Chasing the Light: Improving Your Photography with Available Light

The Curse of Comparison

Much of my photographic career revolved around comparison. I would look at the work of others and assign myself a spot in the pecking order. I’d look at the work of my peers or the masters, and I’d either see something to strive for or fall into a pit of insecurity. I’d look at the work of others and declare my superiority as proof on my inherent talent. And eventually, I discovered that this was a losing game that I didn’t want to play.

My fixation on comparing my work to others was all about the outcome of my images. The success of an image was based less on what I thought I had achieved with it, and more on how the image was received by other people. The worth of each image was often based on other people’s opinion, ...