7 Habits of Exceptional Photographers

Summary

Photographer Justin Mott outlines seven habits that help photographers become trusted creative professionals—not just make good images. He emphasizes that these habits develop through practice and experience.

Seven habits

1. Keep shooting outside paid work. Treat personal projects as a laboratory for testing ideas, learning techniques, making mistakes, and finding new ways to tell stories. Start locally if a large project isn’t feasible. Mott’s project on the last two northern white rhinos gave his work renewed purpose and influenced his commercial photography.

2. Prepare thoroughly. Research subjects and locations, and plan for problems before they happen. For assignments, have backup plans—A, B, and C—for issues such as bad weather or lost access.

3. Take considered creative risks. If you believe in an idea, develop it and explain its value to the client. Mott describes proposing a demanding pre-dawn concept for a first shoot with a client; the resulting image helped build a six-year relationship.

4. Communicate clearly. Discuss style, wardrobe, schedules, process, contracts, and expected results before a shoot. During it, keep subjects involved and explain what is working. When a hotel shoot in Vanuatu ran into a casting problem, Mott’s team helped find replacement models rather than simply blaming the client.

5. Build a strong team. Recognize your limitations and hire or collaborate with people whose skills complement yours—such as retouchers, producers, and technically skilled assistants. Delegating lets the photographer focus more on creative decisions.

6. Stay open to other people’s ideas. A model, client, or crew member may see a fresh possibility when the photographer feels stuck. In the Maldives, a model suggested running from a boat onto a sandbar; later, Mott adapted the idea into a playful scene around a chair. The client used the image in a global campaign, and it continued to generate income during COVID.

7. Work professionally and ethically. Be punctual, prepared, kind, and calm under pressure. In Indonesia, Mott refused to stage a scene for a journalism assignment because it would have misrepresented reality. A writer later learned about his decision, which helped lead to further commissions.

Mott’s overall advice is to shoot regularly, prepare, take creative chances, communicate, listen, work with capable people, and treat others well. He also encourages photographers to treat themselves kindly while they learn.

Creators and contributors featured

• Justin Mott — photographer, speaker, and owner of a production company in Vietnam.
• Unnamed collaborators mentioned: a New York Times writer, a fixer in Indonesia, models including the Maldives model, assistants, producers, retouchers, local and corporate client teams, and other crew members.