How I overcame imposter syndrome and learned to love my own photography

The Dunning-Kreuger Effect is a term for someone who is totally incompetent but think themselves to be an expert. I’m sure we’ve all met someone like that! Imposter Syndrome is kind of the opposite — it’s when you’re actually pretty dang good at something, but you’re convinced you’re not. When people praise your work, you just think you got lucky.

I’ve always suffered from a bit of imposter syndrome as a photographer. I saw so many talented photographers out there that I felt like a bit of a fake, no matter how much my clients loved their photos. In the early days, I would take tons of similar photos because I was afraid they would turn out poorly. In about an hour I could take nearly a thousand photos. Now, in a 90 minutes session I’ll likely take less than a quarter of that, and they’ll have considerably more variety. I’ve gained much more confidence in lighting, composition, and coaching posing.

Education has been a major player in helping me gain confidence in my ability as well as give me more clarity on where I can improve. Perhaps counterintuitively, I believe having a real understanding of your strengths and weaknesses boosts your confidence. Like all creative arts, photography is a process of knowledge and skill development that continues indefinitely. I know the only way to gain confidence is to keep working and learning.

This year, I tackled a subject that had intimidated me in the past: flash. I wanted to really understand the physics of lighting and how flash can be used to create exactly the photo I want. Many boudoir photographers shoot only with natural light. I enjoy shooting with natural light, but don’t like being at the mercy of the weather and some pictures simply need flash to look their best. I’ve learned a ton, and upgraded my setup in the process. I even created a small home studio where I shoot occasionally.

I also learned a great deal from my peers in the industry about coaching posing, about creating a great client experience, and managing the business side of things.

I feel confident in saying that I believe my recent work to be the best of my career. My work is finally starting to take the shape I have always envisioned. I look back with a critical eye toward my earlier work, but I still see a lot to be proud of — and I’m absolutely committed to continue learning and refining my craft.