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.
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...
Every Successful Person Develop This ONE Trait (How you can too)
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 weekly newsletter 😊 You’ve probably had those days—the ones where nothing seems to go right, and progress feels nonexistent. Giving up on your goals feels like the easiest option. I’ve had those days too, even now. But you know what? It’s all normal. The difference between those who succeed and those who don’t isn’t talent, luck, or resources. It’s...
How To Simplify Social Media to Win Every Time
Filling The Gaps Sharing my experiences, skills, self development hacks, and more to help you fill in any gaps. Hi Reader, another value-packed newsletter coming at you for this week! If you’re a photographer or creative trying to grow on social media, you’ve probably asked yourself questions like: What time should I post? Should I use hashtags? How can I hack the “algorithm”? Will this post actually perform? I’ve been there too—stuck in analysis mode, overthinking every little detail. But...
Push Hard or Find Balance? The Truth About Your 20s
Filling The Gaps Sharing my experiences, skills, self development hacks, and more to help you fill in any gaps. Hi Reader, happy Wednesday! I turned 32 back in March, and whilst I definitely don't have it all figured out I thought I'd share a bit of my journey through life and some advice for anyone that may need it. There’s a lot of advice out there about how to live in your 20s. Some say push yourself, take risks, and focus on building your future. Others argue that balance is key—you...
5 Key Tips to Get Started in Car Photography
Filling The Gaps Sharing my experiences, skills, self development hacks, and more to help you fill in any gaps. Hi Reader, back again for another Wednesday newsletter! I've been reflecting on the start of my car photography journey and what I did at the very beginning to get everything going. I started in February 2022 with literally no idea what I was doing, so I decided to put together a quick list of 5 things to kickstart your journey. Let's jump in! --- Breaking into car photography...
If you struggle with consistency, read this:
Filling The Gaps Sharing my experiences, skills, self development hacks, and more to help you fill in any gaps. Hi Reader, happy Wednesday! A question that I get asked often is: "How do I become more consistent?" For this week, I thought I'd share some thoughts with you just in case it's something you might be struggling with at the moment. Let's jump in! --- In the last 3 years I have posted over 1,700+ times, grown to over 1 million+ combined followers and quit my 9-5 job. And there is one...
I'm back! What the hell happened to me? LTO Update
Filling The Gaps Sharing my experiences, skills, self development hacks, and more to help you fill in any gaps. Hi Reader, I'm back! It's been 3 weeks since my last newsletter... I've been to New Zealand on a work trip, I went to the Melbourne Motor Show, I travelled to Philip Island to shoot GT3 race cars for the Shannons SpeedSeries, I've been doing weekly lectures at the university and I've been pushing out daily content on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube Shorts. So I've guess I've been...
Helping photographers & creatives pursue their passions and build businesses. Join over 33,000+ photographers and creatives receiving free value in their inbox every Wednesday.