Ten years ago, I ‘d find myself scrolling through Facebook (yes, Facebook!), and wondering why my photography business wasn’t taking off like I imagined. It seemed like everyone else had cracked the code while I was stuck spinning my wheels. Sure, I was posting. But I could feel that nobody was paying attention. I could measure that nobody was buying. But back then we didn’t have the words shadow banned or algorithm in every day language to hide behind. Watching all these other, more successful photographers made the pain sting in a sharp way back then.
Every day felt the same. Wake up, go to work, scroll during lunch, and see everyone else living out their dreams. Go home, feeling burnt out and overwhelmed. I’d think about photography, but the sheer number of things to think about would leave me paralyzed. I’d then find myself scrolling and eventually hit a really cool photo by a really cool photographer and ask “When was my artwork going to pop off?” Why did it feel like everyone else had the secret sauce?
I knew logically they didn’t.
I still struggle with this today, thanks to our old friend, imposter syndrome, who's always creeping in the background.
Here's what I didn't realize about asking that question and questions like it:
Low-quality questions produce low-quality answers.
Low-quality answers produce low-quality mindsets.
Low-quality mindsets produce low-quality questions.
Why was "when is my artwork going to pop off?" a low quality question?
For two reasons:
It was rooted in envy.
I only asked that question after seeing other photographers thriving on social media and feeling like they were ahead of me.
It didn’t lead anywhere positive.
Asking it led my mindset into a downward spiral.
I spent days, weeks, even months trapped in this cycle of frustration, ambition, and confusion. I was so focused on everything that was holding me back that I didn’t see what was really happening: I was sabotaging myself with the wrong mindset.
It wasn’t my camera, my skills, or even my luck with the algorithm that needed the most work.
It was my mindset.
A growth mindset isn’t about being positive; it’s about reshaping how you think, what you focus on, and how you approach your craft. A growth mindset produces high quality questions. Your mindset can influence the previous cycle.
High-quality mindsets produce high-quality questions.
High-quality questions produce high-quality answers.
High-quality answers produce high-quality mindsets.
A growth mindset isn’t about slapping a smile on your face; it’s about reshaping how you think, what you focus on, and how you approach your craft. I’m here to share 5 mindset shifts that helped transform me. These aren’t just fluffy motivational quotes—these are practical, actionable shifts that will help you find clarity, develop your passion, and, most importantly, start succeeding as a photographer.
Let’s dive in.
Mindset Shift #1: From Consumption to Creation
You’ve probably heard the saying, "Comparison is the thief of joy." Technology has made comparison also the thief of productivity, creativity, and all-around sanity—especially when it comes to social media. I used to spend hours scrolling through Instagram, feeling like everyone else was better, faster, and more creative than I was. My “consume button” was stuck on overdrive, and I felt trapped in the vortex.
We live in a world where overconsumption is the average lifestyle. We’re bombarded with perfectly curated images, and it’s easy to fall into the trap of comparing our behind-the-scenes to everyone else’s highlight reel. This cycle breeds self-doubt, procrastination, and a lack of clarity on what truly matters.
What can we do?
Mute anyone on social media who doesn’t inspire you or contribute to your goals. Immediately.
Mute anyone on social media who upsets you. Immediately.
You don’t need to unfollow them; that might send the wrong message. This isn’t about them—it’s about you. So, mute them and replace mindless scrolling with mindful creating.
Shift your focus from what others are doing to what you can create. Start small. Set a goal to create one new piece of artwork every day, week, or month.
Remember, it’s not about quantity; it’s about quality and growth. In The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson, he talks about choosing what to give a care about.
Apply this to your social media consumption. You only have so many cares you can give. Give a care about the beauty of your growth as an artist. That's amazing. Don't give a care about the amount of likes you're getting on a post.
I used to spend more time scrolling than photographing. It wasn’t until I unfollowed dozens of accounts and muted hundreds more that I realized how much time I’d been wasting comparing myself and chasing vanity metrics. Once I made this shift, I started focusing more on my own growth.
Guess what? My work improved. And so did my confidence.
Why?
Deliberate practice builds competence.
Competence builds confidence.
Confidence builds resilience.
Affirmation: Today, I will create more than I consume.
Mindset Shift #2: Embrace Deep Work
We often equate busyness with productivity. But as a photographer, what matters isn’t how busy you are—it’s how deeply you engage with your craft. Editing photos while binge-watching Netflix doesn’t mean you’re mastering your art.
I remember times when I was juggling multiple projects and felt like I was drowning. I wasn’t giving any task the attention it deserved, and my work showed it. I thought I needed to dabble in every genre, but in reality, I was producing shallow work.
Shallow work leads to mediocre results.
It wasn’t until I started dedicating blocks of time to focus solely on one aspect of photography that I noticed a significant improvement.
Practice "deep work." Cal Newport’s book Deep Work emphasizes the importance of uninterrupted, focused time to produce meaningful work.
This means setting aside dedicated time to focus intensely on mastering specific photography skills without distractions.
Create a routine where you block out time to learn, experiment, and refine your techniques. It’s about doing fewer things but doing them better.
Deep work can mean mastering a singular subject matter.
Deep work can mean mastering a particular focal length.
Deep work can mean mastering a particular lighting style.
A lack of deliberate practice without focus or clarity is a common pitfall for so many photographers.
Too many of us are a mile wide and an inch deep. We are aspiring to be the opposite.
Here's how I practice deep work as a photographer:
Once a month, I plan, style, and conduct a portrait photo session.
Each month, I explore different themes.
Each theme requires research, styling, and a different model.
Each project has unique challenges that grow me as an artist.
What took hours became easier, and my confidence grew with my skills.
My camera became an extension of my hand.
The goal is consistent and focused work. Pick one area in your craft and go deep.
Journal Prompt: "In what ways can I apply deep work to my photography?"
Mindset Shift #3: Build Emotional Intelligence
Let’s talk about something not often discussed in photography circles: emotional intelligence.
Emotional intelligence, or EQ, is the ability to understand and manage your emotions and the emotions of others.
Having technical skills is important, but being able to manage your emotions, handle feedback, and deal with the inevitable ups and downs of being a photographer is crucial. The ups and downs never end.
I consider myself a highly sensitive person (HSP). Early in my career, I was overly sensitive to any feedback. I even created feedback in my own head when clients didn’t sing my praises. If I didn't immediately receive positive feedback, I would think my clients hated their photos. Or worse. Hated me. The only thing worse than receiving difficult feedback was experiencing rejection. Talking to an excited prospect only to have them ghost me when it was time to become a client?
It hurts. It still hurts.
But why is negative feedback and rejection so difficult to deal with and learn from?
Photographers and creators in general lack emotional intelligence and self-regulation, especially in the early years. We let criticism knock us down, take rejection personally, and struggle to stay motivated when things don’t go as planned.
In Radical Candor by Kim Scott, she talks about the importance of giving and receiving feedback with care. This is directly applicable to photography—how you handle criticism can make or break your growth.
A client once told me they hated how they looked in the photos, and I took it to heart. I felt like they were saying my work was no good and I should quit. I nearly did quit that week. Three days later, they reached out to thank me for the experience and to let me know they didn’t feel nearly as insecure about how they looked anymore.
WHAT?!
My emotional state was so busy spiraling into self-doubt that I never created space to understand my emotions or my client’s emotions.
How do I get myself out of this cycle?
3-Step Guide to Building EQ for Photographers
1 - Cultivate Self-Awareness
Start by acknowledging how you feel when you receive feedback or face rejection.
Are you feeling defensive? Hurt? Disappointed?
Recognizing these emotions helps you separate your self-worth from the opinions of others.
2 - Practice Emotional Regulation
In the face of criticism or rejection, pause.
Breathe and assess the situation objectively.
Affirm that one piece of feedback does not define your entire body of work.
Practicing this regulation will help you respond to challenges with a calm, growth mindset, in search of opportunities and solutions.
3 - Build Empathy and Compassion
Understand that your clients, like you, have their own expectations and emotions.
When you receive feedback, honor how you feel and try to view it from their perspective.
This approach not only helps you improve your work but also strengthens your relationships with clients.
This creates a buffer against taking feedback personally, allowing you to grow more resilient over time.
I've learned that feedback is not an attack but an opportunity to grow. When I began to see it that way, I became more resilient, and my work improved dramatically.
Learn to understand and manage your emotions and respond constructively to the emotions of others. This doesn’t mean suppressing your feelings but recognizing them and not letting them control your actions.
Affirmation: "Today, I will create a buffer between how I feel and how I respond."
Mindset Shift #4: Composition as a Framework
Composition is to photography what chords are to music—essential, yet often misunderstood.
I frequently see new photographers treat the rules of composition as if they’re rigid commandments from an unyielding higher power.
Like the Rule of Thirds.
Naturally, we tend to view the rules of composition as restrictive, forgetting about compositional frameworks or ignore them all together. This can stifle creativity and lead to a lack of experimentation.
Why?
Too many creative options produces creative fatigue.
How?
By ignoring compositional frameworks, we spend significantly more time processing far more available options.
We want to pick the best options. Without any mental framework we simply have too many options to process. Creative fatigue is a form of overthinking. We end up fewer creations.
Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon talks a lot about understanding and mastering the rules in order to know when and how to break them creatively. He emphasizes that great artists don’t just break the rules—they first understand them deeply. This understanding allows them to bend or break these rules in ways that enhance their creative expression.
The path to creativity isn’t about rigid adherence to rules but about using them as a starting point to explore and innovate. This approach allows you to expand your creative boundaries without being confined by traditional standards.
Shift your mindset to see composition as a framework, not a rulebook. Understand the principles well enough to to know when break them. Think of these guidelines as tools that help you express your vision. They are not constraints that box you in.
Apply this to every area of composition—learn the rules so you can bend and break them creatively.
I used to be obsessed with following the rule of thirds as if the photography gods would smite me if I didn’t. But one day, I took a photo that broke all the “rules,” and guess what? I didn't go to jail. I even liked the results.
But I stay grounded in the fundamentals. The fundamentals are like a springboard into creativity.
Compositional framework is not a ridged set of rules.
Compositional framework is a creative mindset.
Journal Prompt: "How do I feel about composition? Do I understand all the frameworks? Which area of the basics can I revisit?"
Mindset Shift #5: Prioritize Learning and Mentorship
Ever felt like what you're trying to learn isn't clicking? That was me for years. I thought I could figure everything out with a few YouTube tutorials and some trial and error.
I actually figured most of it out that way. But not everything.
I used to think mentorship was for people who couldn’t figure things out on their own—until I got one.
What did I experience?
My first mentor, Jordana, didn’t just teach me photography techniques; she taught me how to see the world differently. Seeing her interact with difficult clients was different than watching a video on how to deal with difficult clients. It was a game-changer.
Jordana was and still is a professional wedding photographer. She understood where I was because she had been there too. Having someone believe in me and guide me was the push I needed to start making real progress.
My mentor unlocked my "X factor".
My mentor helped me understand my dreams are all very possible.
My mentor gave me the blueprint in the form of her history, lessons, and wisdom. It was up to me to soak up as much as I could. She had already been where I wanted to be—a professional wedding photographer. I just had to apply her lessons to my photography practice, and I knew, with enough time, things would work out.
Aspiring photographers often lack guidance and mentorship. We try to go it alone, missing out on the wisdom and insight from others who have been there and done that.
Seek out mentors and immerse yourself in learning. Find photographers whose work you admire and reach out to them. Thank them for inspiring you already. Find a way to add value to them.
I define value as the measurement something's usefulness. Find something useful to say to them.
The offer I made my original mentor was that I would be her second photographer at any wedding for the next 12 months at no hourly rate paid to me. And I got to ask any question I wanted, have my website critiqued monthly, and borrow lenses at no cost to me.
An old fashioned barter. Mentorships were a little different in 2015, admittedly.
A lot of photographers already have established mentorship programs, courses, and I even offer consulting calls. If they have the results you're looking for, if you believe that access to their wisdom will increase your likelihood of success, reaching out to someone for a mentorship is the fast track for photography growth. It was for me.
Read books. I love books. I reference a lot of books. Authors are mentors. Success leaves clues.
You might think books lame. You might think you're no good at reading. You might think its a waste of time.
Let me assure you. Books are worth your time investment.
The person who chooses not to read holds no advantage over the illiterate.
Books are actually disproportionally more valuable (useful) to people who don't read than to people who do.
Books are dripping with wisdom. Here are two I’ve revisited this year that gave me new ideas:
Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
I've already referenced this book once. That is a clear indicator that it is worth your time investment.
Embrace the idea that nothing is original. “Steal” from the work that inspires us—taking bits and pieces from different sources and remixing them into something uniquely ours. This mindset is crucial for photographers and artists alike. Learning from a mentor is a form of this “creative theft". By absorbing their wisdom, techniques, and ways of thinking, you can blend these influences with your own style to create something truly original.
We must surround ourselves with the right influences. In the same way that you choose your mentor, be intentional about the sources of your inspiration. Remember, if we're truly inspired to pursue our goals by the people we follow on social media, we would be inspired into a mindset of creation over consumption. You shape your artistic voice and vision with all of the media you consume.
If you listen to depressing music, gossip about politics, and doom scroll on social media all day, thats your inspiration. If you listen uplifting music, seek wisdom from mentors, and take control over your media consumption, that's your inspiration. Either way, you're being inspired.
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art dives deep into the concept of resistance—the inner force that holds us back from pursuing our true calling.
This resistance manifest as:
Fear of failure
Shame and guilt surrounding your true passion
Overthinking
Jealousy or envy of others
Doom scrolling on social media
Resistance is strong, but you are stronger. The more resistance you face, the more it proves your work matters.
Resistance can be defeated. Here’s how:
Name your resistance
Identify how Resistance manifests in your life. Is it fear of failure? Perfectionism? Procrastination? Problem aware is the beginning of mastery.
Commit to daily practice
Consistency is your greatest weapon against resistance. It’s about building an environment that supports your creativity. Growth happens in the doing.
Take action, no matter what
Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Start now. Clarity and confidence come from doing, not from waiting.
Seek guidance
Find a Mentor: Don’t go it alone. Seek out someone who has been where you are and can guide you past the obstacles you’re facing.
Reframe failure
Fail Forward: See failure as feedback, not a roadblock. Every mistake is a step closer to mastery.
Journal prompts: Who has the results I'm looking for that I can learn from? Which book has the answers I'm looking for that I can read?
I’ve been exactly where you are right now—stuck and frustrated trying to figure out your next step. It feels like no matter how much you care, no matter how many tutorials you watch or photos you post, there’s still something missing. But here’s the truth:
It’s not always about how hard you grind, sometimes about the direction you’re moving.
Think about it.
Are you asking yourself the right questions?
Are you focusing on the craft, or are you trapped in a comparison loop?
Are you doing the deep work that truly moves the needle?
Are you giving yourself the chance to succeed
Are you letting distractions and self-doubt hold you back?
I’ve been through the uncertainty, the imposter syndrome, the endless scrolling, and the paralysis that comes with too many choices. I’ve also come out on the other side. I’ve found clarity, developed practical mindsets, and learned how to apply them to photography and life. More importantly, I know how to help you do the same.
This transformation starts with a single shift: focusing on what you can control and getting the right guidance.
Before you go, ask yourself this:
What’s stopping me from making change today?
How much longer am I willing to wait to see real progress in my photography journey?
How would it feel to finally have the clarity and confidence I’ve been searching for?
If you made it this far, just know, I want you to win. Talk to you next time.
-JY