Hey Reader,
Most of us photographers learn to define our success in the same few ways.
More clients, better gear, higher prices, more followers.
It’s the version of success we see online.
The one that’s easiest to measure.
The one that looks good from the outside.
And while it’s not wrong, I’d argue that it’s... incomplete.
Let’s dive in.
Defining Success From Externalities
The moment we give power to external things like clients, gear, prices, and followers, we’re essentially telling ourselves that without these things, we’re not successful.
We start tying our self-worth to things we can’t fully control:
- Algorithms change.
- Budgets shrink.
- Seasons slow down.
So what happens then?
What if you have a bad month of business and don’t book many clients?
What if enquiries dry up for a while?
What if growth stalls?
Does that suddenly make you unsuccessful?
This default return to “success” metrics is something I’ve fallen for plenty of times.
Even now, I have to catch myself opening analytics or checking emails, letting those numbers quietly decide how I feel about my work that day.
It’s subtle, but it adds unnecessary pressure to your creative work.
And over time, it can distort why you picked up a camera in the first place.
Different Paths = Different Stories
One night earlier this week, my girlfriend and I were chatting about the housemates we’ve each had over the years.
We worked out that I’ve lived with people from 10 different cultures.
None were creatives, but each had a completely different take on what a “good life” (or success) looked like.
One defined success as having his afternoons free to train and work out by the beach.
Another believed success was her ability to play beach volleyball on the weekends in a city as sunny and warm as Perth.
Same age. Same city. Same opportunities.
Totally different definitions.
The same goes for photographers.
Some measure success by fully booked calendars, rising day rates and large-scale productions.
Some care about creative freedom: editorial opportunities, a wide-spanning creative network.
Some want stability.
Some want flexibility.
Some simply want to know how to document their family’s life beautifully.
None of these are wrong. They’re just different.
And when you forget that, it’s easy to start chasing someone else’s version without realising it.
Copying Only Creates Friction
The moment we give power to external metrics and fail to recognise these differences, we inevitably run into friction.
You may have felt this before.
You might see a group of wedding photographers thriving in the summer.
Fully booked. Good money. Winters off. Working only on weekends.
From the outside, it looks perfect.
So you aim for the same thing.
You take on similar work. You structure your life the same way. You tell yourself this is what success looks like.
Then a year later, you’re exhausted.
You realise you don’t actually like being around 100 strangers every weekend...
Shooting the same venues bores you, and you miss having a normal weekend with your friends and family.
Nothing is technically “wrong”.
But something feels off.
That’s friction.
Not because the path is bad.
But because it’s not yours.
Copying someone else’s definition of success sneakily puts you in a life you never chose.
Redefining Success to You
Lately, I’ve been redefining success in my own way.
And I expect it will keep changing as my work and life change too.
Right now, one small example is how I think about my non-shoot days.
I used to treat them like something to rush through:
- Speed through edits.
- Reply to every email immediately.
- Stack tasks back to back.
By the end of the day, I’d be drained, scrolling on my phone, feeling guilty for “not doing enough”, even though I’d been busy the whole time.
Now, things are different!
I see a successful non-shoot day as one that isn’t rushed.
- One where I have space to think.
- One where I can focus on different aspects of my business.
- One where I still have energy in the evening.
From the outside, that might not look productive.
It might not match the (or your) version of success that says you should always be busy.
But it matches me better.
For you, that definition will be different.
And that’s the point.
So it’s worth asking yourself:
- Do I like how my week feels?
- Do I have time for personal projects?
- Do my clients align with where I want to go?
- Does my work support the kind of life I want, or fight against it?
Those answers matter more than any fully checked Notion doc.
Being Intentional
I began today's newsletter with a list of external metrics for a reason.
They do matter.
- Money matters.
- Clients matter.
- Growth matters.
They allow you to keep doing photography (professionally) in the first place.
But they work best as tools.
Not as a scoreboard for your worth.
Some months will be slow.
Some years will feel messy.
That doesn’t erase your progress, nor cancel out your skill.
It just means you’re someone, working in a creative industry that moves in seasons.
So defining success intentionally (and internally) is a far safer bet for becoming successful.
p.s. I work 1:1 with photographers who want to become creators and build something bigger than client work. If that's you, send me an email, and I'll send you the details.
Catch you next week,
Matty 📷 🚀
