Stop Trying to Be Every Photographer: Why Your Best Work Begins When You Trust Yourself

There are very few photographers whose work has genuinely shifted the direction of an entire industry. Gabe McClintock is one of them.

Long before adventure elopements became a category of their own, Gabe was photographing couples in Iceland, climbing mountains, standing beneath waterfalls, and creating images that looked unlike anything most wedding photographers had ever seen. It's easy to assume that his success came from extraordinary locations or dramatic landscapes, but after listening to our conversation, I don't think that's true at all.

What stood out wasn't the waterfalls or the volcanoes.

It was how incredibly grounded he is in his own creative process.

Throughout the interview, Gabe kept returning to the same idea in different ways. He isn't trying to create photographs that everyone will love. He's trying to create photographs that feel honest to him. That level of conviction is rare, and I think it's something every photographer could benefit from developing.

1. Stop chasing every trend and start listening to your own instincts.

One of the most surprising moments in our conversation came when Gabe admitted that he doesn't spend his time consuming endless photography content. In fact, he intentionally limits how many photographers he follows because he knows how easy it is for someone else's work to slowly influence his own.

That really made me stop and think.

Most photographers wake up every morning and immediately scroll through Instagram. They see one photographer creating dramatic off-camera flash portraits, another posting documentary moments, another leaning into editorial posing, and someone else sharing luxury wedding content. Before they've even picked up their camera, they've absorbed dozens of different opinions about what photography should look like.

Then they wonder why their own work feels inconsistent. Gabe believes that much of the confusion photographers experience today isn't because they lack talent. It's because they're trying to become a little bit of everyone instead of becoming more of themselves. His advice was surprisingly simple….

Reduce the noise.

Stop looking sideways long enough to figure out what genuinely excites you. That doesn't happen overnight, but it also can't happen if you're constantly replacing your own instincts with someone else's.

2. Build work that reflects your perspective, not the algorithm.

One of the themes that kept resurfacing throughout the interview was Gabe's willingness to create photographs that break traditional photography rules.

He openly acknowledged that many of his images would lose points in photography competitions. Hair blows across faces. Couples aren't perfectly posed. Frames aren't always technically perfect. Instead of seeing those things as flaws, he sees them as part of the story.

That perspective is incredibly refreshing in an industry that often prioritizes perfection over emotion. It's easy to create photographs that impress other photographers. It's much harder to create photographs that make someone feel something.

Gabe's work has always leaned toward emotion first and technical perfection second. The result is a portfolio that feels timeless because it isn't built around trends. It's built around human connection.

As photographers, I think we often need that reminder.

• Technical skill matters.

• Composition matters.

• Light matters.

But none of those things matter more than making someone feel something when they look at an image.

3. Growth begins when you choose discomfort.

If you've followed Gabe's work for any length of time, you'll know he's photographed couples in some extraordinary places.

• Active volcanoes.

• Waterfalls.

• Deserts in extreme heat.

• Mountain peaks.

Listening to those stories, it's tempting to believe he's simply chasing incredible locations. I don't think that's what he's actually chasing. He's chasing uncertainty.

He talked about how creatively alive he feels when he's working in an environment where there isn't an obvious solution. When the weather changes unexpectedly, when the light isn't cooperating, or when the location forces him to think differently, his creativity comes alive.

That challenged me because most of us spend our careers trying to remove uncertainty from our workflow.

We want predictable timelines.

Predictable lighting.

Predictable poses.

Predictable outcomes.

Gabe has intentionally built a career around the exact opposite and believes friction sharpens creativity.

The harder the situation becomes, the more focused he becomes. While not every photographer needs to climb volcanoes to create meaningful work, I do think there's something valuable about intentionally placing yourself in situations where you're forced to solve new creative problems. Growth rarely happens inside your comfort zone.

4. Your clients don't need a perfect photographer. They need a confident one.

One of the questions we asked Gabe was how he gets couples to trust him enough to follow him into situations that, on the surface, sound completely unreasonable. After all, not many photographers are asking their clients to hike for hours, stand beneath a freezing waterfall, or climb toward an active volcano for portraits. Most of us would assume the answer would be an immediate "no."

Gabe's response completely shifted the way I think about trust. He explained that by the time a couple hires him, the trust has already been built. They've spent hours looking through his work, following his adventures, and seeing the kinds of experiences he creates. They aren't agreeing to hike because he convinced them with the perfect sales pitch. They're agreeing because they've already bought into his vision. They know exactly what they're signing up for because he's spent years consistently showing the world what he creates.

I think that's a lesson every photographer can apply, whether you're shooting in Iceland or your hometown. So many of us spend our consultations trying to convince clients to trust us, when in reality that trust should begin long before they ever inquire. Your website, your portfolio, your social media, and the stories you tell are all quietly setting expectations for the experience you provide. When your work consistently reflects your vision, the right clients don't question your process. They already understand where you're taking them, and they're excited to follow.

5. Your voice becomes clearer when you stop trying to impress other photographers.

Toward the end of our conversation, Gabe shared what I thought was the most practical piece of advice from the entire episode, and it had nothing to do with camera settings, composition, or adventure photography. It was simply this: stop following so many photographers.

At first, I'll admit, it sounded almost too simple. We live in an industry that constantly tells us to consume more. More tutorials. More reels. More workshops. More presets. More inspiration. But as Gabe unpacked his reasoning, it made perfect sense. Every preset we purchase, every photographer we study, every editing trend we save, and every posing guide we bookmark subtly shapes the way we see our own work. None of those things are inherently bad, but when we're constantly filling our minds with other people's ideas, it becomes incredibly difficult to recognize our own.

Over time, many photographers unknowingly build portfolios that are made up of borrowed inspiration rather than personal conviction. One gallery looks like the photographer they followed last month, while the next reflects the newest editing trend or posing style that's making its way around Instagram. Before long, it becomes difficult to answer a simple question: What do I actually love?

That doesn't mean we should stop learning from other artists or isolate ourselves from education. There's tremendous value in studying great work and understanding why certain images resonate with us. But there comes a point where growth requires us to put the phone down, pick up the camera, and create without constantly wondering how someone else would have photographed the scene.

I think this is where so many photographers get stuck. They're waiting until they're more experienced, more talented, or more established before trusting their own instincts. The truth is, trusting your instincts is often the very thing that helps you become the photographer you're trying to be. Your creative voice isn't something you eventually stumble across. It's something you develop every time you choose to create work that feels honest to you instead of chasing what everyone else is doing.

6. Success isn't about becoming bigger. It's about becoming more honest.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the interview was Gabe himself.

For someone whose work has influenced thousands of photographers around the world, he was remarkably humble. He repeatedly questioned his own creativity, admitted his insecurities, and openly talked about impostor syndrome.

Ironically, I think that's exactly what has allowed him to continue growing. He isn't trying to protect an image of himself. He's simply trying to keep making photographs that feel true to who he is. That honesty is refreshing.

In an industry where everyone seems to be chasing more followers, more recognition, and bigger opportunities, Gabe reminded me that the goal isn't necessarily to become bigger. The goal is to become clearer. Clearer about what inspires you. Clearer about the experience you want to create. Clearer about the kind of photographer you actually want to become.

Final Thoughts

Listening back to this conversation, I don't think Gabe's greatest lesson has anything to do with waterfalls, Iceland, or adventure photography.

His greatest lesson is conviction. He built a career because he stopped trying to photograph like everyone else while embracing uncertainty. He trusted his instincts and created work that reflected his own perspective instead of the industry's expectations.

I think that's something every photographer needs to hear right now.

Listen to the full podcast episode HERE and we would love to have you join us over in PhotoCo