As photographers, I believe all of us frequently look at other people’s work in order to admire it, to learn, and draw inspiration from it. But many of us also compare ourselves to others, and it can become toxic. In this video, Manny Ortiz discusses why we should stop comparing our work to other photographers’, and suggests what to do instead.
I think it has happened to all of us: we see someone’s work that is so good, that we just wanna throw our gear in the garbage. I know it happened to me a lot, especially while I was still new to photography. Considering that I often write about great artists here on DIYP, it still happens sometimes. I get to think “oh my gosh, this is so good, I’m never gonna reach this level!” But this is a wrong way to observe someone else’s work. As Manny points out, you will always find someone better than you, but it’s up to you what you’ll do after that. You can feel down and think that you’ll never be that good. You can let your self-confidence get ruined and eventually give up on photography “because you’ll never be that good.” Or you can reverse that and turn it into something positive. I believe that you should compare yourself to others, but just don’t let it become toxic. First of all, I think that you should accept the fact that we all have our own pace of learning, as well as our own style and preferences. So, when you see someone’s fantastic photos, don’t let them feel as if you’re not good enough. Instead, admire the artists, learn from them, and collect ideas and inspiration. Allow all these amazing images to spark your own imagination, help you think more creatively, and ultimately become better at photography. [My #1 advice for PHOTOGRAPHERS! | Manny Ortiz]
