Is Comparing Your Work to Others Always a Bad Thing?

With social media, it is easier than ever to quickly compare your work to that of dozens or even hundreds of other photographers. Is that always a good thing? Is it always bad? The truth is a bit more nuanced, and it is an important thing to think about to promote healthy development as a photographer, which is what this excellent video essay discusses. 

Coming to you from Chelsea Nicole Photography, this insightful video essay discusses developing a healthy relationship with how you view your work against that of others. It is very easy to fall into the trap of thinking your work is not worthy compared to that of others, especially with how easily we can look at the work of hundreds of other photographers just by scrolling through an app like Instagram. That might lead you to avoid doing so altogether. But in doing so, you miss out on a variety of helpful opportunities. You can often find creative inspiration in the work of others, you can get a good idea of where your work stands within the market, or you can possibly see areas you might need to work on. It can be very beneficial as long as you maintain a healthy attitude toward it. Check out the video above for the full rundown. 

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Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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