Hey Reader,
There’s this strange pressure that builds around photography, or being a creator in general.
Like every time you pick up the camera, it has to lead to something big.
A portfolio piece. A viral post. A photo that makes your dream clients slide into your DMs offering you the commission.
But most of the time, that’s not how it works.
Most of the time, it’s the small, seemingly “throwaway” work that does the real heavy lifting.
Like the shoots you’re too embarrassed to share on your main page or the times you’re second-shooting for the local media house that barely pays you.
Because those are the moments that build you.
Let's dive in!
p.s. All the photos were #shotoniphone and edited with my LR presets @ 80% intensity!
The unseen value of practice
Every photo is a rep.
The moment I made this flip in my head, the pressure to “perform” dropped away.
Reps are easy. Reps only matter when bundled together over time.
So, a photo as a rep… no problem.
And this mindset isn’t exclusive to photography.
Musicians don’t become good by playing concerts; they become good by practising at home and playing random bar gigs to a crowd of a humble five.
Writers don’t become good by publishing books; they become good by showing up and writing something small every day.
And photographers? We don’t get good by taking one perfect shot...
We get good by taking thousands of imperfect ones.
I still remember one of my first event shoots in the Perth hills five years ago.
I was capturing a food truck festival way out of town in the bush somewhere.
Nothing particularly creative, nothing exciting… but it gave me something.
When I sat down to edit my shots, I discovered something major: pulling back the yellows completely changed the mood of the image.
I was shocked. It looked like a totally different location.
From an oversaturated green-and-yellow countryside to something warmer, more inviting.
Such a small thing, but it shifted the way I approached colour forever.
That’s the power of the reps.
You don’t always know what you’re learning in the moment, but every frame teaches you something...about exposure, about composition, about patience.
The “10,000 hours” idea might be cliché, but let’s be real: after, let's say 100,000 photos, you will see the difference.
The Unexpected Meaning
Here’s the funny thing about photos: their meaning changes over time.
A shot you take today might feel like the most epic thing you’ve ever created.
Two years later, you look back and think, “Huh… why was I so stoked about this one?”
Some people say, “don’t bash your old work,” and I agree.
But I also think looking back and feeling that “meh” is a good sign.
It means your eye has improved.
What once felt out of reach is now second nature. And that’s awesome.
For me, that hit last week while on vacation in the south of Spain.
I snapped this photo below on my iPhone like it was nothing.
Cool scene, click, move on.
But rewind back to 2022 in Portugal, this exact type of photo was one I dreamed of capturing.
Back then, I was obsessed with climbing cliffs, looking down at beaches, framing up those shoreline scenes with all the people in them.
At the time, those photos felt like my peak work.
Now, I see them as pretty simple.
But they still mattered.
They marked a point in my journey.
2022 Matty would’ve flipped to take that iPhone photo.
And I think that's pretty important!
Sometimes it works in reverse.
A photo you thought was average gains meaning years later.
Suddenly, it carries a weight you couldn’t have seen at the time.
Either way, every photo has a role to play.
Even if that role is simply showing you how far you’ve come.
Thoughtful momentum
Momentum is underrated in photography.
The more you shoot, the more natural it feels.
You stop overthinking settings. You start noticing light. You see compositions before they even happen.
The same goes for sharing content, writing a newsletter, joining a gym, and learning padel (I’m sure you see the trend).
But momentum from a creative perspective isn’t about doing everything.
It’s about being thoughtful with your energy.
Not every shoot has to be massive.
Not every newsletter has to change lives or convince someone to work with you.
You don’t need to burn yourself out chasing a masterpiece every week or stressing over when the next one will come.
What matters is showing up often enough and giving yourself room to learn one thing at a time.
There will be weeks where it doesn’t happen (writing that to myself right now).
But that’s fine.
Zoom out. Look at your time horizon.
Progress is clearer when you step back.
"Growth compounds not through rare perfect attempts, but through consistent, thoughtful reps."
What now?
I don’t want to end this on a generic motivational note that leaves you pumped for 30 seconds before doubt creeps back in.
Because honestly, I feel that too when I’m trying to improve.
So here are a few practical takeaways:
- Treat every shoot like it matters. How you do the little things is how you do the big things. Show up properly.
- Document your personal life. Those extra reps count, even when nobody’s paying you.
- Treat your work with kind eyes. You’re not where you want to be? Great, time to get better. But I guarantee your work today is stronger than it was six months ago.
btw...
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If you’ve been enjoying these emails or found this one helpful, I’d love it if you shared it with someone you think would appreciate it.
Post it, forward it, tag me, whatever works.
I’ll always try to repost and say thanks where I can.
