Hard work can often outpace natural talent in photography. The learning curve may seem steep, but dedication to developing skills and creativity can open doors that talent alone won’t.
Coming to you from Manny Ortiz, this motivating video shares how he transformed himself from someone with no creative inclination into a professional photographer. Ortiz started with no experience, picking up a Canon T2i purely out of curiosity. He immersed himself in learning lighting, composition, and posing, using every free moment to practice. His journey reminds you that photography (or really, any art) is as much about persistence as it is about vision. Ortiz’ methodical approach—studying diagrams, practicing setups, and learning from failure—highlights how deliberate practice leads to success.
Ortiz also explains how he hit a creative plateau and decided to expand into sports and wildlife photography. This transition forced him to leave his comfort zone, approach work as a beginner, and ask questions of those more experienced. His story underscores the importance of humility when branching out. Despite his established expertise in portraits, Ortiz embraced vulnerability, learning from trial and error. The result was a noticeable improvement in his work, fueled by his drive to master new styles.
A critical takeaway from the video is how Ortiz overcame feelings of inferiority by saturating his mind with creative influences. He used tools like Pinterest to gather ideas without the pressure of social media metrics. This technique helped him focus on inspiration rather than comparison. By exposing himself to diverse styles and concepts, he was able to cultivate his creativity step by step. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Ortiz.
Manny Ortiz wrote:
"You don't need TALENT to be a GREAT Photographer"
I disagree most completely!
I challenge anyone to name one - just one - great photographer who never developed any degree of talent.
Talent is something that we develop through experience and study and hard work. There aren't really any shortcuts to true greatness. One only becomes great at photography by working hard to develop their talent.
Saying that you don't need talent to be a great photographer is akin to saying that you don't need muscles to be a great powerlifter. No one ever became a great power lifter without developing their muscles, and no one ever became a great photographer without developing their talent.
Sadly, these days, you just need Photoshop and Lightroom....very few use skill and talent anymore
What???
In what genre of photography can one be successful on editing skills alone?
Anyone who thinks that gear and software getting the technical things right for us means that we don't need talent or creativity is horribly misguided.
Anyone who actually does photography at a solid professional level knows that advanced features in gear and in editing software will never displace vision and ability behind the camera.