Meet Caleb Estell

We were lucky to catch up with Caleb Estell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Caleb, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

I am a photographer. Compared to many others, I am a freshman – I haven’t been on the scene very long at all. However, when I interact with clients and other photographers, they remark that it seems I’ve been shooting for much longer. A large part of that can be attributed to my confidence in myself and my work.
One quote I started hearing over and over again in my 20s is “Confidence comes from competence.” The more I’ve mulled over that quote, the more apparent it’s become that this piece of wisdom has been true in my life. As a 14-year-old I lacked confidence in myself until I started developing skills and competencies that could be the foundation of confidence. In my case those were academics and athletics, but for others that was their strong relationships with their friends or their musical abilities.

Sure you can talk yourself into having high self-esteem, but that facade can’t last forever. When self-doubt or external lack of confidence come knocking, the fabricated confidence will come crashing down. Confidence and self-esteem that are built on competence and achievement can’t be so easily assailed by external or internal forces. This is a resilient confidence. This is how my confidence has developed.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

There’s a lot I’m excited about this year but my top 2 are my upcoming creative shoots in studio and traveling with my film camera.
Shoots in studio allow me to push the boundaries of lighting, themes, and posing which keeps all my other photography work fresh and exciting. If you’re a photographer and haven’t spent some time in the studio, you absolutely have to – you’ll learn more than you expect!
I have a few trips planned for the next few months and I’m super excited to bring my new point-and-shoot 35mm film camera along. I used to my whole kit of equipment but there’s something freeing about having just one camera in your pocket that unlocks a more beautiful way of experiencing travel.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

If you are just starting your journey you need to master relationships, business, and your skillset.
Almost every endeavor in life is built on relationships. A movie star won’t land a big role without his relationship with his agent. Knowing your neighbors makes living in your neighborhood more enjoyable. If you can master the art of strong relationships with those who will encourage you, you’ll be ready for success.
I’ve known many people who are extremely skilled creatives, but they struggle to find success in their field because they don’t have the business savvy required to make ends meet and to feed their passions. Even if business doesn’t interest you, put in the effort to learn the basics and that will keep your creative engine running.
Finally, your particular skillset must be mastered to propel you to success. The photographer must make good photos. The athlete must perform in his sport. The trumpet player must play in-tune. Master your skills and you’ll be sucessful.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

I like to keep things simple when things feel overwhelming. I’ll go for a short walk on the SRT, have a glass of water, and get to bed early in the evening!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://calebestellphoto.com
• Instagram: @calebestellphoto

Image Credits

All photos taken by Caleb Estell