#17 Four Pillars of Growth as a Photographer

Reflecting on happiness

Welcome to issue 17, where I explore two paths that have been on my mind lately: the paradox of happiness in our constant pursuit of "more," and the methodical steps that truly move the needle for commercial photographers. Let’s go.

When Enough Is Enough

Alpenglow in the Julian Alps, Slovenia

Lately, I have been reflecting on happiness. Are we doing everything we can to be unhappy? Is the appetite for more making us chronically dissatisfied?

I’ll answer with an anecdote: When I’d repeatedly ask my ski coach to break down how to do a specific drill, he’d hit me with: “Alex… You think about stuff too much.”

He wasn't merely exhausted by my relentless technical inquiries; he was delivering an accidental koan that cuts to the marrow of modern discontent. We are a civilization of overthinking primates, endlessly dissecting our own dissatisfaction while happiness melts away.

I’ve always been a thinker — not necessarily in the smart sense, but in the way of someone who’s always questioning things, inquisitive, boiling with curiosity. Luckily, it hasn’t prevented me from acting in life. I must have inherited my father’s instinctual decision-making skills which, honestly, have been a gift (so far).

As part of my quest to answer these burning happiness questions, I’ve started seeing both a Gestalt therapist and a life coach every week. I’ve also been having conversations with peers in my industry, to hear their take on the matter (and the general state of our photography industry) because for most of us, our identity, our moods, and outlooks, are linked to our work.

One of these peers is Chris Burkard. He is always the optimist, the excited, and unstoppable. He has the vitality of 100 human beings and for him, a day is 48 hours long. For these reasons, I've always loved spending time with him. Last week, when I asked him the hallmark question: "What are you doing in 10 years?" Without blinking, he blurted out: "The exact same thing.”

There’s wisdom in that statement. Here’s a man who has spent almost two decades building the life of his dreams and who’s telling me, “You know what? I’m happy with what I’m doing, I’ve arrived.” Isn’t that a lesson for all the hustlers out there? And don’t get me wrong, Chris is one of the hardest working in the field…

Perhaps happiness isn't something to be pursued at all, but rather the residue left behind when we're too engaged with life to notice its absence.

The past week: A ski trip to the Alps and our daughter turned three years old

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What moves the needle for commercial photographers ?

It’s the age-old question… But one I ask myself every Sunday, when I plan my week ahead:

What is the most important stuff I need to do? It’s funny because I know the answer inside and out, but I still like to repeat it out loud, as if hearing it gives it more impact.

As commercial photographers, we grow by doing the following:

1. Create (groundbreaking) personal work

2. Network

3. Distribute your work

4. Seek unique inspiration

Rinse and repeat. If you do this, I promise you will have all the success you want and then some. Let me expand.

You can't imagine how many alpine waters I photographed before someone finally hired me to capture lakes for them — LG 8K Monitors Campaign

Create Personal Work

This is the MOST important aspect, that’s why it goes first on the list. When you are making work for yourself, you’re scratching your own creative itch. You’re actively imagining things and bringing them to life. What you’re aiming for is a direct connection between your heart and the work. I like to imagine they’re connected by an invisible cable. I know that I’m in that zone (or close) when I feel a deep satisfaction while pressing the shutter. I can feel it throughout my body that I’m getting the shot I wanted.

If you look at most photographers’ websites, the “Personal” work category is the most visited. That’s because everyone, even clients, prefer seeing what our vision is, what we do in our free time, instead of just looking at our commercial portfolio. Now more than ever, we get hired based on who we are, not just what we do. So, I’m writing this for myself too: Create more personal work, every month, no excuses.

Network

The power of connecting with others, especially prospects, is multiplied by the quality of your portfolio. A quality portfolio has:

1. Some personal work: the kind relevant to your industry

2. At least five different client shoots: all relevant to the industry you want to work in; extra points if you have clients similar to your new prospect

3. No repetition: Avoid showing two similar images from the same shoot; as the curator, you need to pick the one you love most.

4. Brevity: I’d rather show 20-25 very strong images than 50 filler shots

A note on portfolios: I know very successful creatives who don’t have a portfolio. They’d rather make custom portfolios for the client in front of them for a more boutique feel.

Now back to the matter at hand. What I mean by “networking” is that you connect with others in the manner you know best. If you’re outgoing, then go to events and trade shows. If you’re an introvert, get on Linkedin and be of value to your prospects. See the Jake Dyson interview for strategies.

What matters most is that you genuinely connect with others whose work you appreciate. Don’t be pushy, don’t ask, be pleasant, and add value.

Out there with my friend Isaac Johnston making personal work — France

Distribute Your Work

This is how you choose to publish the work you produce. You have a lot of options here, but each requires a different type of curation. Here is the list I use (in no particular order)

1. Website: Where I put the work that’s most likely to get me hired

2. Social: IG, Linkedin, Substack — Where I share stories and thoughts along with the work

3. Books, zines: Where the work is incredibly curated, like 0.5% of my work ends up here

4. Gallery shows: Even more curated than books; 0.01% ends up here

Each of these has a purpose, and there’s no doubt you can be highly successful doing only of these really well. I like to be present in all these ways because it keeps it refreshing and interesting. Every platform has its challenges and benefits.

My portfolio grid : alexstrohl.com

Seek Unique Inspiration

This is when it comes in handy to be curious. As photographers, we should seek inspiration in a lot of fields outside of photography. Obviously looking at photography books is very effective at informing our vision, but there are other places to look. The takeaway for me is to not look at Instagram for inspiration. I know it feels very effective; you can find anything so quickly on it, but if it ends up on your Explore page, it’s probably because it was highly derivative or entertaining. And neither of these are an ingredient for inspiration soup.

I’ve been going through this massive book called Art In Time: A World History of Styles and Movements, and it’s been so rewarding to learn more about the art movements I thought I knew enough about.

In the end, success as a commercial photographer isn't mysterious — it's methodical. Create work that moves you first, connect genuinely with others, share strategically across platforms, and feed your vision from diverse wells of inspiration. The photographers who thrive aren't necessarily the most technically skilled, but those who consistently execute these four fundamentals while maintaining their unique perspective.

Shot for Salomon Freeski, Switzerland

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Listening

A decade of curation narrowed down to this playlist - I’ve compiled my 500 favorite songs for your listening pleasure. Email me the ones I’ve missed!

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Watching

Early morning in Stokksnes, Iceland — Chris Burkard

This is one of my favorites from Chris. The soft hues combined with the fresh snow on the peaks (Vestrahorn) make it irresistible. I also used to think it was fully staged — there was no way the horses would walk into the sea like that, so perfectly. But as it turns out, I was wrong, and this shot happened in front of Chris. 

Here’s the story from the horses mouth (no pun intended):

The story behind the photo is pretty simple... It was February on the southeast coast of Iceland & I had returned to try and photograph a wave that had always been lacking swell during my summer trips. Winter seemed like the best option. We parked, hike up over the frozen dunes and made our way toward the beach. The surf was high & the sound of the sea was a continuous roar. We finally got a view of the beach and just at the high tide line two Icelandic horses were making their way in unison toward the surf. I fumbled to grab my small camera out of my jacket and take a photo. They marched toward the water. Stopped and turned around for home. The moment happened so fast.. no time to adjust settings or do “another take” the moment was there and gone. Yelling over the sound of the waves was impossible. I later learned they were the landowner Omar’s horses and I made a big print for his house.
This photo has always been a good lesson that when I’m working I never leave without the camera, and more importantly it should be preset & ready to actually take a photo, not tucked away in a backpack in need of a settings adjustment.

Chris Burkard

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This newsletter is edited by Danny Smith

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