There are a lot of things I don’t usually talk about when it comes to my photography journey—and most of them revolve around me. For years, I avoided calling myself a professional photographer. Saying it out loud made it feel too real, and honestly, it scared me.
Even though I was earning money, traveling for shoots, and working with clients across the map—everyone else saw me as a professional. But I couldn’t quite bring myself to claim it.
Then one day, I just said it.
And guess what? Nothing bad happened. Nothing exploded. The only thing that changed was my mindset. Because the truth is, I had been a professional photographer for a long time—I was just afraid to own it.
My first recognized image awarded an Honorable Mention in the 2016 International Photography Awards.
More recently, someone pointed out something I hadn’t even considered:
Not only am I a professional photographer...
I’m an award-winning photographer.
One of my favorite ways to push myself and assess my work is by entering photography competitions. But I don’t go for small, local ones—I enter global photography contests. The kind where tens of thousands of images are submitted from around the world.
Every year, I invest a few hundred dollars submitting work to these competitions. I’ve never taken home a grand prize, but I’ve earned multiple honorable mentions—and for the longest time, I didn’t think of those as awards.
But here’s the thing: they are.
My images were recognized out of 10,000… 20,000… sometimes even more. That is an achievement. And the competitions themselves list those honorable mentions under the category of awards. The only thing that hadn’t caught up yet? My mindset.
So today, I’m saying it clearly—and with pride:
I’m not just a professional photographer. I’m an award-winning photographer.
And if you're on your own creative journey, doubting whether you’ve “earned” a title yet—take a moment to reflect. You might already be further along than you think.