People use the term best photographer rather liberally in the photography industry. We love to ask who is the greatest of all time, and the topic is hotly debated both in person and online. I get why such titles are given and why such questions are asked; it’s partly human nature and also much to do with a society that favors hierarchy and status. If, however, we’re being totally honest, there’s no such thing as the best photographer.

The inspiration for this article came from two sources. First, a thought I’ve held in my mind for quite some time. Secondly, Twitter’s algorithm.

After roughly 10 years of being part of the photo industry in one way or another, I’ve watched the community debate about who’s the best, who are the masters, and why popular photographers aren’t as good as people say.

In regards to Twitter, the wonderfully weird algorithm spent a week or so pushing tweets where the photographer would actively say something to the tune of “I’m the best photographer on the planet.”

Confidence vs. Ego

While I love confidence, there’s something about claiming to be the best that doesn’t suit the photography community. Sure, it’s my vision of what the photo community should be. However, I’ve always felt the foundations of photography and the arts are built on an inclusive and supportive ideology.

Once you start separating yourself from others and self-proclaiming yourself as the best photographer, you begin to go against an inclusive mindset and instead create something built on hierarchy, elevating yourself and putting others down. Again, that doesn’t sit well with me when I think about what this community is supposed to be.

There’s a fine line between being confident and allowing your ego to run wild. And when you start to compare yourself to others—either viewing yourself positively or negatively in comparison—your ego is starting to take control. Ego does not serve you, nor does it serve the community in which you exist within.

The Best Photographers…

On various parts of the internet, you’ll see articles, tweets, and posts rounding up the best photographers. The best landscape photographers, the best portrait photographers, the best photographers who aren’t even born yet. I jest, but there’s no denying the internet is flooded with “the best” in x and y.

When you think about it, what does the best even mean? Some photographers are incredible documenters but limited in terms of creativity, and vice versa. The reality is the process of creating photographs is so nuanced it is impossible to label someone or a group of people as the best, it’s almost pointless.

Sure it gives photographers a confidence boost, that’s a good thing. Although it can also send a message to photographers that don’t make these lists that they need to create photographs in a similar fashion to those that do. That’s not a good thing.

Of course, many of these “best photographers” round-ups (I’ve written many throughout my career) are based on opinion. I accept that opinions are fun and such conversations pass the time. However, I think they’re taken too seriously and seen more as facts, rather than opinions people should take with a pinch of salt.

The only real metric we have that has some factual value is “most popular photographer.” We can measure this through social media, whether it be through the number of followers a photographer has or the amount of traffic they can generate on a website. Still, while popularity suggests the photographer is highly skilled, it doesn’t mean they’re the best.

Think of it this way. Being able to impact one other person through your photography makes you a good photographer. Go beyond that, if you have 20,000 people that love your work, the photographer with 100,000 people loving their work isn’t better, they’ve just found a way to appeal to a wider audience.

When to say the Best Photographer…

The only time we should use the term “the best” is when we’re comparing ourselves to ourselves. Ask yourself, “am I the best photographer I can be?” If the answer is no, then you need to experiment more, practice more, and push yourself harder.

Personally speaking, I didn’t truly begin to love photography as much as I do now until I stopped comparing myself to others. It took a few years, but once I realized how much energy I was wasting trying to be as good (or better) than those around me, I developed free-flowing blissful energy within my photographic practice.

Let’s stop trying to be the best of the rest, and instead focus on being the best photographer we can be. I feel all of us will have a deeper love for the practice, and the photo community will be in a much healthier place.

Do you disagree with my opinion that there’s no such thing as the best photographer? Am I being too utopian in believing we should only support each other and not elevate ourselves above our fellow photographers? Let me know in the comment section. Thanks for reading.

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