{"id":189909,"date":"2015-05-05T09:00:11","date_gmt":"2015-05-05T13:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lightstalking.com\/?p=189909"},"modified":"2020-04-07T03:43:07","modified_gmt":"2020-04-07T07:43:07","slug":"photo-projects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lightstalking.com\/photo-projects\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Should Do Photo Projects More Often"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Photo stories and photo projects are extremely helpful in acquiring experience and credibility for yourself as a photographer. I've discussed <\/span>365\/52 projects before <\/span><\/a>and their importance in terms of being creative and maintaining the skills gained from the associated learning-curve. This time, however, I\u2019d like to address a more impactful part of the photography world – photo stories and projects.<\/span><\/p>\n Photo stories and photo projects are two names for essentially the same thing, so which term you decide to use is up to your personal preference. For the sake of simplicity, I\u2019ll refer to them as photo projects from here on out in this article.<\/span><\/p>\n\n <\/a>Photo by PineappleAndCoconut<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n On a side note, I am writing this article because I've observed that many photographers tend to focus on capturing isolated moments as opposed to working on something that consists of more than one photo alone. The latter technique is a branch of photography that can have a more lasting effect upon your career. Why should you consider it?<\/span><\/p>\n Most of the famous photographers whose work you admire have worked on a single major project for almost their entire career. I\u2019m not saying that you <\/span>absolutely must<\/span> do the same, but do not overlook their success and renown. What can you learn upon considering their example? <\/span><\/p>\n The CEO of a large company which supports and funds start-ups recently said something rather simple yet inspiring: \u201cSuccess comes through failure. But when you fail, make sure you do it in style!\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n This same principle applies to everything you take on in life, including photo projects. All of your attempts will not be successful, but eventually, one will. Remember: most successful people have failed many times before achieving their goals. And when that moment of success comes, then you will have elevated your photography to the next level. Having succeeded, you\u2019ll then know the formula which works best for you. You can repeat the process you discovered time and again, and (who knows?) maybe even become one of those photographers who will be admired by generations to come.<\/span><\/p>\n Whether you are an amateur, or an experienced enthusiast striving to reach a professional level, your portfolio WILL be reviewed at some point, and likely more than once. How your portfolio is perceived will determine whether you\u2019ll have the opportunity to quickly move forward with your career, or take a setback and learn from that failure. If your portfolio contains great images and several projects, it will tell a different story than a portfolio with just great images and no projects. <\/span><\/p>\n What makes the difference? Three qualities: <\/span>consistency,<\/span> <\/span>leadership,<\/span><\/strong> and <\/span>organization.<\/span><\/strong> Even though <\/span>that well-complied portfolio didn't require an extra hand, being done solely by yourself, it will appear differently to the public eye. It will look like you took charge of a team, organized everything perfectly, and then took decisive action as a capable leader in order to make that project happen. That impression conveys a work ethic prized by companies needing long-term contracts. They must be able to rely on you completely. When you have those high-quality projects included in your portfolio to prove that you have a high-quality work ethic, your chances of being hired increase.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n For the same reasons stated above, photo projects are much more likely to attract the media\u2019s attention than a single photo will. Of course, single photos <\/span>do<\/span> make the cover page of photography magazines, but that is simply due to the fact that the cover page can only consist of a single photo. That cover page usually ends up sporting either the best photo of multiple taken at an event, or the photo that fits best out of a series of a photos taken for that purpose. As projects require more work and effort, they tend to gain more respect and appreciation from the media. Having the media's favor will help your work to rapidly gain more attention, and this will reflect nicely on your portfolio and credibility.<\/span><\/p>\nPhoto Projects – How Important Are They?<\/span><\/h3>\n
What Will A Project Say About You?<\/span><\/h3>\n
Impress the Media!<\/span><\/h3>\n