As I was having a drink with a friend recently, our conversation turned to my photography. My friend asked me what would be the one skill that every photographer should have to be successful. As we talked about all the various skills that one may need, I remembered a conversation from years ago where another associate said that he succeeded because he always finished his work.
As we talked more and more, I made finishing my answer. I think that too many times we give up our efforts without actually completing our work. That last five percent of effort makes all the difference in the world in our creativity. In looking back at my work, I realized that I failed to complete my work in a variety of areas. From putting away gear after a shoot or processing images to completion, there are a number of areas that would make a difference in my photograph if I just finished off the effort.
I would encourage you to spend some time this week and think about all the areas of your photography that don’t get done on a regular basis and figure out how that might be holding your work back. Or at least, making the task more difficult than it needs to be.