Effort ≠ Reward
In 2017, Frank and I went to James Town, a fishing community in Accra to take photos of the people around. In James Town, what you tend to see is that there are lots and lots of fishermen in the area.
You will see some mending their nets, some sleeping in the boats and others pushing their boats into the sea to sail. You will also see lots and lots of market women at the shore waiting for harvest in order to buy at low prices and then go sell in the market.
We went to the place because we wanted to take photos of these hardworking people obviously. We spent more than 5 hours there and we kept shooting until we realized the sun was hiding its face.
It was a tough day for us, but we were excited. We had just started photography and we wanted to photograph anything and everything.
One thing, the photos we got that day did not turn out so great. In my mind, we wasted money and resources and got turned down by some people who refused to stand in front of our cameras. It wasn’t a great day. On this day we realized effort does not always equal reward.
Photography is a creative hobby for many people, but it can also be a lucrative career for those who are willing to put in the work.
Still, it is important to remember that effort does not always equal reward in photography.
There are many factors that contribute to success in photography, including talent, skill, experience, and marketing.
Even the most talented photographers may struggle to make a living from their work, especially when they are first starting out.
There are a few reasons why effort ≠ reward in photography.
First, the market for photography is very competitive. There are millions of photographers around the world, all contending for the same clients. This means that it can be difficult to stand out from the crowd and get your work noticed.
A professional photographer shared a story with Frank and I last night about his graphic designer friend. He said that his friend would create amazing designs and pitch them to different companies in hopes of winning over their business.
The first thing that came to mind was this: The companies he’s pitching already have graphic designers doing their work for them. If any of the companies he’s pitching to say yes to him, it means somebody is going to lose his job. Is that not so?
Competition might not be a thing in the world of hobbies, but it sure is a thing in the professional world. Some people like to make competition have a bad rep to make it seem there are lots of opportunities for everyone. Yes, maybe there are, but if anyone wants what you want, it drives you to work harder so you don’t lose your position.
Second, photography is a skill-intensive field. It takes years of practice and study to master the basics of composition, lighting, and exposure. Even after you have mastered the basics, there is always more to learn. You never seem to stop learning.
It’s not only the skill side, but you ought to learn the side of being good at human relations. If you don’t know how to communicate, then, you’re not going to be great at photography.
I have said this before and a pro photographer one time told me I wasn’t serious. I said, “The more I photograph weddings, the more I do not want to photograph them.”
I said this because, first, it’s the truth. I’m not great at human relations especially when it comes to weddings. I remember a friend who’s a pro wedding photographer telling me one time how he loved shooting weddings. You should check out his work on Instagram.
He loved it. He loved shooting events. From his explanation, I could see he would not want to shoot anything else apart from weddings, and he’s good at what he does.
I’m not saying I’m a bad wedding photographer, I’m also saying I’m bad at relating to people on their very happy days. I easily zone out, do my work and walk out. I can’t cheer anyone up to save my life. How am I going to do this when I have kids of my own?
Third, photography is a very time-consuming field. You often have to work long hours, especially when you are on assignment. This can be difficult to balance with a personal life and other commitments.
Jude, who is the photographer behind DayLight Impressions is phenomenal at what he does, and when he was still in Ghana and I visited him, his home looked like a photo studio.
His home was basically a photo studio. He was always busy editing photos, working on projects, and picking up calls. It was a lot to handle, and it felt like he never had time to do anything else. Thankfully, there was the Sabbath day, when he could finally rest after attending church service.
How can you improve your chances of becoming a successful photographer? What can you do to make your hard work pay off?
Focus on your niche. The more you master your craft the easier it becomes to make images. You tend to learn more and know shortcuts that will help you in creating images.
Develop a great portfolio. You should always have something to show to prospects. If prospects have nothing to see, you might have to work 10X harder just to land them as clients. YOu don’t have to go through that hustle, develop a portfolio.
Be patient and persistent. If you’re not consistent with your work, you might as well just cease working. We live in a fast-paced world and to find success, we need to be consistent in creating quality to catch up, to keep winning and landing more clients.
Don’t stop putting out work because you did not see results after 2 months. Keep working, and keep putting out the work. You don’t look buff by gyming for two straight weeks and not gym anymore.
Put in the work, be patient and you’re going to win. Opportunity meets preparation and that births success.
Thank you for checking out this article. If this brought you value, get my book on beginner photography: The Photographer’s Companion: Picture Perfect, A Beginner’s Guide to Photography.
