that I can muster, but I love it. Also like photography: K-1000>5dsR

Great conversation very educational, one little extra point it’s who you know, not just the kit!

i don't have and i can't be a pro bike race.... but I am a very good trainer(from my point of view I have lots to learn) words from the kid's parents. i try to be a better photographer, with each fail I learn something new!!! thanks

I remember watching a KZfaq video of a fashion photographer who did work for some big fashion houses and he was shooting handheld with a year old Fujifilm XT3 with 18-55mm kit lens. His output looked fantastic to me, okay, I’m no expert, but his customers must have been happy with his work.

All painful truths! Well said sir.

Whenever I need an emotional lift, no matter why, I visit your KZfaq channel and I never come away needing more. Thank you.

Another great video, and thanks. My cycling career was similar however I was a champion in many events, however the thrills of sex, drugs, and rock and roll got the better of me and I got whisked away by all the groupies. Hence getting the title of unpredictable. Did the same with Surfing and Windsurfing. However, my career of a filmmaker was a little different as I had responsibilities, staff, children and wives. Now at the arse end of my life, I'm back to my first love, photography and the challenges herewith. Love it. Life is what you make it, go hard or go home!!!

Your videos always pop up at the right time Scott! Although I'm in Video Production, I feel a lot of this translates. One of the most insightful channels on KZfaq going 💪

One of the best analogies for photography i have ever heard! Thank you sir!

Bloody brilliant advice Scott, fantastic video. Deal with the bitterness and enjoy the pursuit. Nice one mate!

The video I did not know I need to see. Thank you for this message

Thank you! Needed to hear this

Great content as always. Love that last bit about the act of pursuit being the reward. So spot on. I too also have that first bike. 😉

Your insights are always great. I only do photography as a hobby right now, but your advice is applicable to all businesses

Great content as always, love the honesty and been straightforward. And everything you said so true.

Great point. I am disabled vetran and this is more of a hobby but i think i could make it for extra cash. Definetly not a full days work but will see where this adventure takes me.

That is true, the pursuit is the best part. I have no vision of where I am headed, it is the pursuit I am enjoying. Each day is different currently I am shooting events, and what ever else I see. It is also the learning.

I could not agree more. Thank you

This kind of video on social media is VERY RARE. WHat you are saying goes for growing an audience on IG and many other careers. I was very excited when I relaized there was so much help and tutorials online..., now the viel has been taken from my eyes and all I see are entertainers playing at teaching skills to others. Many false profits and charming people who always seem to leave out one thing that makes the entire video not helpful...., this video was a pleasure to find. Keep it up!

This should be on your rewatch list.

Excellent! Great analogy, drivers. Your comments on those who felt entitled to work because they had a good camera reminded me of ads one used to see in the photographic magazines (in France): "photographer available - owns an SLR and telephoto zoom" LOL, like that was all that was needed.

Thankyou for this message ❤

This is absolutely great advice. So well said.

Thank you, I needed to hear this today. Very timely

Great analogy!

This mindset is what separates one person of the next in line. Always being mindful that you can always improve, that there’s something new to learn and that once you’re in for the long ride you have to show up. I’m at an early stage, I’m setting up my media brand, I’m afraid of how everything will be 6 months from now but I will keep pushing forward, practicing, reading, learning and improving day by day.

Great video, it’s an uncomfortable truth but needs to be heard by those starting out. Thanks for sharing

Love your videos. This one is fantastic. You are a breathe of fresh air good sir.

I needed to hear this. Thank you

Great content Scott! Cheers.

Wonderful! It reminds me of one day when I was taking my 5D III into Disneyland. The security guard at the bag check told me that no professional photographers are allowed. (that is in their policy). I told him that just because I can buy a professional level camera does not make me a professional photographer. I said to him, if you play golf and you can afford the same golf clubs that Tiger Woods uses, does that make you a professional golfer? He let me by and told me to have a nice day.

Excellent video once again. Very inspiring!

I'm retired now. I really enjoyed this video. I'd like to share another analogy with you. There are many talented actors and musicians who never get their big break. George Harrison might have become an unknown electrician in Liverpool. Likewise, there are accomplished photographers who probably have no more ability than others who never make it as a professional. My point is, you need to hustle in order to get in front of a decision-maker who may be able to be the break needed to create demand for your work.

Great advice for anything you want to be! 👌

Hi, great videos first of all! Very direct and real, one can feel the passion for photography in your voice. I noticed you only on Friday, however I've been binging ever since. There's a small personal problem, however, with all the outstanding and smart advice given. I was born and live in Poland, and as such all the gear and else is 5x as expensive as in the UK, yet the payrates seem to be 5x worse (100 PLN vs 100 GBP for the same thing). I'm going into uni in October, only starting photography though - got my Fuji X-T20 three years ago. I would like to pursue photography more professionally however, as to help with paying for my studies, but I can't seem to find a way to break through even the lowest barriers. Is there any advice you could give me, or how should I approach the subject? Thank you in any case for the videos, Bartosz

Understanding your own potential is both important and overlooked. KZfaq is perhaps the best example of overlooking this. You can find countless videos about how the best do what they do, finding good information for modest levels of talent is almost impossible. As a cycling coach I know about the endless videos about high intensity interval training, but I also know that maybe 25% of my riders respond well to that type of training. The ones who reach their potential are the ones who are aware of who they are.

Photography is Golf. For most of us, we pay money to participate because we love Golf and want to play, and don't care where. It's our zen, our getaway, our creative outlet. Almost never do leisure golfers become professional, and almost never...er....neverer....do those get endorsement deals or prize money.

Love your vids

Thank you again

Funny, I recently thought of the analogy of racing cars for camera's. You hear:"everybody got a smartphone with camera, why bother". Well phones are like normal everyday cars, you can get the boring stuff done. You've got some cheap ones and ones that are better and more expensive. Then you got the professional ones (the dedicated cameras) like racing cars, busses, trucks, tractor etc.. And the same goes here, you can buy a truck with trailer, but you've gotta know how to use it. Just like a camera! Owning one doesn't make you a professional.

Touché

It's also curbing expectations in terms of your market and your expected profit. You can put food on the table being an "uber driver" just doing on location portraiture and shooting weddings. If youre happy doing that and enjoy it... Keep it up!

Thank you thank you thank you

Thank you for this video.

thanks man

I'd suggest the ability to deal with people is a big thing too - you have to be amazing to be successful if everyone hates you

My small circle of friends with whom I share photos of a local Conservancy area say I have gotten much better in the last year. Z6ii with non-S lens has not changed. Not a pro either. Fair Weather photographer seems suitable description. Electrical Engineer, so of course I love gear. Never will be a pro. But, I shall be sad if you stop making these fine videos. Only complaint is there aren’t enough samples of your great work.

I'm a paid hobbyist and I like it that way. And I don't hobby for penny's.

As someone that is learning photography and videography skills for my KZfaq channel (I am not aiming to be a highly paid photographer) I think there a few things to add: - Some people think that they can do photography easily as a side hustle which is not the case - Because cameras and software are so advanced some people think that spending 2-5000 $ on equipment is the differentiating factor - When they don't succeed some people revert to the fable of "Sour Grapes"

To become the next annie libowitz there are other variables than talent, for example being at the right place at the right time, knowing the right people... She is good and big respect for her, but she is also a good example on how the right circustances took her on top. There are many photographers better that her who will never get so famous or if you compare her to helmut newton for example, he is really much better but probably equally famous. When you are just good enough so you don't have to worry to pay your bills it's a win especially if you dont have to shoot weddings

Maybe you need to think outside the box to make yourself stand out in the crowd. I for one have essentially gone backwards in my photography journey. I started on the first Sony E Mount Mirrorless camera ever made with a kit zoom with autofocus then moved to a Canon DSLR with an autofocus kit zoom then I moved to a 35mm film SLR with only manual focus lenses then I moved to a 6x6 electronic studio medium format camera with only one manual lens. I somehow figured out that for 90 percent of what you will ever shoot, you just need one lens and it's not even a zoom. Digital has its purpose and best use cases, but the thing is that at the same time it is not cool and for many won't be enough and won't push your boundaries. Anyways photography is all about being good with people and putting yourself out their to gain contacts and clients. That's it. You can be shit at photography but put yourself out there and connect with people and people will hire you.

Yeah I would pretty much agree. Everyone wants to be a CEO/VP/etc, yet few want to work 7x16 without hardly taking any time off and constant travel and no time for family. I have seen what you described about photography as well where it has had many at the bottom/entry and many customers take advantage of them because of it. Getting on up there is a challenge but fewer to be neck and neck with. I work in IT and have focused my career in similar fashion where I bring skills not so many have and not always needed, but when they are they keep me employed in SV.

I don't recommend licking the toad, but smoking its venom is a highly useful endeavor you should explore.

Thank you

It’s not just the studio… So many people take photos of random scenes and think they are the next Henri Cartier-Bresson or John Free. To your point, it still comes back to the kit not making up for talent…and people not wanting to put in the work to build up the talent.

7th in a race with Geraint Thomas? Seriously impressed Scott.I couldn't keep up with him in my car!

I new a racer for a french team his bike had a weird paint scheme and odd looking mavic components. He tried u successfully to get it stolen, so he could collect the insurance money and a bike more to his liking

what kind of bike was it?

Being a talent is just an advantage. Perseverance is the key for success. I could see many talented people failing on the road because they were so fonding themselves about being talented they forgot to put the effort and time to develop themselves further. Talent is a myth. Yes, you need it to become the best, but guess what, no one is the best only because they are talented. Hard workers and people with perseverance eat talents for breakfast.

The aspiring photographer would do well to listen. There are only so many spots on the stage.

But A.I. is a different monster. That in and of itself will make photography obsolete because of images. Why spend money on expensive equipment when all I have to do is type in what I want and all the images I need are right there.

You don't see animals let the top dog influence how they live their lives. They still do their best regardless. I hate myself sometimes because I let others' results influence my motivation/happiness. When you think about it, what a dumb thing! Honestly, as humans, our strengths (ability to think, etc) are often our greatest weaknesses (if we don't learn how to live with them). Thanks for the video.

Part of the problem now I think, is that in order to be seen as good, you need to be famous. “Oh you’re a good photographer what’s your KZfaq?” If you’re not on KZfaq you must not be good enough. How many followers if have you got? What’s your TikTok? Etc etc.

Interesting thoughts. Going from film to digital cum auto-focis was not really that much of a threat to the profession. The advent of smartphones definitely was. Especially for wedding photographers. AI is a rather different case. It is threatening almost everything and nearly all professions. Of course, there are still clock-makers around who build, repair or maintain mechanical clocks. But how many of them are there? There used to be one on every single high-street. On the other hand, a photographer capable of financially surviving smartphones might even manage to survive AI. But it is going to be damn stiff going. The question I am asking myself at the moment is, what is going to happen to the would-be wedding photographer who has fabricated a portfolio using Midjourney 5 when he is actually called out to a wedding! 😁 I guess if he gets a couple of mug-shots he can do the rest with PS Creative Fill. 😁

Back in the days when we built houses with mud and then progressed to concrete, did it put an end to human constructs? No. We're living in a concrete world today.

the most disturbing thing about this video is proves a global awareness of nascar

Its like Tesla making ai F1 car that drives for you

Wait until we will drive a Formula One with help of our friend AI!

Imma have to disagree with you on the networking be 1%. Maybe on the other side of the pond is different (British Vogue being much more creative than American Vogue) but here in America the biggest complaints is the gatekeepers in the industry to push questionable talent, all because they know somebody. It's really big issue in LA. But if you can get in with the talent, great.

Basically, you’re describing the Pareto Principle

.01% connections lol

The science does not back up what you are saying about genetics. Genetic factors separate I Michael Jordan from the rest of the NBA - it’s 99% hard work and dedication to the process. The real problem is a lack of understanding about how to learn and even worse quality instruction that scaffolds and builds on an organized series of skills.

90% of good pay jobs is contacts . you can be as good or as creative as the guy that shoot the burger for mc donald , or watch for rolex , or jack daniels , if no one at the add agency know you , you will never get thows jobs ,

Can't stand Annie Leibovitz. Sorry. And know many whom concur. In fact, I have no idea how she has access. Maybe it's about access. But understand and like the analogy. And the sports one too. I was an Olympic level cyclist myself. But never won Olympic gold. As you, in training I learned I just didn't have the goods. Came close. Very close. But never would. So eventually gave it up for high degree of probability of success doing something else. I think the most important thing here is to never quit. Last man standing. Like Great Grandpa said back in the great war. Equally import, if not more so, you either said, or inferred - to much beer this Saturday night - is that you have to find something you are good at. Hopefully great at. And don't quit. I try to teach this to my staff at work ( the day job ). A super competitive line of work where the guy next to you AND working with you is literally trying to off you ( legally ) to get you out of the way. And this type of thing pays well! Well into the 7 figures. For my own photos I had to find this out and accept this. Many people think I am extraordinary at shooting people and making them look like movie stars, if not already. ( PS, I may not be. In fact, maybe not good at all. But some think so ) And at events where I can capture the moment better than most, make it dynamic, exciting and make them look like stars. And trees to. Something about trees. People come to me. Throw money at me to take these kinds of pictures. And though I like it, I'd rather be doing still life and a bunch of other things that I would prefer to do for creativity and to mass market, as I know how to write algorithms, programs and design and build out the models, software and hardware to sell and compete with Getty Images, which would yield great riches. But I s...k at those things. Am so bad at still life, I can't stand to look at my own work! I've learned to accept that ( no choice ) and capitalize on what I can do. I also feel you are very, very perceptive and wise. You described you work exactly as it is to my eye. Almost the greatest. The IMHO absence of self deception, hypocrisy and cant is the first step to real achievement and a talent in and of itself. I also think you are wrong. I see you only inches away from being the next Leibovitz, Bresson, Avedon, Penn, etc. Which is why I like to watch and listen to you. I also concur that out of the hundreds, maybe thousands of videos on the Tube I see each week yours more than stands out. I would say out of the millions ? of videos out there yours in the top ten of the best. Maybe the top five. I'm a raging snob and wannbe over achiever. Only the best for me! Try harder. All the best.

Yeah ...you may not have that Leibovitz 0.1 % ... no one has it, only her. But than...no one else has your 0.1%. ... - ... oh God... this is so cheap - I will not be able to look in the mirror for some days ... until I forget that I wrote this down.

I work for a company that pays me jack shit.. if i could be an independant photographer making jack shit.. i'd be okay with that.. because i'd be my own boss, and working for my own jack shit.

My friends tell me you’re the last one of us to stick to photography

Buddy, get out from Internets!