Why Are Some of the Best Photographers the Least Successful?

I can comfortably say that I’m not the most talented photographer that I know. I know plenty of photographers that are extremely talented. The kind of work they produce is simply astounding and I’m consistently impressed by them. The issue is that many of these photographers tend not to be as successful than many other photographers I know who may not be as capable.

In a recent video, Tony and Chelsea Northrup discuss why they think this tends to be the case. While they aren’t specifically architectural photographers, they touch on a number of points that are very relevant to the business-heavy genre of architecture photography – including self-care, personal projects, and stress management.

I find that many talented photographers tend to be great at producing the work but maybe not so great at getting it in front of the right people. Skills related to effective marketing and negotiating are areas where many people tend to struggle and unfortunately, in this day and age those skills play a bigger part than simply being a great photographer. I find that many talented artists tend to assume that the work will speak for itself and that eventually they’ll be “found” by the right people who can make things better for them. In my experience, I find that simply being a great photographer is generally not enough. I’m sure there are exceptions, however, those exceptions are few and far between. The video linked above gives some great practical advice on what you can do to improve your chances of becoming successful in this tough and highly competitive industry.