Hey Reader,
When you think about consistency, it often sounds boring.
Like discipline for the sake of discipline.
But in photography, consistency is where everything good comes from.
It’s what sharpens your eye, builds your confidence, and helps you move past the endless loop of overthinking.
And the funny thing is, consistency is rarely about intensity.
It’s about staying close to your craft, even when you’re not sure it’s working.
Let’s dive in.
The Unseen Reps
Every photographer wants that moment when something clicks.
When the light hits perfectly, or your edit finally looks how you imagined.
But those moments are built quietly, through repetition.
The more you shoot, the more natural your instincts become.
You stop thinking about settings and start seeing.
Earlier this month, I was doing a remote edit for a hospitality client.
It wasn’t my shoot, but seeing how someone else had photographed the space gave me a different perspective.
They’d captured a few frames using reflections, something I rarely do.
That stuck with me.
And this week, while shooting at a hotel, I noticed a similar setup and decided to try it.
It worked.
The idea wouldn’t have even crossed my mind if I hadn’t been editing that other set of images.
That’s what I love about consistency: the way small, unseen moments feed each other.
You learn something one day without realising it, and weeks later, it quietly shapes the way you shoot.
It’s not about forcing inspiration; it’s about being around long enough for it to find you.
Progress Over Perfection
We all know that feeling when a photo doesn’t turn out how you hoped.
Maybe the light shifted, the framing was off, or you missed the focus.
But if you treat every “missed” shot as wasted effort, you’ll burn out fast.
The real goal is not perfection, it’s momentum.
There’s a clip of Giannis Antetokounmpo after his team was knocked out of the NBA playoffs.
A reporter asked if he considered the season a failure.
Giannis paused and said, “Do you get a promotion every year at your job? No? So is every year you work a failure? Of course not. There are no failures in sport, only steps to success.”
I think about that a lot when it comes to photography.
Because that’s exactly what it is, steps.
Every time you go out to shoot, edit a gallery, or try a new style, you’re taking one more step forward.
Even the photos that don’t turn out how you wanted are quietly building your eye, your timing, your patience.
Progress is rarely loud.
It’s a slow stacking of small lessons that, over time, change what you’re capable of.
That’s how you grow, not by chasing perfect shots, but by giving yourself permission to keep taking the next step.
Staying Around Long Enough
Some seasons feel slow.
You might be shooting the same venues, the same clients, the same view out your window.
It can feel like nothing’s changing.
But this is where most photographers give up, right before the work starts to deepen.
If you stay long enough, you start to see patterns others miss.
You begin to notice the light change at certain hours, or the way people move differently through familiar spaces.
That’s the quiet reward of consistency: clarity.
Even when it feels repetitive, trust that every time you show up, your eye sharpens.
You can’t build a body of work if you’re never around long enough to see what connects it.
The Real Power of Consistency
Consistency doesn’t mean doing the same thing forever.
It means caring enough to keep showing up and adjusting as you grow.
This week, I hit 30k followers on Instagram.
It’s just a number, sure, but it’s also a sign that showing up opens doors.
New opportunities, collaborations, and conversations that wouldn’t exist if I’d stopped.
In September, I posted 14 pieces of content.
Nothing crazy, just work I was proud of.
One of them happened to take off, reaching nearly 500,000 people.
But that one post only existed because of the thirteen that came with it.
If I’d pinned all my hopes on a single attempt, the odds of success would’ve been tiny.
That’s what consistency really gives you: more chances for something to connect.
You can’t predict what will work, but you can keep showing up long enough for luck to find you.
Ultimately, it’s not luck, talent, or timing that defines a photographer.
It’s the willingness to stay curious and keep creating through every season.
That’s how you make progress visible.
Catch you next week,
Matty 📷 🚀
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