Breakwater: What It Takes to Build a Career in Photography

There was this one student of mine who was at the stage where he had seriously decided that he wanted to make photography his career. He is a visual artist—passionate, excited, and eager to learn as much as he can.

I was once at the same stage.

When I started photography, I just wanted to learn and create images as fast as I could. I wanted to try things, make mistakes, and keep moving.

He approached me early in our class and told me about his plans. He also shared how much he considered me an inspiration. We had a similar background in graphics, and like me, he had decided to make photography his path.

I told him, “It’s good that you know what you want. But making it happen is another thing.”

Learning photography seriously, especially if you want to make a career out of it, requires an artist who is hungry to learn. There is that void that needs to be filled with knowledge, experience, and inspiration. It is a constant thirst to understand more and, at the same time, find your own way to express your creativity.

That was who I was when I started.

I remember the movie Cast Away, when Tom Hanks’ character was trying to get through the breakwater. He had built a makeshift raft and knew that getting through the raging water would not be easy. He had to paddle aggressively and relentlessly just to get past the waves.

He tried several times.

That scene somehow reminds me of my journey in photography.

You can decide to learn photography and simply enjoy the process. You can stay in a comfortable space, build your knowledge slowly, and continue taking photographs without necessarily pushing yourself into the industry.

Or you can decide to force your way through.

And when you do, you have to understand that it will not be one attempt. You will fail. You will get rejected. You will make bad photographs. You will question your decisions. You will probably want to stop.

But you try again.

And every time you fail, you learn something. You adjust your approach. You become a little stronger. You become more determined to get through the next wave.

Then, eventually, you break through.

But what you discover is that the breakwater was not the end.

There are bigger waves ahead.

There will always be another challenge that will force you to decide whether you are willing to fight through it again. The difference is that, as you gain experience, you also begin to understand what you are capable of.

Until, at some point, your greatest challenge becomes yourself.

This is where doubt starts to creep in. You begin comparing your work with others. You question whether you are good enough. You start asking yourself if you really have what it takes.

I wrote about this in one of my previous articles—the point in the journey where confidence becomes your biggest obstacle.

Maybe this is also part of breaking through.

Because photography is not really about getting to a point where there are no more challenges. There will always be another wave.

The goal is to become the kind of photographer who is willing to keep paddling.

You break through one challenge, face another, and keep going.

And perhaps that is what being serious about photography really means—not that you know exactly where you are going, but that you are willing to keep moving forward when the waves get rough.

Keep on shooting everyone!