Competition?

There’s always enough to go around…for the good guys.

I was shooting sports photography one night in Cincinnati at local high school football game and I noticed that there were probably 7 other photographers hanging around the football field. Well, let me clarify, three of us were photographers and 4 were camera operators.

The question from one of the other photographers who I am on friendly terms with, commented, “Looks like we got some competition tonight!”

I looked him in the eye and replied, “Not really. Look who is out here. Now look at their gear.” I pointed out to him that only one other guy even had a mono pod. Three guys had kit lenses that had maximum apertures or 4.5 wide open and only one guy actually had a professional grade camera, a Nikon D2x.

Now at the risk of sounding arrogant, I kept my mouth shut about my next thoughts which were, I have no competition because I’m the best out here and at the end of the night, no one will get the shots that I do. More times than not, that is the case.

Keep in mind that I am not talking about going up against the same guys that shoot for the Cincinnati Reds or the NFL Photographers that cover teams like the Cincinnati Bengals. I’m talking about the guys like myself...that dream of doing that!

Which is basically true in most cases. Every now and then I am just not on top of my game. But if you’re going to succeed at what you do, you have to believe that you are the best and not feel threatened by every one that enters your playing field.

I’m a photographer first and a sports photographer second. I have the ability to see a picture where no one else sees it. I am also a networker and a marketer. I have learned through my years building and running a successful Amway business as a Founders Emerald, how to build relationships and relate to all types of personalities. Actually, everything I have learned about people skills, relationships, marketing and business philosophy has been as a result of my nearly 20 years in Amway, or should I say my mentors and reading 2-3 books a month for the past 18 years.

Learning to create you own opportunities is a secret to any successful endeavor in life. I see lots of people show up on the fields that I am shooting at, but I have yet to feel threatened by other photographers. I know there will always be people that love my work and people that don’t. You can’t win the world and the fact is that there is enough to go around but not if you wait for it to come to you. You have to go out and grab it.

Good Cincinnati sports photography has lead to good Cincinnati portrait photography and Cincinnati event photography which has lead to more contacts, more money, better equipment and on and on.

Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295