There is no secret formula to being a successful photographer, sometimes you get lucky

Do you ever wonder how one photographer makes it but another does not? Well there are no secrets to why one makes it and the other does not. Sometimes people just get lucky or are in the right place at the right time or put themselves in the right place at the right time.

I am not a huge believer in all out luck. Sure you can get “lucky” from time to time but I think we make our own luck. The choices we make the chances we take can help us feel like we are lucky.

What is this post all about? A teenage photographer in Europe who has only been shooting pictures for a few years found herself with the cover photo to a Maroon 5 Album. How did this happen, did she call them and submit her work, nope. She placed her own self portraits on Flickr and someone on the Maroon 5 so happened to find her images and felt the concept fit what they were looking for.

After contacting her twice, the first time she didn’t think it was real Maroon 5’s management asked if she could retake one of her shots. She ended up taking the photos as a self portrait. The band liked the image so much they decided to use it on their latest album “hands all over”.

This was not just a one time job and done, she has picked up jobs for the X Factor and other companies. The point I am getting at is you have to put yourself out there, you have to be discoverable, you have to give people a reason to talk to you. If she never posted her “art” she would not have been found. I know it sounds simple but there are no secrets to being successful.

I am in no way downplaying the photographers work, I think its great and her success is well deserved.

Here is a short story about a Hockey Official named Ian Walsh. He is a local ref who I know very well from my years of officiating. Ian was an up and coming official who so happened to be in the right place at the right time. An official scout was in the area to see another ref but ended up going to the wrong rink and seeing Ian ref. Turns out Ian had what he was looking for and his path to being an NHL official was underway.

Another thing that can’t go without being said is if Ian was not giving 100% on the ice he would not have caught the attention of this scout. Always put your best work out there, if you feel an image in any way is not strong DO NOT SHARE IT.

I guess what I am trying to say to everyone is get out there, don’t be afraid to post your images online or share them with the world. You never know who is watching and waiting to find the work that you are creating.