Untitled (snowstorm) by Meg Wachter

Last night I once again dealt with the pangs of regret for not having my camera on hand at all moments. I am simply not that photographer. The thought of venturing out with my camera into the unknown is something that, I will unfortunately admit, drowns me in anxiety. There are those of us who shoot incessantly, amassing quantities of imagery that boggle the mind, there are those of us who produce one, two if we're lucky, images a year, and then there are those of us remaining, scattered somewhere in between. As if it was this easy.

Beyond-fantastic photographer, Brian Ulrich, passed along some excellent advice that he got from photographer Saul Leiter this week on his blog: "If you can make one really good picture a year, I mean really good, then in 10 years you'll have 10 really amazing pictures."

Deciding how to work or at least recognizing one's own ways is a frustratingly difficult task. Like all mediums, photography offers us endless and diverse possibilities. As I watch the aspiring Hot Shots' work come in, it never ceases to amaze me how many images can be taken of essentially identical subjects, yet often remain remarkably new. Just last week my advisor, art critic Dominique Nahas, enforced upon me that as long as 3-5% of what you do is unique then you're well on your way to success. An encouraging percentage, but since then that 3-5% has been bearing on my soul like no other...

Aspiring Hot Shot Meg Wachter's Untitled (snowstorm) motivates me to change my ways. She so susinctly says, "I am inspired by the unusual, the humorous, and the bold."

Let the the approaching one week mark motivate you. Enter today!