Yesterday I published an article on my Lenscraft website titled “How to become a Successful Photographer”. If you have 5 minutes to spare I would encourage you to head over to Lenscraft to read it. In writing the article, something occurred to me which is obvious and yet we often lose sight of. What do we consider being a successful photographer to be?
For some it may be the ability to earn a living from their photography. For some it may be winning competitions or being accepted by a Gallery.
My own definition of being a successful photographer is being able to consistently produce images that are high quality and which engage with my audience. All the other “measures” mentioned above are for me secondary outcomes. What really matters is the quality of my work and how I as the photographer feel about my work.
What I would really be interested to know is what defines success for you? If you have any thoughts, please add them as comments to this post.
The Lightweight Photographer 
My definition would be in consistently taking the shot required to create the image which was in my minds eye at the time I took it.
I don’t look to make money from my hobby, so in the nicest sense possible, whether other people understand the result is somewhat immaterial. Though of course it is satisfying when they do – even if they don’t like it.
Thanks Steve. I couldn’t agree more. It’s nice to have others appreciate our work but its essential we satisfy our own vision.