You Are a Second-Rate Photographer: What Can You Do About It?

There are many reasons why a photograph can go wrong. But to be a photographic flop takes a special skill that most failures don’t even know they have. If you don’t want to be a second-rate photographer, here is how to avoid it.

Don’t Be a Diluted Annie or Ansel, Be Both at Once

There are some great photographers out there creating astounding work. Just look at the galleries here at Fstoppers and you will see some skilled photography. Consequently, there is a huge pull to take photos in the style of one of those photographers. Don’t do it! You won’t ever be better than them, and when others look at your pictures, they will see yet another wannabe failure. You will be nothing more than yet another insipid, watered-down copycat, never as good as the original.

I am also going to give the opposite advice. Do it! However, only do so to learn from those great photographers. Read their autobiographies and interviews, study their portfolios, and hear what others have to say about them. Then, mash up all the different ideas and techniques from different photographers into something new.

This is what creativity is all about. It’s not about copying, or discovering something entirely new, but taking things that already exist and blending them in new and inventive ways. Look at every great art movement or every music trend from the past. Each has grown from what came before.

Everything Is New Under the Sun

But I can hear you shouting, “With the more-than-a-trillion photos shot this year, most things must have been tried already by someone, mustn’t they? It’s nigh on impossible to find a subject or technique that somebody else hasn’t already tried, isn’t it?” No, that’s wrong.

I’ve been living in this little town in the Northeast of England for nearly twenty years. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve shot a seascape at sunrise. No two pictures are the same. There are uniquely shaped clouds overhead, and maybe none at all. The sky’s colors change constantly, and with it, the sea's too. Sometimes the water is rough with pounding waves, and sometimes it's calm with barely a ripple. Occasionally, the wind is blowing against the waves, brushing spray from their tops. The tidal state is also different from one day to the next and, what is more, on each morning the sun rises in a slightly different direction. Solitary seabirds skim the wave tops, while others might soar high overhead.

On top of all that, there are all the choices I can make regarding focal length, exposure, and camera positioning.

It doesn’t matter what you shoot, there are infinite variables that make your photo unique.

Even Lawrence Olivier Rehearsed

Laurence Olivier, arguably one of the greatest to have lived, rehearsed everything to the finest detail and would hone and change each performance to improve it. Every great artist rehearses. They practice time and again and are rarely happy with what they have achieved so far.

Treat every time you go out with your camera as a rehearsal for next time. As I said in the last section, I can’t remember how many times I’ve been out to photograph the sunrise over the sea. But I do know this, if I look back at the shots I took nineteen years ago, they were not as good as those I shot ten years back. And as for those pictures from ten years ago, the ones I take now are better. If I am still here in ten years, I hope those will be better yet again.

When What You Do Becomes a Trend, It’s Time to Move On

If you do find something new, or shoot something successfully, it’s likely to start a trend of other people wanting to do the same as you.

A long time ago, I started to photograph the moon rising behind the island off the coast from where I live. I would usually be the only person on the beach. Now, every full moonrise, the shoreline is packed with photographers. More recently, I have been shooting sea and shorebirds at slow shutter speeds; it was a technique I discovered by accident and then improved on.

I was probably not the first person to do that, but it was not a common approach to capturing birds in flight. Since publishing my photos online and in an exhibition, I’ve noticed a growing number of people doing the same. I’ll shoot a few more, but I’ll find something else to shoot soon; it’s time to move on.

How You React to Being Copied

I could have one of two reactions to others doing what I’ve been doing. Firstly, I could get in a bad mood and let ill feelings about these copycats fester within me, or I could celebrate the fact that others are building upon what I have done and help them to succeed. I choose the latter. Firstly, imitation is said to be the highest form of flattery. Then, secondly, I find it rewarding that I have helped photographers to achieve taking good photos. Perhaps they will build upon what I have done and branch out into something new. Fantastic!

Avoid Being a Grouch Photographer

The idea “Do as you would be done by,” is an old philosophy that’s proposed by many cultures. Sadly, in the world today, it seems to be not only ignored by many of those in power, but the very opposite behavior is adopted by them instead. The people who are supposed to set a good example to the rest of us tell lies, abuse others, and line their own pockets to the detriment of others. Consequently, these actions are considered acceptable, so they are then repeated. History has constantly shown, however, that leaders who live in a moral vacuum usually come to a sticky end, and those who behave similarly, likewise. Of course, the one thing we learn from history is that we never learn from history.

Your attitude to other photographers is very much reflected by the success you have. Becoming a successful photographer is a long game. If you spend your time criticizing and demeaning others, you’ll fail. Why? Success needs the support of others, and if individuals treat others badly, they’ll get no help in return.

What About Those Who Are Grouchy to Me?

There will always be unintelligent idiots who make stupid and unkind remarks. That's because they lack the wherewithal to work hard and become talented at photography; they think their way to success is to try to pull other people down. Of course, they don’t succeed. Those who make snide remarks about others' creativity are not very bright, and it’s easy to highlight their stupidity and put them down. You don’t have to suffer these fools. You can either ignore them or point out to the world their nastiness and the ridiculousness of their comments.

Are you always encouraging others to succeed, or are you the type of person who writes snarky comments on internet forums or picks holes in others’ work? If you are in the former group, then it’s a clear sign that you are on the road to success as a photographer.

Every Mishap Is an Opportunity

I’ve traveled a lot through Europe, Africa, and Asia. One of the great things about photography is that nice people come to talk. Usually, it's just when I am about to snap the sun poking its head above the horizon or a bird is exhibiting some extraordinary behavior and I miss the shot. I don't mind, though. The world keeps on turning, and the sun will rise again tomorrow.

When I was in Helsinki in January, I was lining up my camera to photograph the Lutheran Cathedral. It was devoid of people, which was unusual. However, a group of excited women suddenly walked into the shot to take selfies. They spotted me with my camera and apologized. I said it was okay, and they asked me to take photos of their group with their phones. I chatted with them for a while. They had come from Indonesia and were heading up to Rovaniemi, hopefully to see the Northern Lights. I had just returned from the North, and it had been exceedingly cold. So we talked about that and gave them some hints on how to capture the aurora.

I enjoyed that interaction. Anyone who knows me will know that when I see I often stop and volunteer to take photos of couples and groups, so nobody is missing from their picture; I value these five-minute friendships, which are more important than the photograph.

By the time I had taken their photos with their phones and chatted with them, the scene was no longer deserted. Another group of people had gathered, which made it a far more interesting photo than just the cathedral.

Success or failure in photography very much depends on your attitude. Accept that when things don’t go to plan, you can still accomplish something else, and it will probably be better.

In answer to my title's question, you are not a second-rate photographer, you just don't know it. Keep on taking photos, enjoy experimenting and practicing, and encourage others. Then success will roll in.