Photography Educator David duChemin Thinks You Should Consider Being Unrealistic

The incredibly prolific David duChemin has managed to squeeze out some more great philosophical and metaphorical nuggets in the latest video of his "Vision is Better" series. Full of his usual optimism and encouragement, he verbally judo-rolls his way through the walls of failure and fear, to prepare you to finally start that large format pet photography business you've been thinking about. Speaking of pets, two words really stand out in this video: Pet. Rock. Greater words of encouragement you will never hear.

"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." -  Samuel Beckett

Are you fearful of the year ahead? Do you itch to start a new project, but are worried you might fail? duChemin’s message is clear: don’t be scared, and expect to fail. Liberating ideas for sure, but it’s a mindset that must be exercised; it takes practice. We are conditioned from an early age to reject failure, but as we become older and wiser, we come to realize that failure is part of the process. Some of life’s most valuable lessons are framed by failure, so go ahead and start that “unrealistic” project. You’ll either succeed, and thusly earn the right to say “I told you so,” or you’ll fail and learn some valuable lessons, then, go on to a new project and apply your new knowledge to fail again. Fail better. 

Mike O'Leary's picture

Mike is a landscape and commercial photographer from, Co. Kerry, Ireland. In his photographic work, Mike tries to avoid conveying his sense of existential dread, while at the same time writing about his sense of existential dread. The last time he was in New York he was mugged, and he insists on telling that to every person he meets.

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3 Comments

Lol, I’ve never met a photographer with realistic expectations. Jk, great points.

Great vid - a lot of valid points :)

That was excellent, and a realistic breath of fresh air amongst the "if you can dream it then you can achieve it ra ra ra" crap we often hear.