Dear Reader,

Have you ever looked at an amazing photograph and thought, “Wow, that photographer is so talented. Will my photos ever look this good?”

When you look at pictures taken by professionals, it’s easy to think that they’re born with a talent you just don’t have.  

But the truth is, even the best photographers had to start out as beginners. They were all in your shoes at some point... and many were wearing those shoes not long ago.

Recently, professional photographer Shelly Perry told me she found a box of old photos in her attic that she hadn’t seen in years. She laughed to the point of tears knowing she once thought the photos inside were her best work.

I asked Shelly if she’d be willing to share a few of those photos with you and she agreed. I then asked all our pros to do the same and what they sent me is a great illustration of what a few years of taking pictures can do to improve your skills.

Stay tuned this week to see the photos that mark where Shelly, Jani, and Efrain -- all successful photographers today -- first began in photography.

Efrain kicks off this week’s series below with his take on talent, proving that nobody starts out as a great photographer... but you can make it there if you really want to.

-- Lori

Lori Allen
Director, AWAI Travel Division

P.S. Grab a FREE set of our photo tip cards (a $39.97 value) when you agree to test-drive our Turn Your Pictures into Cash program.

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June 16, 2010
The Right Way to Travel
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DON’T LET THE MYTH OF TALENT GET IN THE WAY OF SUCCESS

by Efraín M. Padró in Santa Fe, NM

In 2001 I attended a talk by photographer Craig M. Tanner titled The Myth of Talent. During the talk, Tanner told the story of his humbling first attempt at becoming a professional nature photographer. He described how he spent months photographing national parks and returning with exactly zero images (of over 7,000 shots) he felt were any good.

As he showed the audience slide after slide of overexposed, underexposed, poorly composed, and blurred images, I became excited about becoming a professional photographer myself. After all, my pictures looked just as bad as his.

Tanner’s point, of course, was that anyone with desire and persistence could become a good photographer. He later showed us a collection of beautiful images he created.

Rather than give in to the idea of the "myth of talent," that talented photographers are somehow born that way, he followed his dream with determination and became the accomplished photographer that stood before us that day.

He later wrote in a follow-up article, “being labeled talented only means one has survived being untalented.”

Nobody starts out being a good photographer (or anything else, for that matter). Though at different speeds and to varying degrees, we all go through a similar progression between beginner and experienced.

A recent event brought this concept into focus for me.

As I was preparing for a trip to Seville, Spain, I reviewed some pictures I had taken of the city years ago. It was like looking at photographs someone else had taken. Even my wife remarked how bad my pictures were, and I had to agree. But, at the time I took them, it was all I could do given my knowledge and experience. With time, as I learned the artistic and technical aspects of photography, my images became better, a process that continues to this day.

To give you a visual idea of what I’m talking about, I’ve included two images of the same subject (the Folk Art Museum in Seville’s Maria Luisa Park), taken many years apart.

The first image is poorly composed (the lamp post is cut off at the top and there is a gate blocking the eye from entering the picture), and the harsh light is not flattering to the otherwise beautiful building.

The second image was taken at twilight, one of my favorite times to photograph architectural subjects, and I positioned myself in front of the pond to capture a reflection of the building, completing the symmetry of the photograph.

Regardless of where you are in your photographic development, you should always follow Theodore Roosevelt’s advice: “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

No talent required.

ED. NOTE: You don’t have to be a professional writer or photographer to sell your travel photos to magazines (in fact, Efrain was neither when he started -- he was a lawyer).

I asked him and a bunch of other professional photographers for tips you can use to sell your photos to magazines and I included them in our online guide: The Quick and Dirty Guide to Magazine Photography. Inside you’ll learn: Three fool-proof strategies for selling my shots in magazines... How to approach editors and land assignments... How to get onto an editor’s go-to photographer list... and more. Pick up a copy today.

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The Right Way to Travel is a FREE newsletter from the American Writers & Artists Inc., available to AWAI members and friends.

It is coming to you because you are either a member of The Ultimate Travel Writer's Program or Turn Your Pictures into Cash, or you have opted to receive information about getting paid to travel from the AWAI Travel Division.

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