We recently connected with Samuel Hewitt and have shared our conversation below.
Samuel, thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?
I believe that when facing challenges, it is vital that we keep an open mind to understand that some risks are necessary and, depending on the attitude we adopt towards them, we will learn great lessons that will take us many steps forward.
As Hellen Keller said “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure”
I would like to share some insights that have served me well in the small but not so small “risks” I took in my life that have gotten a long way down the road and continue to take me further.
-Risks can be calculated. By knowing the worst case scenario and its consequences, we realize that even great hardship can be acceptable.
-Taking risks demonstrates self confidence. We learn to make decisions quickly and effectively in complex situations.
-Lack of risk blocks innovation. Risks can lead to creativity and can help us learn new things all of the time.
-Get out of the comfort zone. When you step out of your comfort zone, you can develop great skills that enrich and broaden your horizons.
While we cannot foresee the outcomes when it comes to making decisions and facing certain risks in our lives, working on clear goals and defining our focus I believe can turn our “risks” into great teachers. I hope this information can be useful to someone as it was to me.
Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Embrace the unknown.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
At the start (like most people) I had no idea what to photograph. All the typical cliches; birds, flowers, insects, abandoned buildings, etc. As time went on, I realized more and more that I had a natural ability to frame photos before taking them.
I was always fascinated with nature- landscapes and night sky since my childhood, so photography was an obvious way to capture these moments. I would use those disposable cameras you would take to the pharmacy to get developed.
Growing up in foster care I spent a lot of time in my head and with myself. I was able to use the loneliness and pain I experienced to develop my artistic abilities. Transmuting that pain into beautiful story telling. I was able to push myself to the very limits of my creativity, abilities, and personal work ethic.
I started shooting the hustle and bustle of life in downtown Los Angeles on my iPhone and started to see the beauty in these seemingly mundane photographs freezing candid moments in time forever. Photographs drive communication. Never have photographs been more key in selling, communicating, teaching, exploring, and sharing the stories of the world. And the world has changed. Seriously hard work. Some days you will wonder why the heck you bother. Everyone carries a camera these days, everyone thinks they are a photographer. But then you have days where you produce something that you look at and immediately know you produced something beautiful that tells a story. That, that makes everything worth it.
After some time I saved up enough money to buy myself a Nikon D5200 and my photos just started to get better and better. I became intentional about the work I was producing. The subjects I was framing. Photography is easy to learn, and impossible to master. There are so many variables that even the best photographers wish that they had more time to learn.
I quickly learned my two favorite photography styles are street photography and aerial photography.
To me, street photography is a way of life. It’s embracing chaos, the random, unplanned, unpredictable, and making something beautiful out of it. I get an insane amount of joy to just walk around in the world. Who knows, perhaps my passion of talking to strangers, walking, thinking, and philosophizing is actually deeper than my passion for making photos.
I realized that all of us as photographers are also philosophers. Why? We all make photos for different reasons. For example Gilles Peress said,
“I don’t care so much anymore about ‘good photography’; I am gathering evidence for history”
Peress is a visual historian, who makes visual poetry with his photos; and he also makes a strong social statement.
Of course, there is no ultimate reason why you should make photos. You must dictate your own purpose as a photographer, and it is beneficial to understand why you make photos.
Over the years I’ve fallen in love with wildlife photography, travel and social justice photography. National Geographic photographers are some of the best in the world. Some of the most iconic and moving images in history were taken by national geographic photographers. These photographers have captured everything from natural disasters to intimate portraits, providing a window into the lives of people and cultures around the world. It’s always inspired me to take greater risks to tell a story that otherwise would never be told.
What really got me to this point was my discernment and my ability to be able to see the world in a unique and creative way and transmute my pain in a way that allowed me to develop a soft spot and passion for telling stories about the human experience.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
You have to become tuned into details and be curious about your surroundings.
“Observation is a skill we can all learn and it’s an essential skill for street photography” Over time, you develop your powers of observation, and as you do, your photos become more and more interesting. More compelling.
Simply slowing down and being interested in the details of life around you to make better photos.
Make yourself totally familiar with one lens. Understand what that lens ‘sees’ and how it describes the world. This will make you a more instinctive and intuitive street photographer
Avoid eye contact. Not only do you not need to most of the time, avoiding eye contact can make things easier and more comfortable if you’re the nervous or reticent street photographer. Feeling comfortable in your own skin as a street photographer is key. In fact, it will make the people around you more comfortable with your presence.
Practice practice practice
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
I am an introvert but things like photography interested me and turned me into an excellent person who can play both intovert/extrovert roles now. I was attracted to doing something that would put me outside of my comfort zone. I am not a natural extrovert by any means now, but photography helped me build my confidence and learn how to be an excellent salesman/talker/whatever came my way.
I have to tell you first bit of great advice is to not worry about what other people are going to think about you. Find your style and what you like and just make art! Let them worry about you. It seems competitive but that’s in your mind. People do and will judge you and sometimes talk. You have to keep pushing forward. Just keep learning, growing, and loving. Photography is a gift. I am not the best in the world! But am I proud of my work? Yes. Other people’s expectations don’t matter. Just shoot.
It doesn’t matter what your purpose and vision is. Just shoot.
Clout and popularity don’t matter. Just shoot.
What other people are doing doesn’t matter. Just shoot.
As cliche as it sounds, it’s about the process. People who enjoy the process tend to keep taking photos. The more photos you take, the better you get.
Conversely, the more you get in your head, the less you shoot. That means you end up being worse than those other people who aren’t overthinking things.
So seriously, just shoot. That’s the only way to get anywhere. And if you’re struggling with motivation just take a walk and see if anything sparks your interest and creativity.
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