When You Don’t Always Have The Answers As A Photographer

I want to discuss not being afraid to look silly, or ask questions.

I don't know about you, but I often feel this weird pressure that I should know the answers to everything. Maybe it's heightened for me because I have this side hustle where I educate other photographers. But (as you know) the main topics that I teach are centred around marketing and business. I don't really share a whole lot of technical information with you. You don't come to me to learn about the latest camera updates, or what light to hire for X, Y, or Z.

When I moved up to London in 2020, I was waaaaay out of my depth. I'd not had a lot of experience shooting in big studios. I'd never really hired any kit. I felt quite behind. I looked around me and saw photographers way younger than me that knew so much more about kit, on-set etiquette, and had an inner circle of friends. I was arriving feeling quite a lot older (I was 28) and clueless.

It's been two years since that move, and thankfully, I feel less like a fish out of water. I've learnt a lot in that space of time, and I've made loads of incredible friends.

But I've had to embrace being a newbie in certain areas, and I've had to get comfortable asking questions, even when I'm embarrassed.

And here's the thing - no one cares if you don't know something. In fact, it's quite the opposite. People are happy to help! People love to share knowledge, give advice, and do what they can where they can. Of course, you'll get one or two bad apples, but it's so rare.

Throwing myself into the deep end was scary, but it's paid off. I'm still learning more every day, and honestly, I think I'll continue to keep learning forever - learning is fun!

If you ever feel like you don't know something, and you have peers that you can turn to ask for help - do it. There's no shame in not knowing the answers to everything. The person you ask may know loads about a topic that you don't, but the reverse could be true one day too. They may come to you next time, asking for your advice on something, and you'll be able to repay the favour.