Meet Rebecca Hester

We recently connected with Rebecca Hester and have shared our conversation below.

Rebecca, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

In my experience, imposter syndrome rears its head at least once every few weeks. I am constantly bombarded with thoughts of not being good enough, that no client is going to want to work with me, and that my hours of hard work into making memories for people is not worth time or money. It is a very depressing and negative state of mind that not only impacts my quality of work, but my desire to even continue being a photographer.

With today’s immediate access to social media, while it can be great for getting involved in a community of like-minded creators and showing off your work, it absolutely does not help imposter syndrome. There are so many talented photographers in the world and the endless scroll through Instagram can be obliterating to your already low mental state. Thoughts like “Man, look at that picture.. I will never be as good as this person” or “Wow look at how many clients this photographer has, they were able to quit their main job and do photography full time! That will never be me” are extremely common. There have even been points where I will pull up my computer and make side-by-side comparisons of my work to other people’s work and point out every flaw in mine, convincing myself that my images are completely garbage.

All of this said, there are tools that I use to prevent spiraling into the void that is imposter syndrome and tools that I use to dig myself out of it.

1. Turn off social media, go for a walk, and listen to music. I cut the thread that is tying me to my socials, do something to distract my mind, and move my body. Music is an escape for me and lets my mind transport to inner worlds of my making. Once I “come back to Earth” if you will, I am able to think about things much more subjectively. I often come back with brand new ideas and inspirations.

2. Positive affirmations. It sounds silly, but they work! Looking in the mirror at myself and saying “I am good enough”, “I am a great photographer”, “I am good at my craft”, “Clients love my work”, and “My services are worth paying for” really help push out the negative narratives in my head. Sometimes I will even do this while editing galleries – I see the difference in my work.

3. Reminding myself that every photographer on this planet struggles with imposter syndrome. As a matter of fact, anyone in any profession has had to deal with imposter syndrome. Those creators that I am comparing myself to? They are probably comparing their work to someone else and are having the exact same thoughts I am having about them. It is a part of being human and wanting to be a better version of themselves.

4. Looking at the proof that my business is growing. It is early 2025 and I am already booking clients for 2026. I am having to work around schedules to meet the needs of my clients for portrait sessions. Is this the status of a terrible photographer? I don’t think so. If I am booking and clients are happy with their images, then I am a good photographer!

It takes work to deal with imposter syndrome and “overcoming” it in my opinion, is about catching it early on before it festers and identifying your triggers to prevent it from getting out of control. Its almost like dealing with it like an allergic reaction! How funny!

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?

Photography, honestly, came out of left field for me. I obtained my undergraduate degree in Chemistry and went into the workforce as a chemist, moving up the ladder into Quality Assurance management for a contract pharmaceutical testing company. I love chemistry and the sciences, it satisfies my analytical mind and logical processes. It gives me a greater appreciation for innovation and the great scientists whose discoveries have shaped the world we live into day.

Before I was introduced to a camera by my future father-in-law in college, I had no inkling of an interest in photography. My attention was on learning gas density and planets! It wasn’t until one day I saw him taking pictures of birds with this ridiculously long, camouflaged lens in his back yard that it had me asking what on Earth was he doing? He soon then began describing how lenses and cameras work – that captured my attention! Light refraction and interaction with glass, how lenses are molded into focal lengths, how camera sensors convert light into electrical signals.. holy physics!

To make the story short, after that day I purchased my first DSLR and kit lens combo to see what this photography stuff was all about. Now, here I am 13 years later with a growing photography business! Photography has given me a way to merge my analytical mind with a creative mind that I didn’t even know I had.

Today, my focus is on using my knowledge to create beautiful images for people to keep for a lifetime. My services include weddings, engagements, maternity, newborn, and family portraits. You will also occasionally see some flower pictures on my Instagram if I am testing out some new gear or to prevent burnout. I chose to offer these services for a very specific reason, and that is because knowing that at some point in our lives, all we will have of a loved one is their picture. I regret not taking more pictures growing up, because memories do eventually fade. But a picture in a frame, will last for a lifetime. I want to be the one to capture these pictures for people. I also cherish the relationships I have made with clients a long the way. One day I am taking their engagement portraits and the next I am taking newborn photos in their home! I love being able to follow my families in different chapters of their lives.

The future for me is to keep growing my business to the point where I can offer these services full time. My husband is also a very talented videographer, so there are plans to merge our talents into a one-stop shop photo/video service!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1. Having a passion for learning. As a photographer, you never stop learning and I’m not just talking about new technologies. I am talking about the fundamentals of creating great imagery. This goes beyond having good gear, which I feel that a lot of new photographers get stuck on. I did my research and gathered my data. I went into the field and did experiments. I developed hypotheses and put them to the test to see if they were proven correct or incorrect. If I did something wrong, I learned and adjusted. I read books and watched endless hours of educational videos. Being open and passionate learning new things, keeps doors open and ensures constant improvement.

2. Getting outside of your comfort zone. Everyone who has met me will tell you that I am VERY introverted and can be socially awkward. Communicating with people is my biggest struggle. I don’t naturally connect with people and I tend to get stuck in my own head. The only way I have been able to progress in this area is simply by throwing myself in the fire. And no one else can do this for you; you have to be willing to make yourself uncomfortable. I still have social anxiety before meeting new clients or instructing large groups of people, but through lots of practice over the years I am able to tackle this insecurity and still take great images.

3. Be open to criticism. This was a tough pill to swallow for me, especially with the struggle with imposter syndrome. You have to have a balance between being willing to hear what other people have to say about your work and having pride in your product. If you are seeking advice from credited and knowledgeable people about how to improve, be open minded and see things from their point of view. It isn’t personal! Great photographers lift up other photographers.

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?

I believe that it is better to focus on the improvement of your weaknesses. If you focus on improving your weaknesses, your strengths will follow in tandem. It is a mutualistic symbiotic relationship.

For example. I would say that my biggest strength in photography is my ability to take a sharp, properly exposed, and well composed portrait. I can make my client look great in a photo. I know all the rules for creating a good picture. My weakness? Telling the story. Making the viewer FEEL something when they look at the image. What is it about my subject that I am trying to communicate to the viewer? Is it their humor? Is it their struggles? Is it the celebration and wonder of new life? Is it the love of a family? There is so much more to an image than taking a pretty picture.

So, in an effort to tackle this weakness I have invested myself into mastering film photography. With film, you are forced to slow down and think really hard about your image before you take it. You only have a limited number of images you can take, and you can’t see what it looks like till you send it off to the lab to get developed. At that point, the moment has passed and you have no idea if what you captured is even worth keeping. This FORCES me to make sure that the image I am capturing is translating the story. This addresses my weaknesses. What about my strengths? Well it has made them even stronger! It is so much more difficult to obtain a properly exposed and sharp image with film, so when I jump back to my main camera it is almost like I am shedding the weights to fight at my maximum strength. (Picture Goku taking off his weighted clothes in Dragon Ball to fight.. or Rock Lee taking off his weights to fight Gara! Is my nerd showing too much?)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rebeccahesterphotography.mypixieset.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/rebeccahesterphoto
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/rebeccahesterphoto

Image Credits

Rebecca Hester Photography