You Need More than ‘Natural Talent’ to Make it as a Photographer

[Andrea Taurisano]

As I wrote above and Lukita took up, "nailing it", luck and/or good timing has been decisive for many, if not most, of the "masters". After which, from Wikipedia:

"Elitism is the belief or attitude that some individuals who form an elite—a select group of people with a certain ancestry, intrinsic quality or worth, high intellect, wealth, specialized training or experience, or other distinctive attributes—are those whose influence or authority is greater than that of others; whose views on a matter are to be taken more seriously or carry more weight; whose views or actions are more likely to be constructive to society as a whole; or whose extraordinary skills, abilities, or wisdom render them especially fit to govern".[1]

 

[RichC]

The best response response so far IMO:

Interesting how a seemingly simple question generates such a complex set of answers.

I'm a little uneasy about the teachers' question : "Art, that’s special. What can you bring to it that nobody else can?"

Anyone can bring hard work, perseverance, and people skills to the table. Anyone has talent. No good being extra-special and original and out of the box if nobody recognises the quality of the work : good photography balances precariously on a thin line between 'Wow, I haven't seen this like that before' and 'This is exactly how that should look like', a dance between shape and content, recognition being the central node. One has to 'recognise' a photograph to want to explore it further.

To confuse the issue, recognition is the term associated with fame, name-recognition.

This is unfortunate, as fame has little coincidence with artistic merit. For every Van Gogh there are tens, maybe hundreds of painters who are just as interesting. Vivian Maier is one name that popped out of obscurity posthumously. How many others are there? How many others were there, with a camera and something to shoot?

If the question is about 'making art', talent is a given, hard work and perseverance are required. you need to be obsessed with taking photographs, and obsessed with taking better ones.

If the question is about 'making it', it's mostly luck. Like being a friend of the drummer in a group that turns out big, or getting introduced to the editor of Vogue, or going viral on social media with a complaint about how hard the life of a photographer is.

In answer to the teacher in the movie : art isn't all that special. It's just a name for a better class of craftsmanship.

cheers

 

[willie_901]

Everything you say is true, but I personally know (or can point to) a very wealthy exception to every point you have made. Artists are a funny lot.

Of course. Unlimited financial resources may be rare, but they do create completely unique circumstances.

 

[Dave Jenkins]

Perhaps as an artist natural talent is more important. I have no real natural talent for photography, but I fell in love with the process over 50 years ago, and have made a living with it for over 40 years (PJ). Because I love the process, I shoot constantly, though. Many tens of thousands of photos.

But, I'm no artist. And had no formal education in photography.

Plus 1, JP. Your situation is very similar to mine. Although I have had successful books published and am considered to be an artist by many people, I don't consider myself one.

 

[Ranchu]

Oh hell, I'll just cut out the middleman and call the potential consumer, send them the picture with the magic of wi fi, and ask if they like it and what I can do to make it better, or if I should try a different subject altogether, do you think? I can 'incorporate their ideas', and have a 'mutually beneficial' 'business relationship'. I can 'think of us as a creative team'.

Eventually I'll have so many customers I'll be the BEST photographer ever, bar none!

So awesome.

Or really, what I should do is compile a database of both people who have bought photography, and a database of very polite photographers who want some money. Then I'll connect them up for the above machinations, take a percentage and I'll be like a pig in slop, but with money instead of slop! I'll be an authoritative authority on photography because of my vast knowledge and humorous bonhomie, respected far and wide for my views on the 'art of photography'!

Ha Ha !

😎

 

[Andrea Taurisano]

...
Or really, what I should do is compile a database of both people who have bought photography, and a database of very polite photographers who want some money. Then I'll connect them up for the above machinations, take a percentage and I'll be like a pig in slop, but with money instead of slop! I'll be an authoritative authority on photography because of my vast knowledge and humorous bonhomie, respected far and wide for my views on the 'art of photography'!

Ha Ha !

😎

You mean be a gallerist instead. Which enables talking and pretending to know all about photography having never held a camera oneself.

 

[ksb]

Talent is overrated

Talent is overrated

The ones who make something of themselves as writers are the ones who take a perverse pleasure in the endless, tedious cycle of failure that comprises most of one's life as a writer. I suspect this is probably applicable to any art form.

Bingo. I have found that talent is only the beginning. And it's not even really necessary most of the time. It is the thousands of hours put in doing something for the obsessive love of it that makes one good. I wish I had been taught that as a kid instead of being given the idea that you either have it or you don't. For some reason people don't seem to value that idea that plain old hard work can get you there.

 

[FrankS]

effort + talent + marketing = success

 

[jsrockit]

I wish I had been taught that as a kid instead of being given the idea that you either have it or you don't. For some reason people don't seem to value that idea that plain old hard work can get you there.

I agree....

 

[bmattock]

I teach creative writing for a living, and a shockingly large percentage of my students have enough talent to become superb writers, or they could, if they happened to be obsessed with writing. Not many are, though; almost everyone gives up. I honestly think everyone's talent is already unique. You just have to develop it through lots of trial and error, and that process isn't to everybody's taste. Most of my good students are shocked when they learn how many times people completely rewrite their novels and stories, how much of a writer's work gets rejected or thrown out unfinished.

The ones who make something of themselves as writers are the ones who take a perverse pleasure in the endless, tedious cycle of failure that comprises most of one's life as a writer. I suspect this is probably applicable to any art form.

I really like this.

 

[Rayt]

Photography gets no respect. I don't see people asking how they get to Carnegie Hall (practice practice I know) now that they just took up the violin. Nor do I ever hear people asking what is the difference between an Olympic athlete and a weekend warrior. But when comes to photography people think anybody can do it. Maybe it is just natural talent. My aunt Betty told me I had a good eye. HDR makes any photo look so much better. Are we so used to the instant gratification we now get with digital that the idea of learning one's craft like practicing scales on your first guitar lesson is no longer required?

 

[bmattock]

Talent is great, if one happens to have it. It is not necessary, despite indignant sputterings to the contrary. In fact, natural talent can work against one and often does. It can lead to complacency.

The only thing that I have found which helps is perseverance.

Good luck is also highly underrated, but one cannot control that. Perseverance can put one in a position that luck can assist if it happens to wander by.

Fortunately for me, I do not pursue success, whatever that may be. I do what I enjoy, and that is sufficient.

 

[Paul T.]

I liked the movie, and I thought his point wasn't far off. But the main point wasn't about the something unique - it was about doing the work and not giving up.

You do need luck, too. Opportunities come through chance connections - my career started when someone famous liked the sleeve of my record, that was sent to the studio engineer the morning he was in. But the point is... luck doesn't become real until you sweat, following it up. I don't think you need necessarily take pleasure in the cycles of failure... but you have to take pleasure in sculpting something out of the chaos, with a chisel or with your mind.

 

[Bill Clark]

With my business, I didn't think I had any talent. Always wanted to do better. Still do. Someday I'll get there but not yet. Different view now because I'm retired.

I was happy I found someone who helped me with my journey.

Clients thought I had talent and so did my banker. It was my day and night job. It was my only job.

 

[Out to Lunch]

Immanentizing the eschaton since 1987.

What happened in 1987?

 

[bmattock]

What happened in 1987?

I started immanentizing the eschaton, of course.

 

[Hsg]

Talent, success, admired by others, all of these goals that photographers strive for, has nothing to do with photography, its a product of low self-esteem that wants to be elevated and made 'great'... Photography or something else, such people will do anything to escape their inferiority complex.


All great photographers are first and foremost great human beings.

So, if you want to make it as a great photographer, forget everything else and become a good human being, what happens after that is not in your hand.

 

[Hsg]

You speak in absolutes and there are no absolutes in photography. Nothing personal.

If you can't help yourself but to use words like bs and religion and nonsense etc. in response to my posts then try to exercise some self-control, otherwise i don't want to think that my posts in their absolutism ruins your day.

 

[jsrockit]

If you can't help yourself but to use words like bs and religion and nonsense etc. in response to my posts then try to exercise some self-control, otherwise i don't want to think that my posts in their absolutism ruins your day.

My day is going well thanks. Believe me, I'm exercising control.

 

[MIkhail]

All great photographers are first and foremost great human beings.

Couldn’t disagree more... :-(
History gives us many, many examples of just the opposite. In fact I would venture to say that great human and great talent have no cause-effect connection…