Biggest Challenges for New Photographers Attempting to Gain Recognition

Making a name for yourself in photography now a days is unbelievably, incredibly, "nodoubtaboutit" difficult. Some of the biggest challenges that photographers face as they enter the world of using photography for either income or simply sharing their work online can easily kill confidence. Here are some of the top challenges that we face as photographers attempting to find a way through the competitive world of photography. Before I start I want to clarify that I am not just talking about those who do photography full-time. Without further ado, lets go...

1. Being Lost Among Low Quality Work/Differentiating Yourself from Other Beginners

This first piece is broken into two parts. First: The internet has made it INCREDIBLY EASY to publish you work. Websites, blogs, social media, online photography contests....its all there. Because of this it is all too common for excellent photography to be lost in a massive jumble of bad photography. That may seem a little harsh, yet we have all seen those sites and blogs dedicated to someone's photography that you would not describe as "quality".

Second: The ease of accessibility of quality cameras. Just today, as I was walking across the Washington Avenue Bridge on the University of Minnesota campus, I snapped a photo of a pretty sunset with my iPhone 5s that turned out quite nice. Obviously camera phones have a loooong way to go to compete with a D-SLR system, yet in terms of the size of the optics and processing system it is incredible the quality images that can be captured. That makes for a lot more people call themselves photographers and attempt to promote their work.

2. Basic Supply/Demand

Photography is a form of art, so therefore, when economic times get tough one of the first things to be eliminated from one's budget is the unnecessary lavishes of life...predominantly, excess art and entertainment. For example, imagine if the internet was a physical gallery. You walk into an enormous room with millions of "photographers" all trying to convince you that their work is special...wow. Talk about an overwhelmed customer!

3. True Competition with Professional, Experienced Visual Artists

Of course, last and certainly not least is pure, honest, competition. You may be trying to sell prints and another talented photographer can show up and steal the crowd with their beautiful work.  This is most likely the most difficult thing to deal with as a photography business, as it does sum up all of the above things into one category. Separating yourself from all of the noise is unbelievably hard, because it requires you to be better at more than just photography. You have to have a way with people, business, and many other things in order to "make it." 

In Conclusion...

Trying to build a name for yourself in photography isn't easy but can be very rewarding. The challenges that we encounter helps us improve our skills as photographers which is what it is all about. Keep going, work hard, and make sure to stay motivated and have the patience that it takes to endure the storm. Growing a following is very fun, and the challenges that come along the way are mere distractions.