May 27, 2025 • 25 mins
#566 In this episode of the podcast, I explore how photography can be a powerful tool for self-discovery—not just a way to create beautiful images or chase technical perfection. I share my belief that the most meaningful photos aren’t always the ones that earn the most likes or comments. Instead, our true value as photographers comes from how honestly we depict our lives and the world around us.
KEY TOPICS COVERED
- Photography as Self-Discovery - Raymond explains that photography is more than just technical skill or visual appeal—it's a tool for self-exploration. The choices you make behind the camera act as a "mirror," revealing your interests, values, and the way you see the world.
- The Mirror and the Megaphone Metaphor - The “mirror” captures your authentic, unfiltered truth, while the “megaphone” amplifies what you choose to share with the world—curated, staged, or idealized moments. The real magic happens when your megaphone projects your mirror’s truth.
- Practical Ways to Shoot Authentically - Raymond recommends concrete strategies, like setting reminders to document ordinary scenes (e.g., your fridge, messy rooms) to foster honesty in your work. He challenges listeners to photograph something honest, unpolished, and meaningful—if only for themselves.
IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS & CONCEPTS
- Mirror: The aspect of photography that reflects your true self—your interests, emotions, and what you naturally notice. It’s about authenticity.
- Megaphone: The way you present or share your images, shaping how your story is told to others. This can be more curated or staged but is most powerful when aligned with your mirror.
DISCUSSION & REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- What do your everyday photo choices reveal about you?
- Have you ever felt pressure to shoot for an audience instead of for yourself?
- How can you begin to capture more authentic and honest moments in your daily life?
Learn What Camera Settings to Use in our free guide!
https://perfectcamerasettings.com/
Connect with Raymond!
- Join the free Beginner Photography Podcast Community at https://beginnerphotopod.com/group
- Get your Photo Questions Answered on the show - https://beginnerphotopod.com/qa
- Grab your free camera setting cheatsheet - https://perfectcamerasettings.com/
Thanks for listening & keep shooting!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
raymond-hatfield_3_05-23-20 (00:00):
Why would you go against your
(00:01):
instincts just to chase what'spopular?
The more that you lean intoshooting how you see the world,
the more unique, the moremeaningful and amazing and
personal your work is gonnabecome.
Who doesn't want unique,meaningful, amazing, and
(00:21):
personal work?
Who doesn't want to create that?
Hey, welcome to the BeginnerPhotography Podcast.
I'm your host, Raymond Hatfield,and today we're gonna look at
photography a little bitdifferently, not as just a way
to capture beauty.
I.
Or nail the perfect shot, but asa way to really understand
yourself and how you see theworld, and you know me.
(00:45):
My goal is not to get allphilosophical and then just
leave you hanging.
I'm also gonna be sharing somepractical tips on ways that you
can photograph more freely andcreate images that are not only
beautiful, but more authentic toyourself.
We are going to stop tying ourworth as photographers to the
amount of likes or comments thatour images get.
(01:08):
My goal is that you walk awayfrom this episode with a renewed
sense of purpose behind thecamera, and maybe realize that
the experience of shooting isjust as if not more valuable
than the actual photosthemselves.
But first, the BeginnerPhotography Podcast is brought
to you by Clouds Spot.
(01:29):
Come on, you know this.
If you wanna turn your passionfor photography into income
Clouds spot is the way to do it.
Clouds Spot offers not onlybeautiful galleries, not only
the ability to start sellingyour prints in seconds, but also
with cloud spots Studio you canstart to manage clients.
(01:49):
Send out contracts, sendinvoices, collect payments,
organize your photo life.
So get started with your freeforever Cloud spot Plan by
signing upover@deliverphotos.com.
To start off this interview, Iwant to share a metaphor that I
thought of the other day, andI'm kind of still workshopping
(02:10):
it, but I think that it's builtout enough that it's gonna make
sense.
I was looking through myLightroom catalog for an image
to use as a thumbnail for one ofthe podcast episodes a few weeks
ago, and I started to feel kindof self-conscious.
I was looking through theimages.
I thought to myself, man, I havegot to have a better photo than
(02:31):
this one.
And it's not necessarily thatthe photo that I was looking at
was a bad photo.
In fact, I loved it.
But knowing that I was sharingthe photo made me think, just a
little bit different about it.
Maybe you've experienced this aswell, you have photos that you
like, but if somebody, givesyou, a praise or says that they
(02:52):
like the photo or something likethat, you almost like dismiss
it.
Like, no, no, no, no.
I've definitely taken betterphotos like, you know, and you
may have heard this term before,not term idea, that photography
is simply a mirror of ourselvesas artists, but photography is
so much more of a mirror thanyou think it is.
It's also more than mirrorPhotography reflects back to us
(03:18):
so much about ourselves, notonly from the subject matter of
what we photograph, but also howwe photograph it.
And if we look close enough andif we listen to that voice in
our head that says, photographthis, shoot it this way.
Again, it's gonna show you whoyou are as an artist if you let
(03:39):
it.
But here's the flip side ofthat, and the part that I was
struggling with when I waschoosing a photo to share is, is
the thumbnail for the episode isthat photography.
It can also be a megaphone,meaning sometimes it is about
projecting what you want othersto see from the perfect vacation
(04:01):
photo where the whole family'stogether and they're so close
and they're all smiling.
Even though, let's be honest,five seconds before somebody was
crying about sand in their shoesor something, but the megaphone
is.
the megaphone is what you shootand the mirror is how you shoot.
It's not necessarily about likesharing the images online, but
the real magic in photography.
(04:24):
Those who have successfullycreated images that are resonant
to so many people are the oneswho have figured out that.
How to use the megaphone toamplify the truth that they see
in the mirror.
So let me break this down foryou.
(04:46):
The mirror is when youphotograph what's real to you.
Messy, honest, raw.
The megaphone is what you wantthe viewer to see.
More curated, more polished,maybe a little staged.
But when the megaphone speaksyour truth from the mirror,
(05:07):
again, that is when photographyreally hits home.
And again, I don't even meanlike you're curating this body
of work for other people onlineto see.
This also applies to you ifnobody but yourself ever sees
these photos because this isabout why you shoot.
(05:28):
Not just what you share Again,it has nothing to do with
sharing your images for theworld.
Think of it as sharing theimages for a viewer.
That viewer could be the peopleof Instagram.
It could also be yourself 10years from now, looking back at
your own images as a totallydifferent viewer than you are
(05:53):
today taking the image.
What you shoot today is tellingthe story of what life is like.
even to the version of yourself10, 20, 30 years from now.
You're using a megaphone toperpetuate a story.
You have to be intentional aboutwhat that story is.
(06:15):
Okay?
So if you're with me, you may bethinking, okay, I think I get
it, but I'm not the kind ofperson who shoots for likes.
Or maybe you're thinking, I amnot the kind of person who
curates every one of my photosto make it look like something
I'm not, or we are not.
And on the surface, I would saythat too.
(06:37):
That's exactly what I would say.
But I want you to think aboutthese everyday scenarios.
Okay.
You are at the zoo with yourkids.
Your daughter's favorite animalis the penguin.
So what do you wanna do?
You want to take a nice photo ofyour family, of your daughter in
particular in front of thepenguins, her favorite animal.
(06:58):
You want the photo to look nice.
So while you got the penguinsthere in the background, you ask
your daughter to look at you andsmile nicely.
But instead, because she's achild, she gives you this really
weird face that only kids forsome reason think is funny or
worse.
Maybe she's melting downcompletely because, I don't
know.
the penguins just kind of standthere and they really don't jump
(07:21):
around all the time.
Like, like she was hoping.
So the question is, do you takethe photo anyway of this wild,
goofy smile or this meltdown infront of penguins, or do you
give her this stern look andsay, Hey, smile, like what are
you doing?
There's a good chance thatyou're probably.
I'm gonna wait until she decidesto smile and that you're not
(07:44):
gonna take a photo of her actingall goofy and weird or melting
down in front of these penguins.
Here's another example.
Let's say you are attending aclose friend's wedding.
You're not the weddingphotographer, but you're
attending.
Do you try to capture all ofthe, quote unquote important,
big moments.
Like the kiss, the first dance,the walk down the aisle, The
(08:06):
moments that, that as a guest,you are not gonna be printing
and hanging on your wallsbecause it's not special to you.
It's special to the couple.
Like, why would you have a photoof another couple kissing,
hanging on your wall?
Like, that's a little weird,but, you know, whatever.
No judgment or do you findyourself photographing the
smaller details that youpersonally naturally notice.
(08:31):
The heels finally being kickedoff and pushed under the table
during the reception'cause I'msure that they hurt, not that
I've ever worn heels, but theydo not look comfortable.
That quiet hug in the corner,you know, as everything kind of
quiets down and the couplefinally realizes, oh my gosh, we
did it.
Or that photo of the flower girlpicking her nose.
(08:52):
Which ones are you gonna shoot?
Okay, last example here.
What if you're out for on awalk?
There's this nice, beautifulsunset, but the way that the sun
creates this beautiful golden,halo around the shadows of these
trees on the ground.
or the light that's just hittingthis crumpled up leave.
(09:15):
These things that there's realno audience for, but it feels
right to you.
Sure.
You could say, why can't youphotograph both?
Like, I get it, but what are younaturally drawn to?
Here's the thing, even if thosephotos live on your hard drive
forever.
They're reflections of whatmatters to you.
(09:37):
That's the mirror and the act ofchoosing to photograph something
that's the megaphone, even ifnobody else sees it.
Even if nobody else hears it.
How many times do we show thephoto with the big smile rather
than the breakdown?
And I get it.
It may seem kind of weird tojust post a photo of a flower
(10:00):
girl picking her nose, right?
I've been there, I've done it.
It doesn't get a ton of likes,gets a lot of laughs, but you
know, whatever.
So we take the photos of thekiss and the aisle and the
normal stuff because that's whatwe think is quote, unquote, most
important.
That's the normal stuff.
And again, I'm guilty of it too.
(10:20):
We all want to look back andremember the good times, right?
But in doing that, sometimes weskip the part where we discover
what we truly value as, asartists, as photographers, by
only taking those quote unquotenormal photos.
We are changing the message thatwe share with our megaphone to
the world.
If you share your photos, butmostly to yourself, when you
(10:43):
look back on your images.
to go to the, most extremeversion of this, it's that we
are lying to ourselves in thephotos that we take.
I will share something that I'velearned, from shooting weddings
or I guess maybe this is, sinceshooting weddings, but I only
really realized it because I hadshot weddings for so long.
(11:04):
It's that for years I was sofocused on capturing the moment,
the shots that people expect,the reason why we're being
hired.
It's the kiss, it's the cakecutting, it's the bouquet, it's
the whatever else.
But once I stopped shootingweddings.
I had a really hard time findingmy ground in photography, like,
(11:26):
what am I supposed to beshooting?
Because I was constantlythinking about the viewer.
I was constantly thinking aboutthe audience for who this photo
was for.
And because of that, I wastaking photos that would be
considered more traditionallynice.
But once I stopped worryingabout getting every shot.
(11:48):
and Started just shooting.
What was interesting to me, myphotos changed.
They became more playful, theybecame more experimental, and
honestly, they became a lot moreme.
I started taking a lot of photosof clouds.
(12:08):
I started taking a lot of photosof just being on the road, cars
on the road, signs on the road,things that you can see from the
road.
Again, these are things thatdon't have an audience, but
they're interesting to mebecause when I'm not concerned
about, pleasing anybody butmyself, I notice smaller things
(12:33):
the way the light hits a wall.
How my daughter's shoes seem toend up in the oddest of places.
How do you have one in thebackyard and the bathroom?
Anyway, it's these littlestories.
They're the ones that I want toremember because those are the
things that I notice.
(12:55):
And look, I don't want this tosound like, I'm telling you to
take photos of your kid's shoesor the dandelions in the grass,
or things like that becausemaybe you are the kind of person
who does live for and love thosebig moments, and you love
creating something from nothing.
(13:16):
And that's fine if that's whoyou are, because that's who you
are.
What I'm sharing here today isto shoot the images that are
authentically you.
I'm not that kind of person, soI'm not gonna shoot and share
things because maybe it's trendyor others expect it.
(13:39):
I want to shoot the things thatI notice, not just the expected
things.
Now shooting for yourself,shooting images that are more
authentic to you is, it'ssimple, but it's not necessarily
easy.
Every day we see a barrage ofimages, and subconsciously we
start to judge our work againsteverything that we see.
(14:02):
If you drive a, I don't know, aHonda Civic, no hate on Honda
Civics, I had a Honda Civic.
But you go to a car show that isjust nothing but supercar.
When you go back to your HondaCivic, you're gonna judge that
Honda Civic based on the, all ofthe cars that you saw that day.
When beforehand, your car wasfine, you liked it.
(14:24):
But now subconsciously we'rejudging it in a different way.
So where do we start if we wantto capture images that are more
of a mirror of our true selves?
Well, when you go to take aphoto, ask yourself, who are you
shooting for?
Are you composing for likes?
Is this photo some trend thatyou saw?
(14:46):
Not that those are bad things,just something to be aware of.
Are you trying to recreate whatyou think is a quote unquote
good photo?
Are you trying to make somethingthat just based on what you
think or what you see as popularonline, or are you photographing
what you actually see and areyou photographing what actually
(15:07):
matters to you?
This is where I remind you thatmoment matters more than
settings always has, always willshoot what's real and not just
what's quote unquote right orexpected.
The truth is we define ourselvesbased on the photos that we
(15:28):
take.
You may not even realize thatyou're doing it, but there was a
study that had came out, thestudy, is called digital
photography and self-Identityamong youth, and it had found
that teenagers subconsciouslycurate their identity of their
life through the photos thatthey take.
(15:52):
Choosing, you know, maybe, theseare just some examples.
you get your first paycheck andyou get it all out in cash, and
you just show off all the cashand you take a photo of it.
You are, on a vacation with yourfamily.
You're gonna photograph the timeby the pool.
You're gonna photograph thesunburn that you get as some
sort of, brand that you spent somuch time outside.
(16:15):
You're gonna take photos oflaughing and where everything
looks perfect.
So if you've ever caughtyourself photographing for
trends or what you think peopleare going to like, you're not
alone.
This is just something thatpeople do inherently.
It's not a conscious choice.
(16:36):
It is just something that peopledo, and it's not because you
necessarily think that you'renot good enough.
It's just something that we'rewired to do.
Why we do this?
I don't know, but here's thegood news.
You got the power to stop it.
You have the power to stopphotographing trends and start
photographing your truth.
(16:57):
I bake in these moments oftruthful photography for myself.
How do I do that?
I have it in my phone under myreminders app to go off every 90
days.
I'm gonna take a photo of ourfridge.
I'm just gonna go over there,open it up, snap a photo.
A few photos and then that's it.
(17:19):
There's no online audience forthat photo.
There's no art gallery audiencefor that photo.
That photo is for me to begrounded in my truth.
Our fridge is messy.
We have junket times.
We have better choices.
At other times, we can see thetrendy barbecue sauce that we
(17:40):
buy, and we'll see when I wasgoing through my pickled beet
phase.
But that is the truth.
I also have a reminder in myphone again, to go off every 90
days.
Just to photograph the kids'rooms.
When that timer goes off, orthat reminder rather, I'm gonna
grab my camera, I'm gonna gointo the room.
(18:00):
I'm not gonna touch a singlething and I'm gonna take a
photo.
Am I gonna share it online?
No.
So why do I take the photo?
Because it's my truth and I'mnot photographing for myself
today.
I'm photographing for myself 10years from now.
I wanna know what the truthlooked like objectively.
Yeah, their rooms were a mess,but guess what?
(18:22):
Over the past, I don't know,year and a half, two years that
I've been doing this, I've alsoseen a lot of change in their
rooms.
I've seen their beds get bigger.
I've seen their rooms getrearranged and become more
mature.
Even if there's some papers andstuff on the floor and it's,
it's dirty.
That's what that room look likebecause again, I, I don't want a
photograph for myself today.
I don't find photos taken todayinteresting because I'm living
(18:46):
it.
I want to photograph for thefuture.
I want my kids.
And you know, as well as couplesthat I photographed to look back
at their photos and say, yeah,that was us.
That was our real life.
It's not just posts, smiles.
I want my kids to, to see thediscovery within them, the
wonder, the play, and yeah, evensometimes tantrums.
(19:11):
And you might want that too, oryou might not.
I don't know.
Like I was saying earlier,everyone's version of the truth
is different.
Your truth is based on your lifeexperiences.
It's shaped by everything thatyou've ever done.
So why would you go against yourinstincts just to chase what's
popular?
(19:32):
The more that you lean intoshooting how you see the world,
the more unique, the moremeaningful and amazing and
personal your work is gonnabecome.
Who doesn't want unique,meaningful, amazing, and
personal work?
Who doesn't want to create that?
(19:52):
I mean, we all know.
We all know there, there's noquestion about it.
There's no debate.
We all know that social media isjust a curated highlight reel.
I.
Even knowing that it is so easyto judge our worth as
photographers by somebody else'sfeed of perfectly curated
(20:14):
images, knowing that they takemore than the photos that are
just, the picture perfect onesthat they posted.
We have to actively try to notfall in that trap of believing
that somebody else's highlightreel is an accurate
representation of every photothey take, because I promise you
it is not.
(20:36):
So here is my challenge for youthis week.
The one thing that if youimplement it, is going to move
the needle forward in yourphotography.
Next time you go out shooting,pick one moment that you
wouldn't normally photograph.
Maybe it's somethingunglamorous, something
overlooked.
just as long as it's somethingthat's honest.
(21:00):
A crumbled up leaf, thatbeautiful light hitting your
trash cans on the curb.
Your kid throwing a tantrum.
maybe I should pick up adifferent metaphor for that.
I feel like I'm putting out thisidea that every time my kids
throw a tantrum, I just run andgo grab my camera.
But I don't, I promise.
But if I have my camera and youknow the moment's, right, I'm
gonna take that tan photo,believe me.
(21:21):
Shoot it, whatever it is, shootit, and then look at that photo.
I mean, really look at thatphoto and ask yourself, does
this image tell my truth?
Why does this image matter tome?
You don't have to share it withanybody, but if you do want to
post it in the beginning ofphotography, podcast community.
And there's more than 6,000listeners just like yourself who
(21:42):
just want to learn and growtheir skills as photographers.
We'd love to see it.
It's the safest place on theinternet for new photographers.
And again, you can join byheading over to beginner photo
pod.com/group.
But if you don't wanna share it,you could just look at the photo
and jot down a few lines in ajournal about what you notice.
The important part here is whatare you paying attention to?
(22:04):
Because what you pay attentionto is the mirror.
The more you're aware of themirror, the better you can use
your microphone.
So to bring it all togetherhere, photography becomes
transformative when, the truththat you see in yourself is what
you choose to share with others,and that's what people connect
(22:27):
with honestly, in your work.
it's not about likes, it's aboutresonance.
It's about relatability,honesty.
Here's a practical tip to closethings out, right?
Before you share a photo, eitheronline or just by saving it in
your Lightroom gallery, askyourself two questions.
(22:47):
Is this what I want others tosee?
And then two, is this what I seein myself?
If the answer is yes to both,then you've struck gold.
Even if it doesn't get a ton oflikes or praise, I promise you
that is the direction that youneed to move forward with.
So even if your photos neverleave your computer, you're
(23:10):
still telling a story with yourimages.
The mirror helps you to seeyourself.
And the megaphone reminds youthat your story is worth
capturing.
And together they turnphotography into something that
is so much more powerful than aquote unquote perfect picture.
They turn it into this personaltruth and there's nothing more
(23:32):
valuable.
Remember, the best photographdoesn't just show what's
beautiful.
It shows what's true.
And when you share what's true,you don't just become a better
photographer, you become a moreconnected human.
So keep learning, keep seeing,keep growing.
(23:55):
That's all that I got today.
Remember, the more that youshoot today, the better of a
photographer you will betomorrow.
Talk soon
Why would you go against your
(00:01):
instincts just to chase what'spopular?
The more that you lean intoshooting how you see the world,
the more unique, the moremeaningful and amazing and
personal your work is gonnabecome.
Who doesn't want unique,meaningful, amazing, and
(00:21):
personal work?
Who doesn't want to create that?
Hey, welcome to the BeginnerPhotography Podcast.
I'm your host, Raymond Hatfield,and today we're gonna look at
photography a little bitdifferently, not as just a way
to capture beauty.
I.
Or nail the perfect shot, but asa way to really understand
yourself and how you see theworld, and you know me.
(00:45):
My goal is not to get allphilosophical and then just
leave you hanging.
I'm also gonna be sharing somepractical tips on ways that you
can photograph more freely andcreate images that are not only
beautiful, but more authentic toyourself.
We are going to stop tying ourworth as photographers to the
amount of likes or comments thatour images get.
(01:08):
My goal is that you walk awayfrom this episode with a renewed
sense of purpose behind thecamera, and maybe realize that
the experience of shooting isjust as if not more valuable
than the actual photosthemselves.
But first, the BeginnerPhotography Podcast is brought
to you by Clouds Spot.
(01:29):
Come on, you know this.
If you wanna turn your passionfor photography into income
Clouds spot is the way to do it.
Clouds Spot offers not onlybeautiful galleries, not only
the ability to start sellingyour prints in seconds, but also
with cloud spots Studio you canstart to manage clients.
(01:49):
Send out contracts, sendinvoices, collect payments,
organize your photo life.
So get started with your freeforever Cloud spot Plan by
signing upover@deliverphotos.com.
To start off this interview, Iwant to share a metaphor that I
thought of the other day, andI'm kind of still workshopping
(02:10):
it, but I think that it's builtout enough that it's gonna make
sense.
I was looking through myLightroom catalog for an image
to use as a thumbnail for one ofthe podcast episodes a few weeks
ago, and I started to feel kindof self-conscious.
I was looking through theimages.
I thought to myself, man, I havegot to have a better photo than
(02:31):
this one.
And it's not necessarily thatthe photo that I was looking at
was a bad photo.
In fact, I loved it.
But knowing that I was sharingthe photo made me think, just a
little bit different about it.
Maybe you've experienced this aswell, you have photos that you
like, but if somebody, givesyou, a praise or says that they
(02:52):
like the photo or something likethat, you almost like dismiss
it.
Like, no, no, no, no.
I've definitely taken betterphotos like, you know, and you
may have heard this term before,not term idea, that photography
is simply a mirror of ourselvesas artists, but photography is
so much more of a mirror thanyou think it is.
It's also more than mirrorPhotography reflects back to us
(03:18):
so much about ourselves, notonly from the subject matter of
what we photograph, but also howwe photograph it.
And if we look close enough andif we listen to that voice in
our head that says, photographthis, shoot it this way.
Again, it's gonna show you whoyou are as an artist if you let
(03:39):
it.
But here's the flip side ofthat, and the part that I was
struggling with when I waschoosing a photo to share is, is
the thumbnail for the episode isthat photography.
It can also be a megaphone,meaning sometimes it is about
projecting what you want othersto see from the perfect vacation
(04:01):
photo where the whole family'stogether and they're so close
and they're all smiling.
Even though, let's be honest,five seconds before somebody was
crying about sand in their shoesor something, but the megaphone
is.
the megaphone is what you shootand the mirror is how you shoot.
It's not necessarily about likesharing the images online, but
the real magic in photography.
(04:24):
Those who have successfullycreated images that are resonant
to so many people are the oneswho have figured out that.
How to use the megaphone toamplify the truth that they see
in the mirror.
So let me break this down foryou.
(04:46):
The mirror is when youphotograph what's real to you.
Messy, honest, raw.
The megaphone is what you wantthe viewer to see.
More curated, more polished,maybe a little staged.
But when the megaphone speaksyour truth from the mirror,
(05:07):
again, that is when photographyreally hits home.
And again, I don't even meanlike you're curating this body
of work for other people onlineto see.
This also applies to you ifnobody but yourself ever sees
these photos because this isabout why you shoot.
(05:28):
Not just what you share Again,it has nothing to do with
sharing your images for theworld.
Think of it as sharing theimages for a viewer.
That viewer could be the peopleof Instagram.
It could also be yourself 10years from now, looking back at
your own images as a totallydifferent viewer than you are
(05:53):
today taking the image.
What you shoot today is tellingthe story of what life is like.
even to the version of yourself10, 20, 30 years from now.
You're using a megaphone toperpetuate a story.
You have to be intentional aboutwhat that story is.
(06:15):
Okay?
So if you're with me, you may bethinking, okay, I think I get
it, but I'm not the kind ofperson who shoots for likes.
Or maybe you're thinking, I amnot the kind of person who
curates every one of my photosto make it look like something
I'm not, or we are not.
And on the surface, I would saythat too.
(06:37):
That's exactly what I would say.
But I want you to think aboutthese everyday scenarios.
Okay.
You are at the zoo with yourkids.
Your daughter's favorite animalis the penguin.
So what do you wanna do?
You want to take a nice photo ofyour family, of your daughter in
particular in front of thepenguins, her favorite animal.
(06:58):
You want the photo to look nice.
So while you got the penguinsthere in the background, you ask
your daughter to look at you andsmile nicely.
But instead, because she's achild, she gives you this really
weird face that only kids forsome reason think is funny or
worse.
Maybe she's melting downcompletely because, I don't
know.
the penguins just kind of standthere and they really don't jump
(07:21):
around all the time.
Like, like she was hoping.
So the question is, do you takethe photo anyway of this wild,
goofy smile or this meltdown infront of penguins, or do you
give her this stern look andsay, Hey, smile, like what are
you doing?
There's a good chance thatyou're probably.
I'm gonna wait until she decidesto smile and that you're not
(07:44):
gonna take a photo of her actingall goofy and weird or melting
down in front of these penguins.
Here's another example.
Let's say you are attending aclose friend's wedding.
You're not the weddingphotographer, but you're
attending.
Do you try to capture all ofthe, quote unquote important,
big moments.
Like the kiss, the first dance,the walk down the aisle, The
(08:06):
moments that, that as a guest,you are not gonna be printing
and hanging on your wallsbecause it's not special to you.
It's special to the couple.
Like, why would you have a photoof another couple kissing,
hanging on your wall?
Like, that's a little weird,but, you know, whatever.
No judgment or do you findyourself photographing the
smaller details that youpersonally naturally notice.
(08:31):
The heels finally being kickedoff and pushed under the table
during the reception'cause I'msure that they hurt, not that
I've ever worn heels, but theydo not look comfortable.
That quiet hug in the corner,you know, as everything kind of
quiets down and the couplefinally realizes, oh my gosh, we
did it.
Or that photo of the flower girlpicking her nose.
(08:52):
Which ones are you gonna shoot?
Okay, last example here.
What if you're out for on awalk?
There's this nice, beautifulsunset, but the way that the sun
creates this beautiful golden,halo around the shadows of these
trees on the ground.
or the light that's just hittingthis crumpled up leave.
(09:15):
These things that there's realno audience for, but it feels
right to you.
Sure.
You could say, why can't youphotograph both?
Like, I get it, but what are younaturally drawn to?
Here's the thing, even if thosephotos live on your hard drive
forever.
They're reflections of whatmatters to you.
(09:37):
That's the mirror and the act ofchoosing to photograph something
that's the megaphone, even ifnobody else sees it.
Even if nobody else hears it.
How many times do we show thephoto with the big smile rather
than the breakdown?
And I get it.
It may seem kind of weird tojust post a photo of a flower
(10:00):
girl picking her nose, right?
I've been there, I've done it.
It doesn't get a ton of likes,gets a lot of laughs, but you
know, whatever.
So we take the photos of thekiss and the aisle and the
normal stuff because that's whatwe think is quote, unquote, most
important.
That's the normal stuff.
And again, I'm guilty of it too.
(10:20):
We all want to look back andremember the good times, right?
But in doing that, sometimes weskip the part where we discover
what we truly value as, asartists, as photographers, by
only taking those quote unquotenormal photos.
We are changing the message thatwe share with our megaphone to
the world.
If you share your photos, butmostly to yourself, when you
(10:43):
look back on your images.
to go to the, most extremeversion of this, it's that we
are lying to ourselves in thephotos that we take.
I will share something that I'velearned, from shooting weddings
or I guess maybe this is, sinceshooting weddings, but I only
really realized it because I hadshot weddings for so long.
(11:04):
It's that for years I was sofocused on capturing the moment,
the shots that people expect,the reason why we're being
hired.
It's the kiss, it's the cakecutting, it's the bouquet, it's
the whatever else.
But once I stopped shootingweddings.
I had a really hard time findingmy ground in photography, like,
(11:26):
what am I supposed to beshooting?
Because I was constantlythinking about the viewer.
I was constantly thinking aboutthe audience for who this photo
was for.
And because of that, I wastaking photos that would be
considered more traditionallynice.
But once I stopped worryingabout getting every shot.
(11:48):
and Started just shooting.
What was interesting to me, myphotos changed.
They became more playful, theybecame more experimental, and
honestly, they became a lot moreme.
I started taking a lot of photosof clouds.
(12:08):
I started taking a lot of photosof just being on the road, cars
on the road, signs on the road,things that you can see from the
road.
Again, these are things thatdon't have an audience, but
they're interesting to mebecause when I'm not concerned
about, pleasing anybody butmyself, I notice smaller things
(12:33):
the way the light hits a wall.
How my daughter's shoes seem toend up in the oddest of places.
How do you have one in thebackyard and the bathroom?
Anyway, it's these littlestories.
They're the ones that I want toremember because those are the
things that I notice.
(12:55):
And look, I don't want this tosound like, I'm telling you to
take photos of your kid's shoesor the dandelions in the grass,
or things like that becausemaybe you are the kind of person
who does live for and love thosebig moments, and you love
creating something from nothing.
(13:16):
And that's fine if that's whoyou are, because that's who you
are.
What I'm sharing here today isto shoot the images that are
authentically you.
I'm not that kind of person, soI'm not gonna shoot and share
things because maybe it's trendyor others expect it.
(13:39):
I want to shoot the things thatI notice, not just the expected
things.
Now shooting for yourself,shooting images that are more
authentic to you is, it'ssimple, but it's not necessarily
easy.
Every day we see a barrage ofimages, and subconsciously we
start to judge our work againsteverything that we see.
(14:02):
If you drive a, I don't know, aHonda Civic, no hate on Honda
Civics, I had a Honda Civic.
But you go to a car show that isjust nothing but supercar.
When you go back to your HondaCivic, you're gonna judge that
Honda Civic based on the, all ofthe cars that you saw that day.
When beforehand, your car wasfine, you liked it.
(14:24):
But now subconsciously we'rejudging it in a different way.
So where do we start if we wantto capture images that are more
of a mirror of our true selves?
Well, when you go to take aphoto, ask yourself, who are you
shooting for?
Are you composing for likes?
Is this photo some trend thatyou saw?
(14:46):
Not that those are bad things,just something to be aware of.
Are you trying to recreate whatyou think is a quote unquote
good photo?
Are you trying to make somethingthat just based on what you
think or what you see as popularonline, or are you photographing
what you actually see and areyou photographing what actually
(15:07):
matters to you?
This is where I remind you thatmoment matters more than
settings always has, always willshoot what's real and not just
what's quote unquote right orexpected.
The truth is we define ourselvesbased on the photos that we
(15:28):
take.
You may not even realize thatyou're doing it, but there was a
study that had came out, thestudy, is called digital
photography and self-Identityamong youth, and it had found
that teenagers subconsciouslycurate their identity of their
life through the photos thatthey take.
(15:52):
Choosing, you know, maybe, theseare just some examples.
you get your first paycheck andyou get it all out in cash, and
you just show off all the cashand you take a photo of it.
You are, on a vacation with yourfamily.
You're gonna photograph the timeby the pool.
You're gonna photograph thesunburn that you get as some
sort of, brand that you spent somuch time outside.
(16:15):
You're gonna take photos oflaughing and where everything
looks perfect.
So if you've ever caughtyourself photographing for
trends or what you think peopleare going to like, you're not
alone.
This is just something thatpeople do inherently.
It's not a conscious choice.
(16:36):
It is just something that peopledo, and it's not because you
necessarily think that you'renot good enough.
It's just something that we'rewired to do.
Why we do this?
I don't know, but here's thegood news.
You got the power to stop it.
You have the power to stopphotographing trends and start
photographing your truth.
(16:57):
I bake in these moments oftruthful photography for myself.
How do I do that?
I have it in my phone under myreminders app to go off every 90
days.
I'm gonna take a photo of ourfridge.
I'm just gonna go over there,open it up, snap a photo.
A few photos and then that's it.
(17:19):
There's no online audience forthat photo.
There's no art gallery audiencefor that photo.
That photo is for me to begrounded in my truth.
Our fridge is messy.
We have junket times.
We have better choices.
At other times, we can see thetrendy barbecue sauce that we
(17:40):
buy, and we'll see when I wasgoing through my pickled beet
phase.
But that is the truth.
I also have a reminder in myphone again, to go off every 90
days.
Just to photograph the kids'rooms.
When that timer goes off, orthat reminder rather, I'm gonna
grab my camera, I'm gonna gointo the room.
(18:00):
I'm not gonna touch a singlething and I'm gonna take a
photo.
Am I gonna share it online?
No.
So why do I take the photo?
Because it's my truth and I'mnot photographing for myself
today.
I'm photographing for myself 10years from now.
I wanna know what the truthlooked like objectively.
Yeah, their rooms were a mess,but guess what?
(18:22):
Over the past, I don't know,year and a half, two years that
I've been doing this, I've alsoseen a lot of change in their
rooms.
I've seen their beds get bigger.
I've seen their rooms getrearranged and become more
mature.
Even if there's some papers andstuff on the floor and it's,
it's dirty.
That's what that room look likebecause again, I, I don't want a
photograph for myself today.
I don't find photos taken todayinteresting because I'm living
(18:46):
it.
I want to photograph for thefuture.
I want my kids.
And you know, as well as couplesthat I photographed to look back
at their photos and say, yeah,that was us.
That was our real life.
It's not just posts, smiles.
I want my kids to, to see thediscovery within them, the
wonder, the play, and yeah, evensometimes tantrums.
(19:11):
And you might want that too, oryou might not.
I don't know.
Like I was saying earlier,everyone's version of the truth
is different.
Your truth is based on your lifeexperiences.
It's shaped by everything thatyou've ever done.
So why would you go against yourinstincts just to chase what's
popular?
(19:32):
The more that you lean intoshooting how you see the world,
the more unique, the moremeaningful and amazing and
personal your work is gonnabecome.
Who doesn't want unique,meaningful, amazing, and
personal work?
Who doesn't want to create that?
(19:52):
I mean, we all know.
We all know there, there's noquestion about it.
There's no debate.
We all know that social media isjust a curated highlight reel.
I.
Even knowing that it is so easyto judge our worth as
photographers by somebody else'sfeed of perfectly curated
(20:14):
images, knowing that they takemore than the photos that are
just, the picture perfect onesthat they posted.
We have to actively try to notfall in that trap of believing
that somebody else's highlightreel is an accurate
representation of every photothey take, because I promise you
it is not.
(20:36):
So here is my challenge for youthis week.
The one thing that if youimplement it, is going to move
the needle forward in yourphotography.
Next time you go out shooting,pick one moment that you
wouldn't normally photograph.
Maybe it's somethingunglamorous, something
overlooked.
just as long as it's somethingthat's honest.
(21:00):
A crumbled up leaf, thatbeautiful light hitting your
trash cans on the curb.
Your kid throwing a tantrum.
maybe I should pick up adifferent metaphor for that.
I feel like I'm putting out thisidea that every time my kids
throw a tantrum, I just run andgo grab my camera.
But I don't, I promise.
But if I have my camera and youknow the moment's, right, I'm
gonna take that tan photo,believe me.
(21:21):
Shoot it, whatever it is, shootit, and then look at that photo.
I mean, really look at thatphoto and ask yourself, does
this image tell my truth?
Why does this image matter tome?
You don't have to share it withanybody, but if you do want to
post it in the beginning ofphotography, podcast community.
And there's more than 6,000listeners just like yourself who
(21:42):
just want to learn and growtheir skills as photographers.
We'd love to see it.
It's the safest place on theinternet for new photographers.
And again, you can join byheading over to beginner photo
pod.com/group.
But if you don't wanna share it,you could just look at the photo
and jot down a few lines in ajournal about what you notice.
The important part here is whatare you paying attention to?
(22:04):
Because what you pay attentionto is the mirror.
The more you're aware of themirror, the better you can use
your microphone.
So to bring it all togetherhere, photography becomes
transformative when, the truththat you see in yourself is what
you choose to share with others,and that's what people connect
(22:27):
with honestly, in your work.
it's not about likes, it's aboutresonance.
It's about relatability,honesty.
Here's a practical tip to closethings out, right?
Before you share a photo, eitheronline or just by saving it in
your Lightroom gallery, askyourself two questions.
(22:47):
Is this what I want others tosee?
And then two, is this what I seein myself?
If the answer is yes to both,then you've struck gold.
Even if it doesn't get a ton oflikes or praise, I promise you
that is the direction that youneed to move forward with.
So even if your photos neverleave your computer, you're
(23:10):
still telling a story with yourimages.
The mirror helps you to seeyourself.
And the megaphone reminds youthat your story is worth
capturing.
And together they turnphotography into something that
is so much more powerful than aquote unquote perfect picture.
They turn it into this personaltruth and there's nothing more
(23:32):
valuable.
Remember, the best photographdoesn't just show what's
beautiful.
It shows what's true.
And when you share what's true,you don't just become a better
photographer, you become a moreconnected human.
So keep learning, keep seeing,keep growing.
(23:55):
That's all that I got today.
Remember, the more that youshoot today, the better of a
photographer you will betomorrow.
Talk soon
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