"There's no such thing as luck"

So says Ben Watts in a Designing Minds episode (which you can find here.). Ben is a well-known photographer (at least in my circle). He's been doing this 15+ years and I've been a fan since the late 90s. Anyways, in the video, he says that a friend who was a photographer remarks to Ben "Oh yeah, you just went to New York and got lucky"

You see, that line gets me all the time. "You get lucky"...and it goes with this idea that if you got the best cameras, the best gear, the best laptop and you get lucky and you can be a great photographer.

Bull.

The equipment matters yes, but is just a tool...the computer is just a tool, the gear is just a tool - paintbrushes, canvas, materials. A good photographer can take photos even with a cheap 35mm camera. It takes time to develop an eye. More than likely, a never-ending process. And as you climb that ladder, your level will get smaller and smaller - sort of like a pyramid. As you get closer to the top, it's gonna be like high school where everybody knows everyone.

A friend of mine recently photographed Victoria Beckman and someone asked him how he did that ? His reply was 17 years of work.

In a way, you are building your own luck.

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