Do It Scared

It’s perfectly fine to be nervous. In fact, I’d argue it’s necessary. Feeling scared or anxious before doing something new or intimidating isn’t a flaw — it’s a feature. It means you care. It means the thing in front of you matters. And I’ve learned that the things that matter the most often show up wearing a costume of fear.

I tell my four kids this all the time — Lincoln, Harrison, Jude, and Scarlett — when they’re about to do something that makes their little stomachs twist: nerves are good. It means your heart is in it. It means you're alive. And you can do hard things — even if your hands are shaking.

That same lesson applies to photography. The first time you charge a client? Scary. The first time you shoot a family or deliver a gallery or go full manual mode with paying clients? Terrifying. But you know what? You do it anyway. Do it scared.

Confidence isn’t the absence of fear — it’s the decision to keep going despite it. Some of my best photos have been born out of that exact space: where I wasn’t quite sure I was ready, but I showed up anyway. The nerves were there, but so was the passion. And passion, fueled by practice, eventually turns into confidence. But you don’t get there unless you take that first step.

So if you’re feeling nervous before a big session, or wondering whether you’re good enough to start offering your work to the world — good. That means you care. Now go do it anyway.

Do it scared. And keep doing it — until one day, you look back and realize you’re not scared anymore.