I was reading an article by Dewitt Jones in the latest Outdoor Photographer last night. I always enjoy reading him; he is so positive and full of enthusiasm. The title of the article was Don’t Prove…Improve! He was recounting his experience when he got hired on as a National Geographic Photographer. Dewitt was a little intimidated. His new boss, Bob Gilka, gave him some advice that applies to us all. He told Dewitt, “You don’t have to prove yourself, not to me or to the other photographers. What I do demand that you do is improve yourself. Every day….”
Dewitt goes on to write,
“[Gilka] understood that when we shoot from our own unique vision, there’s no reason to ‘prove’ ourselves…. There’s only one person on the planet who can do what we do, see as we see.
“Improve ourself? That’s a different story. There’s so much for all of us to learn to make our vision clearer, stronger, sharper. And Gilka knew that the fastest way to learn is to trust and share rather than compete.”
Yep, I always enjoy reading Dewitt’s comments. He is so positive. And right on.
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