I intend to keep this short and sweet. As always, the Photography Business Journal series on Pabst Photo is as much for me to document my ups and downs with owning a business as it is for any reader. I came across the quote – in the title – and it resonated with me and how I think about Pabst Photo. It’s very dangerous to look at another photographer and the success they may be having that you don’t. However, we never look the other way and see how far we have come or see how much further along we are than someone just beginning.

I am just as guilty as anyone. I often get discouraged because I look at another photographer and envy their business, fans, following, attention and awards. It is not usually their photographs themselves that I am in awe of – it’s the business they have created – the online presence – fan following and so forth. I am good at photography, it’s all the marketing and such that I can rarely find time to do.

Don’t Compare Your Chapter One to Someone Else’s Chapter Twenty

I see photographers with dozens and dozens of reviews, praise from major publications, top 10 lists and so forth, and don’t even know how to go about submitting our work. I see photographers with Facebook pages with thousands of likes and am amazed. I just have to remind myself that we got over 400 likes in about 8 months of launching our Facebook page.

Perhaps Pabst Photo is just on Chapter 3 or 4 and we’ll have to wait and see what happens.