Lately, I’ve noticed a trend of stories popping up about a lucky break from a friend, a relative, a previous connection, and those lucky breaks launching a career. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that (I am kind of jealous!), but I also notice how people keep asking for a story of how work and perseverance paid off instead. As a shy introvert with cheap gear, I thought my story might be something worth sharing with other Photography Life readers – I’ve relied entirely on my work to get where I am today.

I consider myself successful. I’m a concert photographer that’s shot my favorite musicians, multiple times, all with my own outlet I created back in high school (I’m a college sophomore now). If you consider cash to be how you measure success, I’m a failure. Shooting for my own outlet doesn’t pay for … anything. But in terms of being able to do what I love, I’m successful. As a former musician, and someone that lives and breaths music, this is success. I get to see rock stars up close, capturing the moments that makes them famous. It’s awesome.

I started with no connections and no idea of how to approach this venture. Being in a high school band in a small mountain town opened zero doors. So I relied heavily on Social Media and great pictures; social media to contact bands, and great pictures to prove myself and get contacts. As I mentioned, I’m a shy introvert, so I preferred to shoot and send over the images. That’s horrible networking, I know, but I just thought if I was good enough, it wouldn’t matter in the end. And it worked.

After my first show, I knew I wanted to pursue this. I had a Canon T2i and a nifty fifty lens, but I didn’t care. I started my own outlet, Bluestribute.net, to give me an excuse to shoot local bands. And I did all of this using online networking and good enough pictures (“good enough” compared to what I know I can take now). I did this for a while, always shooting a band 2-3 times before actually approaching them, telling them I was the guy taking those “cool, sick” photos. I was content hiding behind a computer: it was easy and I still got to go take pictures.

Doing any sort of networking this way makes it a slow process, and I knew that. But it was a comfortable way for me to do my business, and that’s what mattered. It did take a while of shooting local bands, multiple times, until I got local connections, but it was worth it. I got lots of practice in very harsh conditions, and I got lots of confidence in my abilities.

Now, I use my website to shoot and interview some of the biggest bands in rock and metal, from Papa Roach to Rob Zombie. I used only my portfolio to land a spot shooting concerts for my local radio stations, from Journey to Skrillex to Cage The Elephant. My website, and photography, didn’t grow because I shared it; in fact, it grew because other people shared it; other people impressed with the product it was delivering. As someone that prefers to do things quickly, cleanly, and anonymously, I knew my strength had to be in quality photos. At 19, I’ve been shooting for around a year or two, always using my trusty Canon T2i. I can’t boost my ISO to compensate for low lighting, my best lens is a worn Sigma 17-70, yet use this gear to capture all my work. And I love it.

If someone using an outdated camera and a hundred dollar lens could become successful based solely on their work, there’s no excuse to not try. Being a photographer that’s always willing to learn and improve will come with success eventually, one way or another.

P.S. Sharif previously wrote a great piece called “Which to Upgrade? Gear or Skill?“, which I highly recommend to read. It touches on the same topic and highlights the importance of developing your skill as a photographer, rather than concentrating on buying more gear.