photzy

TM

OVERCOMING FEAR AS A PHOTOGRAPHER

Quick Guide
Written by Karthika Gupta
 This year marks my tenth year as a photographer. Today I want to talk about how you can totally
It’s a career I had no idea I would come to love and transform your life, your relationships, and your work via
appreciate, and one that would take me around the photography. It isn’t a course you can take or a YouTube
world, get my work published in international magazines video you can watch. It’s something that’s free, powerful,
and blogs, and allow me to dabble with teaching. What and completely within your control: changing your
started out as a hobby soon became a way to escape a mindset and overcoming your fears.
corporate career and experiment with entrepreneurship.
Here is what we will discuss:
For the first four years I was a closet photographer –
basically someone who worked in photography part · The fear of not being good enough
time and refused to call myself a photographer because · The fear of never being able to ‘make it’
of fear of discovery. I feared that paying clients would
discover that I was a self-taught, camera-wheeling fraud · The fear of being alone on the journey
who shot in auto mode, and who rented and borrowed
gear while learning everything there was to learn about · How to battle negativity and stay positive
an art form I knew nothing about. · The fear of never getting any clients
But as the months and years progressed, I found Thinking differently can have a profound effect on
myself letting go of so many of my fears as an artist, your entire life, but in this guide we’ll focus on some
a creative, and even as a person. My fear of not photography mindset shifts you would need to
being good enough, not being worthy enough, and overcome your fears.
even not being deserving enough soon gave way to
feeling accomplished and deserving. I realized that Recommended Reading: Want to expand your
photography was helping me become a better person shooting skills and master photography? Grab our
because I was developing as an artist and becoming set of 65 beautifully designed and printable Action
confident enough in myself and my skill to call myself a Cards that will give you over 200 photography
professional photographer. And now as I end my tenth assignments to help you take your photography to
year in business, I realize that all through this journey, the next level. Check it out here.
photography has been the one constant. It’s helped me
get through the difficult times as well as celebrate the
good times, in my life and my business.

OVERCOMING FEAR AS A PHOTOGRAPHER // © PHOTZY.COM 2

 FEAR #1 – NOT BEING
GOOD ENOUGH

In any field of work, the only way to

produce great work is to actually do
the work. There truly is no such thing
as overnight success. We might look at
someone who seems to have achieved a
lot (which is really subjective, by the way)
and think that they have it easy. But we
don’t see the true reason for that success.
We don’t see the late nights, the hustle,
the constant planning and execution,
the anxiety over money, the failures, the
challenges, and the struggles. We don’t
see them because they are generally not
talked about openly.

So, before you question if you are good

enough, go ahead and consistently do
Photograph by Karthika Gupta
the work. Get out there and photograph
even when you don’t want to. Photograph
in different lighting situations to
understand light. Work with different
subjects so you know how to interact
and communicate to get the look you
want. I spent many years doing a 365
project. This is basically a project where

OVERCOMING FEAR AS A PHOTOGRAPHER // © PHOTZY.COM 3

 you photograph at least one image every day. Somedays it was
just a photograph of my breakfast, but having that discipline of
thinking about photography every day gave me a reason to pick
up my camera and take an image. As I watched the days and
months go by, I started gaining more confidence in my ability
not only as a photographer but also as a creative entrepreneur,
and it helped me overcome my fear of not being good enough.

A model roll call led to an incredible shoot that helped me

not only add beautiful photos to my portfolio but also helped
me understand the importance of culture and diversity in the
photography space.

Reach out and connect with other creatives and work together.
As a photographer, I love speaking with other photographers
and photography enthusiasts about the art of photography.
It is something I truly enjoy. I love sharing things that work for
me and things that I have struggled with in the hope that it
would help someone else who might be struggling. The more I
started to do this, the more I realized that feeling I was not good
enough was holding me back.

Key Lesson: Always remember that art is very

subjective and not everyone thinks a certain way, especially
in photography. Yes, there are rules, but rules can also be
broken. Learn to appreciate the artistic side and not the
technical side.

Photograph by Karthika Gupta

OVERCOMING FEAR AS A PHOTOGRAPHER // © PHOTZY.COM 4

 FEAR #2 – NEVER BEING
ABLE TO MAKE IT

If 10 years has truly taught me something it is

this: overnight success is truly a myth. You must
be prepared to invest a lot of time and effort
to get your work seen and acknowledged.
It’s highly unlikely that you’ll be an overnight
success with lots of clients and potential
work lining up. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but
the probability is quite low. So instead of leaving
your career to chance, why not take matters into
your own hands and have a plan to do the work
consistently? Learn all there is to learn about
what you want to focus on in your photography
and consistently put out good work.

Practice does make perfect. There really are

no two ways about this. The best way to
get better at something is to do it over and
Photograph by Karthika Gupta over again. The more you get out there and
photograph, the more you’ll understand what
you like, what makes you happy, and what areas
you need to improve in. Want to understand
light and how it affects photos? Go out and
photograph in different kinds of light. Want to
photograph people? Set up shoots and practice
photographing people. The more you do, the
more you create and the better you become.

OVERCOMING FEAR AS A PHOTOGRAPHER // © PHOTZY.COM 5

 In my opinion, the sweet spot in photography is not just making the
money but deriving creative satisfaction from your work and your art.

It’s taken me several years and thousands of photos to train my brain

to recognize light and create a story before I even click the shutter.
This is one of my favorite photos that I call ‘Light and shadow: Ride
and rider.’ To me, it shows the symbiosis between these two pairs.
Practice also makes you more confident. Now, when I see a story play
out, I’m not afraid to ask my clients or strangers to be actors in the
story.

Playing with film photography has been an incredible way to really

slow down and connect the dots between the technical and the
creative for my personal photography growth.

One of my goals is to better learn film photography. I have an old

35mm Canon AE-1, and I have run several rolls of film to try and get
images that I love. The first time I used that camera, I didn’t even
wind the film correctly, so I ended up sending a blank roll of film to
be processed. That was $20 well spent, right?

Key Lesson: Be comfortable with your style of photography

but also experiment with trends and styles. This will help you
perfect your art and, who knows, you might also find some tips
and tricks that help you.

Recommended Reading: Want to expand your shooting

skills and master photography? Grab our set of 65 beautifully
designed and printable Action Cards that will give you over 200
Photograph by Karthika Gupta photography assignments to help you take your photography to
the next level. Check it out here.

OVERCOMING FEAR AS A PHOTOGRAPHER // © PHOTZY.COM 6

 FEAR #3 - BEING ALONE
ON THIS JOURNEY

Photography in itself is quite a solitary

activity. Depending on how you feel, that
might be a good thing or a bad thing. I
am very much an introvert by nature, so,
for me, photography gave me a chance
to be by myself and get lost in my own
thoughts and emotions while walking
around and photographing things. But I
quickly found that I was very miserable
when I would do that over and over
again. I felt isolated. I felt alone and I
felt neglected. So instead of viewing
photography as a solitary activity, I set
out to make friends in the industry. And
by friends, I really mean friends who
were photographers or interested in
photography. I stopped viewing other
photographers as competition and
instead started viewing them as peers,
friends, and fellow creatives.

In any given industry there’s always

competition. Sometimes the competition
plays fair, and sometimes it doesn’t.
I’m not pointing fingers at anyone or
anything. I’m just stating the obvious.
Photograph by Karthika Gupta

OVERCOMING FEAR AS A PHOTOGRAPHER // © PHOTZY.COM 7

 Most people who pick up a camera and intend on I’d heard of double exposure before, but I never
becoming a photographer do it for the money, understood it until a friend and fellow photographer
the fame, or some combination of the two. Learn sat down with me and explained it step by step. Now
to play well with your competition. What sets you it’s one of my favorite ways of creative photography,
apart isn’t your skill or technique. Anyone can learn and my clients love it. Without befriending another
to do something if they put their mind and effort photographer, I might never have learned this new
into it. What sets you apart is you – your style, technique.
your aesthetic, and the way you view something is
unique. There will be clients who love what you do Key Lesson: Think of other photographers
because of the way you do it, and there will be those as friends and not competitors. Friends make
who’d rather go with the other guy. That’s just part any journey more fun and interesting, and that
of the game. Accept it and make friends with your goes for photography as well.
competitors. It’s better to have friends in the industry
you’re playing in than enemies.

Double exposure, as seen on the previous page, is a

lot of fun and brings so much more to an otherwise
‘safe’ shot.

OVERCOMING FEAR AS A PHOTOGRAPHER // © PHOTZY.COM 8

 FEAR #4 – NEGATIVITY
VERSUS POSITIVITY

One of the biggest lessons life teaches

us is that our journey is a reflection of
our attitude. Without even noticing,
it’s easy to become negative and bitter
towards the world and, specifically, the
photography industry. Why are some
people more successful than us? Why do
some photographers get all the jobs?
Why can’t I book more clients? The
questions can go on forever.

Not only does a negative attitude stop

you from enjoying your life, but it can also
have a significant impact on your work
and your craft. After all, you love this art
form. That’s why you’re here, right? You
want to learn, engage, and get better at
Photograph by Karthika Gupta
it. The energy a person brings with them
is contagious. We all have bad days, no
matter how people portray themselves.
Every time I feel angry or jealous of
someone else’s success, I remind myself
that just because I can see what they’ve
accomplished doesn’t mean I know what
they’ve gone through and sacrificed to
get there.

OVERCOMING FEAR AS A PHOTOGRAPHER // © PHOTZY.COM 9

 One of the most practical ways of switching And remember, one of the best things you can do for
your mindset from negative to positive in your your passion for photography is to have a positive
photography is to ask for genuine feedback. attitude.
Oftentimes, we tend to see our work as less rather
than as sufficient. However, by asking for feedback, Key Lesson: Always, always believe in
we can see our work as others see it. Feedback yourself. Talking badly or negatively about
can be formal by entering contests or informal by yourself will lead you down a path of self-
asking our clients for comments on their experience. destruction. Don’t give up. Instead, find creative
Regardless, feedback is a great way to learn what ways to make it.
you are good at and what you can improve on.

OVERCOMING FEAR AS A PHOTOGRAPHER // © PHOTZY.COM 10

 FEAR #5 – NOT GETTING CLIENTS

You can have the best portfolio, the best website, and the perfect studio space, but it
all means nothing if you are not getting a steady stream of inquiries and clients.

And the only way to really get clients and bookings is to actively go seek them out.
One way to seek new clients is to put yourself out there as a photographer/creative
artist. Network with people from different industries, pitch your work to your ideal
clients, and market your work effectively and the inquiries will come. Sure, this will
take time, but if you are in this industry for the long game then take the time to make
a mark with your work.

Showcase the kind of work you want to photograph and do it consistently. This helps
you develop a style, create a brand, and in turn attract the kind of work you want to
produce.

I wish someone told me this when I first started my business. I was caught up in
perfection – the perfect logo, the perfect website, the perfect portfolio, a printing
vendor, business cards, etc. I spent so much time making sure all my ducks were in a
row that I stalled the process more than I helped it along. I was not putting myself out
there using what I already had versus waiting to have it all and then showcasing my
work.

Key Lesson: Perfection is a myth. Take baby steps and move forward
towards your goal and keep a working list of things you want to achieve. If you
wait until you feel you are ready, you will be waiting a long time.

Photograph by Karthika Gupta

Recommended Reading: Want to expand your shooting skills and master
photography? Grab our set of 65 beautifully designed and printable Action
Cards that will give you over 200 photography assignments to help you take
your photography to the next level. Check it out here.
OVERCOMING FEAR AS A PHOTOGRAPHER // © PHOTZY.COM 11
 Photograph by Karthika Gupta

OVERCOMING FEAR AS A PHOTOGRAPHER // © PHOTZY.COM 12

 CONCLUSION

Sometimes it’s good to take a step back,

figure out what the big picture is, and
then keep moving along to achieving it.
Just keep moving along towards your
goal by taking a step forward every day
and things always work out exactly how
they are meant to in the end.

I hope these tips were helpful and shed

light on some of the commonly expressed
fears that we, including myself, regularly
experience.

Please remember that you are not on

an island without any help nor are you
the only one going through all these
emotions and feelings of anxiety around
your work. We all face these same
issues time and time again. The key is to
Photograph by Karthika Gupta objectively work through them and come
out stronger. If you are truly passionate
about photography and want to make it
a career, keep up the hard work and the
fruits of your labor are bound to be as
sweet as can be.

OVERCOMING FEAR AS A PHOTOGRAPHER // © PHOTZY.COM 13

 Self-Check Quiz:

1) What is a 365 project?

2) Are other photographers your competitors or your friends, and what benefit can you get by making friends in the industry?

3) Why should you experiment with different editing styles, and how will that help you perfect your craft?

4) Self-critique your own photos, but challenge yourself to note more positive feedback than negative.

5) Can you list two to three industries to network in that work well with your genre of photography?

OVERCOMING FEAR AS A PHOTOGRAPHER // © PHOTZY.COM 14

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Congratulations! You’ve completed
this Photzy guide!

Karthika Gupta is a If you liked this photography tutorial, check out

wedding, lifestyle, portrait, our set of 65 beautifully designed and printable
and editorial photographer project sheets that will give you over 200
based in Chicago. Her photography assignments to help you take your
style of photography is photography to the next level: Action Cards.
fun, fresh, and organic. She
strives to capture authentic
emotions and interactions
among her clients and
emotive imagery in her
commercial work.

She loves connecting

with other creatives
and photographers and
is always ready for an
engaging conversation
about photography and
the art of storytelling.

She can be found online at www.karthikagupta.com and on

social media at: IF YOU’D LIKE TO CONTINUE
Instagram: www.instagram.com/karthikagupta
LEARNING AND IMPROVING
YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY PLEASE
Facebook: www.facebook.com/memorablejaunts
VISIT PHOTZY.COM
Twitter: www.twitter.com/karthikagupta

15