What Are the Traits of Great and Successful Photographers?

Think about some of your favorite and most successful photographers: what do they all have in common? This excellent video explores the traits of great photographers and what makes them who they are.

Coming to you from Tony and Chelsea Northrup, this great video explores the traits embodied by top photographers both now and throughout history. Of them, I think one of the most important and readily applicable to any photographer at any level is persistence. Photography, like any field in the arts, is one where you'll have to deal with rejection and criticism on a daily basis, and how you handle that negativity and incorporate it into your growth could very well be the factor that shapes your career. Over the years, I've learned that even if you go through 50 rejections, all it takes is one person to open a door or hire you for a job, and often, your career will start to snowball from there, but you only ever get to that point if you continue to develop your skills and persist through the rejection you'll inevitably experience. Having thick skin, working hard, and believing in yourself can go a long way. 

Lead image by Conrad Foord, used under Creative Commons.

Alex Cooke's picture

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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4 Comments

All of the photographers I admire don't do youtube videos. ALL of them!

Sam pretty much summed it up. They are too busy shooting. Not one commercial pro I admire has online tutorials. But you can learn by assisting them and even get paid for it :)

Oh my god yes.

Same. And they aren't even on social media themselves. They pay people for that.