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Commitment To Your Work = Taking An Entire Year To Make a Single Image

Want to know about commitment to your art? Think you have what it takes? Listen up.

For the last 40 years, Sam Abell has worked as a documentary photographer, primarily for National Geographic. In this video interview for the Atlantic (created by Alex Hoyt & Ross McDermott), Sam recounts his year-long quest to find the perfect image for a story.

No excuses about modern timelines, budgets, or any of that. When was the last time you hunted for an image, a clip, a specific shot for a year?

Didn’t think so. Confession = me neither. #Inspiring

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44 replies on:
Commitment To Your Work = Taking An Entire Year To Make a Single Image

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  1. fas says:
    September 8, 2011 at 5:39 am

    Really unbelievable, that is dedication on to a whole new level.

  2. Dennis Pike says:
    September 8, 2011 at 5:31 am

    welll, I’m a pussy.

  3. Amanda says:
    September 8, 2011 at 5:26 am

    amazing! very inspiring.

  4. Patrick says:
    September 8, 2011 at 3:45 am

    Great interview.

    Inspiring stuff from a guy who produces some stunning images.

  5. Douglas Robar says:
    September 8, 2011 at 2:07 am

    “I took 25,000 pictures and only 8 are in here.” (at 10:15)

    If a professional National Geographic photographer with waaay more skill than I have takes that many (film!) frames to get some great shots, why do I take so few and yet still expect excellence?

    Humbling. Informative. Helpful. Thank you.

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