There is nothing more important for any artist in any medium than finding your voice. It is the thing that sets you apart as an individual and speaks in a way that only you can. This doesn’t happen overnight and it takes work, risk, experimentation and commitment. It takes doing it, learning and doing it again. This can take years. It should take years. Be willing to invest them. Ask yourself how long are you in for before you start to see a return. If it’s under ten years then keep photography as a hobby. Though break out careers happen at early ages, they are not the norm and in fact can be handicapping later if you haven’t built a solid foundation. Don’t be in a rush. As Robert Bly said, “Don’t show the gold too early.” Artists like attention, but don’t be so hungry for it that you show work that isn’t ready. Avoid trends and clichés or you’re doomed to imitation. The difficulty of a lot of the photo and art sites is that you are surrounded by work where everyone is trying to look like the most popular artists. There is a very prevalent aesthetic now where everything is highly photoshopped and artificial looking. Imitation at the beginning is one thing and can almost be expected, but move quickly past it. There is a contemporary of mine whose whole aesthetic is looking like Joel-Peter Witkin. So here he is now mid-career and even though his work is well executed…he’s now simply a copy cat.   Master your medium. If you are letting your camera make your choices then you aren’t doing your job. I am amazed at how many people call themselves photographers and still have no idea how to control even the basics of their equipment like shutter speed and aperture, let alone be able to use a meter to measure their light. I love digital but it is creating a culture of laziness. If you don’t master the basics, let alone the more complicated nuances and techniques, that lack of knowledge will someday fail you when you need it the most. I’ve seen it happen. Learn how to shoot film and learn how to print in a darkroom. It doesn’t matter if you plan on shooting digital the rest of your life, you will learn things that will only make you a better shooter. You will also discover a voice that is lost in digital. Trust me on this. Finally, shoot what you love, not what you think people want to see. It will show. You can see more of Kevin Rolly's work at kevissimo.com

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