Many introverts struggle to balance the demands of photography, a profession often dominated by social interactions. Understanding how to thrive despite this challenge is crucial to succeeding in your career.
Coming to you from Scott Choucino of Tin House Studio, this practical video addresses the realities introverted photographers face and provides insights into managing the challenges effectively. Choucino openly discusses his experiences, emphasizing that despite appearing confident in videos or public talks, interactions with smaller groups are significantly draining for him. He points out a crucial realization: large crowds are manageable because personal interaction is minimal, but smaller events like meetings or networking can be overwhelming. This helps dispel the myth that successful photographers must naturally thrive in social situations, making it clear you're not alone in finding these experiences exhausting.
The video then transitions into specific coping strategies Choucino employs, each realistic and achievable. One particularly important approach he mentions is scheduling deliberate rest days, an intentional practice of isolating yourself after demanding social engagements. He emphasizes the necessity of downtime, reassuring you that taking a day off to recharge privately is completely valid and necessary. Additionally, Choucino highlights the pressure photographers face on set, reminding you that it's normal to feel overwhelmed knowing everyone's relying solely on your expertise. Accepting this responsibility without letting anxiety dominate is a key takeaway he offers, making clear the necessity of mental preparedness and self-assuredness.
Beyond rest and mindset, Choucino also offers practical advice on social interactions, specifically highlighting the importance of preparing conversation topics beforehand. His advice stems from a humorous yet insightful personal anecdote about a poorly timed joke he once made, underscoring the importance of being ready with neutral conversation starters. He suggests preparing casual, easy-to-discuss topics to navigate awkward silences or small talk on set. This technique helps you feel prepared and less stressed about spontaneous interactions, reducing anxiety around communication.
Throughout the video, Choucino maintains a supportive, relatable tone, acknowledging the awkwardness introverts often feel while also offering concrete strategies you can apply directly. He ensures his advice remains grounded in practical, personal experience rather than theoretical concepts, helping you immediately integrate these methods into your workflow. This relatable approach is valuable for any introverted photographer aiming to handle social situations with less stress and more confidence, ultimately allowing you to enjoy your profession more fully. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Choucino.
This is an interesting area for me because of my day job. Yes I don't work in photography full-time. They're simply isn't enough money where I live to do photography full-time so I have a day job as a drug and alcohol counsellor and most of our clients experiencing anxiety we will all get anxious in certain moments the biggest tip that I give to people and it might sound surprising is to actually welcome the anxiety. It's telling you something. It is actually a tennis match between your brain and your heart so as your brain starts to become anxious, your heart rate will increase. If you can lower your heart rate by breathing and doing mindfulness exercises you will bring your anxiety down naturally to the point where you can actually welcome it because you know you've got the strategies to actually take control of it. There is a great YouTube channel called panic away it's an organisation that specifically focuses on anxiety and panic. They are a great channel that I can thoroughly recommend even for people that don't have major anxiety or even photographers. The videos are very short and simple and don't bang on for half an hour. They're not therapy videos. They are strategies to manage anxiety and I use them in my daily practice with clients. I have 13 years working in addictions. My biggest tip is changing your stance and how you view anxiety and actually welcoming it because then you have the power to actually take control of it. If you try and run from it or suppress from it you will actually end up probably using alcohol and other substances to manage it or just not be able to function.