The two most common mindsets of photographers

Throughout my journey as a photographer and interacting with other photographers I have found the two most common mindsets of photographers are those who think they are better than they are and those who think they aren’t as good as they are. I have also found some that bounce between the two mindsets and I think I may be one that bounces between them.

There are times when I go out and think, “I’ve got this!” and start shooting away snapping pictures like crazy then I get back to my digital darkroom and realize I bombed it. Other times I get out there and think, “I I’ll give it a go” and get back and look at the results and realize I killed it.

The photograph I posted above was one of those times I thought “I’ve got this” but I have since become very disappointed with the results. I went unprepared. I went with a mindset of succeeding rather than learning and experimenting. You see, I had not done any of this type of photography before. I am a huge proponent of lighting and creative lighting techniques but this was new to me. Lesson learned. As the Captain said in the movie “Cool hand Luke”, You ain’t gonna need no third set, ’cause you gonna get your mind right. Working on a photography session, project, or even practice, you have to get your mind right. Confidence when called for, humility when needed, and student when necessary. The key is learning to recognize what mindset is appropriate at the time. Stay humble and it is easier to adjust that mindset to fit the moment.