Hi, I'm Ben aka Life Through Optics
Helping photographers & creatives pursue their passions and build businesses. Join over 33,000+ photographers and creatives receiving free value in their inbox every Wednesday.
the secret to unlocking endless opportunities as a photographer
Filling The Gaps Sharing my experiences, skills, self development hacks, and more to help you fill in any gaps. Hey Reader, Back again with another newsletter for you. I wanted to share a personal update with you. You may have noticed that I've been a little less active on social media lately. Recently my grandfather passed away in the UK, and because I'm in Australia I attended the funeral via livestream last week. That was brutal and has really knocked the wind out of me... Even more so...
What I’d do if I was starting over with photography today
Filling The Gaps Sharing my experiences, skills, self development hacks, and more to help you fill in any gaps. Hey Reader, I'm back again with another of my weekly newsletters after a little bit of a break. Expect a newsletter each week on Wednesdays from me and I'll do my best to make it the most value-packed thing in your inbox. For this one, I wanted to share how I would go about start my photography journey all over again from scratch today. If you’re trying to get into car photography...
The 3 Rules That Built My Creative Career From Scratch
Filling The Gaps Sharing my experiences, skills, self development hacks, and more to help you fill in any gaps. Hey Reader, Happy Wednesday! Every week I share something to help you grow as a photographer and creator. Today, I want to share three rules that built my creative career. But first for context, let's start with a story of my journey... In just 1 year and 7 months, I went from being stuck in a 9-5 I hated to becoming a full-time photographer and content creator. Three years ago, I...
Will Artificial Intelligence Destroy Photography?
Filling The Gaps Sharing my experiences, skills, self development hacks, and more to help you fill in any gaps. Hey Reader, Happy Wednesday 👋 One of the most common questions I get from people is, "If I start photography now, will I be able to make money in the future? Or is AI just going to replace me?". There’s growing concern about AI destroying creative industries right now. It's impossible to predict how everything will evolve, so I totally understand where this concern is coming from....
This is how you actually stand out as a photographer
Filling The Gaps Sharing my experiences, skills, self development hacks, and more to help you fill in any gaps. Hey Reader, Happy Wednesday 👋 If you’re new here, welcome to my weekly newsletter where I help photographers and creators grow their skills, confidence, and creative careers. This week’s topic is a big one: How do you make your work stand out in a sea of other creators? The answer isn’t better gear, fancier locations, or copying trending edits.It’s something deeper and more...
Losing momentum? Here’s how I get back on track
Filling The Gaps Sharing my experiences, skills, self development hacks, and more to help you fill in any gaps. Hi Reader, It’s been a while since my last newsletter, and there’s a good reason.The past couple of months have been a whirlwind. I launched my brand-new workshop Freelance Launchpad, where I teach photographers how to land their first freelance client in 90 days. Over 70 students joined and I’m incredibly proud of what we created together. Then I flew to Sydney for FRMEFEST, the...
5 things you can do this weekend to launch your photography business
Filling The Gaps Sharing my experiences, skills, self development hacks, and more to help you fill in any gaps. Hey Reader, Hope you’re having a good week and finding time to create some cool photos and content! This week, I want to talk about something that changed everything for me when I was just starting to turn my passion for photography into a career: Making it real. On February 5th, 2022 I decided that I wanted to make photography my job. And I didn’t wait around. That same weekend, I...
The real reason you’re not growing on social media
Filling The Gaps Sharing my experiences, skills, self development hacks, and more to help you fill in any gaps. Hey Reader, Happy Wednesday! Every week I try to share something practical that helps you grow as a Photography Creator, and this one’s a big one. Let’s talk about the one thing that completely changed the game for me on social media… It wasn’t fancy gear. It wasn’t chasing trends. It was this: I realised that every time someone watches your video, they’re giving you 30–60 seconds...
You don’t need a fancy camera. Here’s why.
Filling The Gaps Sharing my experiences, skills, self development hacks, and more to help you fill in any gaps. Hey Reader, Happy Wednesday! I’ve got a quick but important one today—especially if you’re just getting into photography. One of the most common questions I get from beginners is:“What camera should I buy to get started with photography?” Here’s my honest answer—You don’t need one. At least, not yet. If you’re just starting out and building a foundation of skills, your phone is the...
The truth about why most people give up (And how to avoid it)
Filling The Gaps Sharing my experiences, skills, self development hacks, and more to help you fill in any gaps. Hi Reader, back again with another edition of my weekly newsletter! Here's why I think so many people in the creative industry give up... and how you can avoid it. Most people don’t give up because the work is too hard—they expect it to be hard. They give up because the feedback loop is too quiet. That silence creates doubt. No likes. No clients. No praise. No signal that it’s...
Helping photographers & creatives pursue their passions and build businesses. Join over 33,000+ photographers and creatives receiving free value in their inbox every Wednesday.