P#25 Q1C: What Does It Take to Be an Aviation Photographer?

The Mantra

Joe McNally: Don't fail. That's the mantra of the aviation photographer -- the fervent prayer that you utter when you're about to take on a big job of, "Please don't let me screw this up."

The corollary to that of course is that you'd rather die than fail. You pursue things. One of the very often-overlooked qualities that is absolutely necessary for any aviation photographer to succeed at any level in this industry is tenacity.

People talk about visual ability, and some of the magazines wax eloquently about a certain vision and brilliance and all of that. I tend not to subscribe to too much of that. My whole career has been built around a hard head and a willingness to hear "No" a hundred times to get to the point where I hear "Yes".

Once you finally cross that threshold and get the opportunity to do what you need to do for a story, then you just prepare, and prepare, and prepare as best as you can so that you don't screw it up when you finally do get that golden opportunity.

In Conclusion

Being successful in aviation photography isn't just about equipment and skill. It's about something that comes from within as well. A good aviation photographer won't take no for an answer and will do whatever it takes to get that shot and make that golden opportunity happen.