In a recent commentary for The Ashland Daily Tidings, Lance Pugh wrote about a long-time studio photographer in town. In his talk with Christopher Briscoe, Pugh captured a few gems of wisdom that I think are well worth the time to consider. Pugh paraphrases Briscoe’s ideas about what it takes to be a successful photographer:
It takes three qualities to be a success as a photographer:
The first is vision: The ability to see the quintessential elements in any circumstance and react by framing the shot accordingly as well as being able to peer into the future and plan accordingly.
The second essential quality is passion: A fierce, unbridled desire to keep at the task until the perfect image is captured.
The third quality is courage: The ability to walk the plank and jump into a sea of possibilities that are infinite, yet without any guarantee of success.
Briscoe is right about these basic qualities, especially as it relates to photojournalism. As photojournalists we must have vision, passion, and courage to endure in an increasingly creative world.