Inspiration, Not Competition: Why You Should Find Photographers Who Light Your Fire
Let me say something that might ruffle a few feathers:
Not everyone in your field is your competition.
Yep. I said it.
And yes, I’m talking to you — the person who scrolls Instagram for 10 minutes and suddenly feels like maybe you should sell your camera, delete Lightroom, and become a full-time barista because “everyone else is just so much better than me.”
Cut it out.
Instead of turning every other photographer into a benchmark for your insecurity, try something wild: let yourself be inspired.
Find Your “Standard”
Long before I ever picked up a camera for money, we used Frozen Weddings for our own family photos. And to this day, her work inspires the heck out of me. If I ever question my light, my tones, my editing choices — she’s the standard I hold in my head. Her natural light work is chef’s kiss. Timeless. Thoughtful. Ridiculously good.
Do I want to copy her? Heck no. That wouldn’t even work. She’s already doing her thing — and doing it well. But she’s a reminder of what’s possible when you know your craft, trust your eye, and shoot with intention.
Then there’s Rafe Grigar, down in the Dallas/Fort Worth area — easily one of my favorite off-camera flash photographers. His lighting is precise, bold, clean. It punches. When I need motivation to tweak my flash setup, or push my style forward, Rafe’s work is what I study. He’s not “competition.” He’s inspiration. A masterclass every time I open Instagram.
Comparison is the Thief of Joy (But You Already Knew That)
We’ve all heard it, but most of us need it tattooed on our forehead:
Comparison is the thief of joy.
You don’t need to be better than so-and-so to be good.
You don’t need to be trending to be talented.
And you certainly don’t need 10k followers to be legit.
If you’re always looking sideways at what others are doing, you’ll miss what’s right in front of you — your growth, your style, your own dang journey. And that’s the good stuff.
You’re Allowed to Enjoy the Ride
Let other people’s work push you forward, not push you down.
Find photographers who make you want to try something new, not quit altogether.
And remember — you’re allowed to enjoy the ride. You’re allowed to learn, to grow, to evolve without all the angst and comparison.
Your voice matters. Your eye matters. Your work matters.
So shout out to Frozen Weddings. Shout out to Rafe Geiger. And shout out to you, fellow photographer — doing the thing, chasing the light, finding your voice.
Stay inspired. Stay weird. And stop doom-scrolling — you’ve got a shoot to prep for.