Glenn McKimmin

Patience is the biggest mistake new photographers make. It requires years of hard work and research to build up enough experience to start selling photos and building a name in the industry. Patience can pay off eventually, but if you don't have the time or dedication then photography may not be the right craft for you.
 
Transcript: "So what is the biggest mistake? I think new photographer makes the number one thing. I would suggest any photographer is to be patient. I think patience is the big thing. I see a lot of it in the printing and framing company that I own as well that people come in and say they want to be photographers and don't understand the patient's required. And by that, I mean, I've been going for 17 years to build enough worker. I think it's good enough to sell. You don't go to locations and just get photos and started Gallery. It doesn't work that way. It takes years and years of commitment, hard work, research refining your craft, you know, sometimes working for other people for nothing, just to learn all that you can learn. And I think the biggest mistake people make is they get into this industry. And think that it's, it's a quick fix and you can make money quickly and I'm sure there are people who may be wedding portrait where that might be the case. But if you're trying to sell your art and you want to build a name then, the biggest thing I can say to you is just be patient. Just realize that maybe four, five, ten years, you'll mean, nothing. Make very little and then one day all that patients can pay off, but if you haven't taken the time to actually learn your craft and appreciate what it is and what it is, you actually want to do. Do is some clear goals then if you're not a patient person maybe not not the craft for you. As I say I've been gone 17 years and that's not long in the scheme of stuff. It's it's fairly short but it's only in the last sort of five years that I've been able to sort of do the things that I wanted to do and start doing projects that really excite me. So patients, that will be the number one."

Art is subjective, so don't worry about what other photographers think of your work. Instead, focus on creating quality work that people will be willing to pay for. That's the best judging you can get.
 
Transcript: "So this was a huge issue, I had when I first started photography and getting people looking at your work and particularly, when you had an exhibition. And I remember the very first one, I had some people came in and they will didn't, like what I was doing and Looking Back. Now, of work was pretty terrible. So, in my head, I thought I was doing really well, but in actual fact, it wasn't that great. The thing you have to do, and you have to always remember in photography in the art world, is that Art is subjective. That means people don't always like what you do. They're never going to like, what you do? Some people. And that's actually okay. So the biggest realization I have to make in my work and when you're putting on a, I've got an exhibition here of Lake are from Central Australia. For instance, people come in, and don't get it and don't like it because it's all abstract and Ariel. And, you know, me 15 years ago, I would have got pretty upset. I wouldn't have understood. Why? Because you put your heart and soul into But at the end of the day, not everyone's going to like what you do and particularly other photographers, don't worry about what other photographers think. Because who cares? They going to buy your work. They going to give you a job. No, they're not. So don't care about them. I wouldn't be worrying about any other photographers. I'd be, I'd be literally just worrying about what you can do in your Niche and making sure you do that really well, using good quality equipment and materials and you know, otherwise, You can get dragged into that mental health area, where you're feeling judged and you feeling like what other people think of your work somehow as a reflection on you and it simply isn't. So my suggestion would be to just its water off a duck's back to me. I don't care if people like my work or don't, it's not why I do it to have people like it. The end result for what I do is so someone comes into my gallery or visit my website and they will actually part with their hard-earned money and put one of my pictures On their wall. That's why I do this. You know? And that's that's the best judging I can get. So that's one bit of advice. I'd say just don't listen other photographers not everyone's going to like your work and that's all. Okay."

I'm from the Central Coast of New South Wales in Australia, an hour north of Sydney. I've been running a Gallery here for a few years and have traveled all over the world. It's a beautiful place to live with so many beaches and lots of inspiration. I have a 11 year old son and love calling it home.
 
Transcript: "So I am from the Central Coast of New South Wales in Australia. So just about an hour, north of Sydney and I've got this Gallery up here on the Central Coast that I've run for a few years now. It's my third one up here, but I've lived and traveled all over the world, grew up all up and down the East Coast of Australia. But it's a lovely place to live where we are right now in the Central Coast. So many beautiful beaches and A lot of inspiration. Coming back here when I've traveled away, and it's just a lovely place to live. Bring up my beautiful little fella. I got 11 year. Old son to. So Central Coast New South Wales. Australia is the place I call home."

My first mentor in photography was my uncle Ken Duncan, who is an OG in the landscape photography field. He taught me the ins and outs of being a photographer, from selling my work to understanding the business side of things. He has been and still is a great source of advice for me both professionally and personally.
 
Transcript: "So my mentor when I first started out in photography was actually, I was luckier than most as a photographer in Australia, who is probably the OG of Photography and it just happened to be my uncle as well which is Ken Duncan. So Ken traveled, the world Australia and everywhere else and really started that panoramic landscape style of photography. I was lucky to work for My Auntie and Uncle Pam and Ken in their business for for three and a half four years and and really understand what it takes to be a photographer in particular landscape photographers little bit different than weddings and portraits in that. Your your income is solely reliant on selling your work for people to put on their walls in a sense and books, and postcards, and jigsaws, and all those sorts of things. So, Yeah. Ken Duncan was my first mentor and still is really I mean I can ask him for any advice that he has on any jobs that I might be doing but also just in general in life is done so many things and he shaped my photography and a lot of who I am. Yeah, and he's a pretty amazing fella. So yeah, that was my first Mentor. The great Ken Duncan"

Good pictures are subjective and judged by the beholder, but composition is key. To judge an image, look for elements that work together in a way that guides viewers to where you want them to look.
 
Transcript: "How do I judge a good picture of Genoa anymore? Because I get really attached to some pictures I take and you know it's it gotta realize what the end result is for me. It's a commercial image. Everything that I really take meaning that I have to make something from it because it's what I do for my job so far. To attach the image, which I have been at times. And I think it's fantastic, that should be in the gallery. That doesn't always translate to sales and money in the bank. So, over the years I lean on people not my mother not my family because they'll always tell you, every picture is great, but I'll lean on people that might give me really good advice and and unbiased if you like, so sometimes I work with interior, Designers to see what sort of colors are trending but in terms of a good picture that's so subjective. I mean what is a good picture? It's like how long is a piece of string, a good picture is in the eyes of the beholder, really? And if someone comes in and sees it online or sees an image in physical of imprint, you know that's that's the best judge of a picture. How do I judge it? I really have given up. Doing that just sort of go through some stuff. I like I'll look for elements that work composition is such an important thing. And as if at all, refer once Peter East ways. Name is, who early on. In my career helped me a lot more than he probably knows, but he told me something that composition is universal. So I used to print stuff and turned upside down sideways. And, and sometimes it will always if you've composed Bose something really well no matter which way you hold it. It'll always guide people where you want it to for composition sound. So usually, that's the biggest biggest thing that I look for in an image and what makes it good is its composition is sound"

Kamchatka is an incredible place to visit for a photoshoot, with 70 volcanoes and huge Brown Bears walking right past you. It has only been open to the public for 30 years and is home to one of the biggest salmon spawns in the world.
 
Transcript: "So the most favorite trip I've been on for a photoshoot, probably a place called Kamchatka. It's, it's right off the east coast of Russia or very close to Siberia. I think it used to be equal so beer at one point in time but this place has something like 70 volcanoes. I think 20 30 of them are still active. You fly there in an MI a Troop Carrier right over these volcanoes My nose. And when you get to these the island in the middle, there's a little Lodge with a big electric fence around it and we stay there and photograph, these gigantic Bears and the Bears are. I think some of the biggest bears in the world, Brown bears, huge things and you can literally just stand there. They walk straight past you it's quite an incredible thing to see but that yeah. Kamchatka is probably the most dynamic incredible unearthly looking place that I've ever seen in my life. And yeah, I've been there three times now and get the opportunity to just be that close to these Bears, the volcanoes themselves. And some of them went off not long ago thing. 2017 one went off I mean, yeah, it's quite an incredible place. An old military base for the Russian military as well. So very interesting, only been open. I think in general public about 30 years so a lot of history there and just an incredible landscape. Incredible animals just to see them eating the sockeye salmon. And one of the biggest, salmon spawns in the world. But yeah, if you get the chance, I'd suggest Kamchatka, I can't wait to get back there. See ya."