I admit: I am a competitive person. I love sports and games, and I compete (not as well anymore) to win. I like pitting myself and/or my team against another’s. It’s fun. However, when it comes to photography, my photography, the idea of competition becomes silly to me. There are a TON of photographers in my area. Great photographers in a number of fields. Take a look at Lindsey Brittain, Shaun Menary, Austin Mann, Rebecca Lorrine, Brian Braun, Sara & Rocky Garza, Andrew Shepherd, Natalie Montgommery and Lauren Larsen to name a few. I list these photogs, not because I want to name drop, but because they are fantastic photographers in my area that operate in the same fields as me. Do most people consider them my competition? Sure. I’d rather consider them my friends and photographers that I can grow from. If I spend most of my time figuring out what they’re doing so that I can do it better, then I’m wasting my time focusing on everyone else. I would rather sit down with them and talk life and business so that we can both get ideas and be encouraged.

I think the idea that we must compete leaves us alone and isolated. In all aspects of my life, I want to live in community. It is in community that we can grow in positive ways, even when it hurts. That remains true in business. I love Shaun, and Lindsey, and Austin and the rest. I might not necessarily capture life the way they do, and I might not necessarily want to. But just because they’re getting more business than me or I more than them means nothing. We are in this business because we love it and we will strive to be the best we can be and to provide our clients with images that move their hearts. So why should I think that I need to compete with them if the client is getting what they’re wanting and the story is getting told?

The typical answer to that question that most will assume is to make money to pay my bills. Sure, that’s an answer, but if I’m doing my business well and capturing stories well, then the money will come in. My livelihood shouldn’t be predicated on being better than others. My livelihood is made better because of others. They help me grow, they give me ideas, they give me hints, they give me support. And hopefully I do the same for them.

Truly, the only competition in photography is with myself. I must constantly be challenging myself to be better than I was last year, last month, yesterday, and even this morning.  But once I go outside myself to other photographers, it ceases to be a race against them, but a race with them.