You’ve trekked far and weathered intense weather to reach the mountain peak. You wipe the sweat from your brow. The wise commercial photographer sage Chase Jarvis awaits your arrival.

Trembling, you ask the question you’ve traveled long to ask: “Oh wise sage Jarvis, what is the secret to success in photography?”

Sage Jarvis: <pausing> “My dear student, why it’s simple.”

Humbled photo student: “tell me, tell me!”

Sage Jarvis: “Be undeniably good.”

Humbled photo student: ……….

Sage Jarvis: “And if you can’t intuit how to be undeniably good, then start by dedicating 10,000 hours to it. That will get you where you want to be.”

It sounds like the ending of a movie where the bad guys win, but it’s undeniably true as Chase points out in his secret to success blog post.

“What’s fun about photography, of course, is that anyone can pick up a camera these days and make great pictures, straight outta the gate. No brainer, really accessible, relatively little effort, nice pictures. I love that about photography - it’s why everyone has a camera these days. The technology is really wonderful.

But, if you want to “make it”, whatever that means, I think you need to start by being undeniably good. And if you can’t intuit how to be undeniably good, then start by dedicating 10,000 hours to it. That will get you where you want to be.” - Chase

It sounds painful, but as I reflect upon just under 10 years of experience as a professional photojournalist, I realize that I have dedicated thousands and thousands of hours doing everything from educating myself to shooting, editing, shooting some more, and learning from my mistakes. By practicing every day and examining realistic goals, I’ve excelled. However, I’m just warming up. The best, by far, is yet to come. And not only does it give me the confidence to head out on assignment every day and try the best (and possibly fail), but also I’ve learned both the real and perceived value of my work as a photographer – and that, any wise sage will say, is a fundamental lesson for the longevity of our profession.