From Tucson with Love: The Power of Community Over Competition

I recently had an encounter with another local photographer that felt kind of icky. This photographer told me that they were not a community over competition person, and that they had tried it, but it had come back to bite them in the proverbial buttcheeks. While that sucks for them, I wanted to talk about what a community looks like, and what I’m trying to mimic here in small town Del Rio, Texas.

This. All of this. That’s me on top left, hugging one of my photographer besties, Kristin Bendigo. This was from a group meetup in 2020. Just a bunch of photographers and a few people to model, all walking around and having some fun. This is community, these are my people. This is my goal.

Sharing Resources

I started my photography journey in what I believe to be the best place an aspiring photographer can start: Tucson, AZ. As a newbie with a camera, I joined the local Facebook group, Tucson Aspiring and Professional Photographers. We call ourselves TAPPers. This group was created by the great Justin Haugen, and I’m forever in his debt for working so hard to create such a wonderful resource.

I was fresh out the box new. I didn’t even know how to shoot in Manual mode yet. What I stumbled into turned out to be a unicorn, because I cannot find another group like it elsewhere. The group is now 4.1 THOUSAND people strong. It’s mostly photographers, but also models, hair and makeup artists, event coordinators, and others. It has turned into such a pivotal piece of the Tucson photography scene. But why? Why is it so great?

Well, take a look at this.

These types of posts are made regularly, at least once a week. Let’s sit with this a moment.

This photographer could have just told her client, ‘Sorry I’m not available have a nice day.’ But good customer service embodies being helpful to potential prospects. This photographer said, ‘Hey, I’m hooked into the photography community, I bet I can find someone for you who is available.’ And then she passed those competitors along to her prospective client. There is no real perceived benefit to this photographer in finding someone else for them to work with. But, if you think about it, this client would have found someone on their own anyway. And potentially would never come back to this photographer again for a session. But being helpful to your prospective clients in their search increases their positive emotions towards you. And participating in this network helps others out who are also just trying to make ends meet. I don’t see the harm in that.

You’re telling yourself, OK cool, so maybe you could network, but that doesn’t seem like much benefit to me. Well, the buck doesn’t stop there.

Locations Aren’t Secrets

In this group, we share locations and ideas. They aren’t secret. We shoot on public land. We often shot in the same locations at the same times. And anytime you catch a photographer in the field, you turn around and snap a photo of them shooting their session and share it. Why? Because this isn’t a me vs you situation. We are in the business of serving people. We aren’t just selling photos. When you’re priced higher than $50 for a session, your clients come to you for who you are. They want to support you, because they like you. Nobody wants to support toxic negativity.

From, does anyone rent their studio space, to who has a roll of backdrop paper I could use, to does anyone know a model who is available for… this community is a wealth of information and help, and I want so badly to create the same, in smaller scale, here in Del Rio.

Gear and Advice

I’ve bought lenses, backdrops, lights, and props from others in this group second hand. If you’re a newish photographer, you’re going to be trying out new gear, and second hand is the way to go. I’ve also posted my terrible mishaps and asked for advice. I’ve received excellent feedback to help me learn and grow. From, ‘why is my lens doing this’, to ‘what setting will help me achieve this look,’ it’s an invaluable resource from people in your circle, not just strangers on the internet.

Weekly Themes and Recaps

TAPP also does weekly themes, which helped push me to learn. My favorite theme was called Stopped Down. Which was shooting at F11 or higher. For a portrait photographer, that’s a huge no-no. So, I thought about it, a LOT. How could I stop down to a small aperture but let in enough light while also taking a portrait? For anyone who knows the exposure triangle, while working on a T7i I couldn’t raise my ISO much. So I needed to shoot slow. Very slow. I decided to embrace the movement that would be inevitable and shot on a merry go round, in what is today my favorite portrait I’ve ever taken.

Without this weekly challenge that the group sets, I never would have taken this image.

And on Wednesdays Mondays, we wear pink recap. Every Monday is open theme: show the group what you worked on in the last week. This one piece, this recap, has brought the photographers in the Tucson community so many leads and faithful followers. Posting your work regularly is a key to becoming recognized by your style alone.

My Favorite: Meetups

What I feel is the strongest pull to building a community of likeminded people is the chance to learn and grow and practice your craft without the fear of judgement from clients. There is no client expecting magazine worthy images on the other end of your camera, just photographers who understand the struggles you face and expect nothing more than a good time. I regularly went to headshot swaps and shootouts. I met the coolest people. We swapped prompts and posing advice. We took branding photos of each other to use on our websites and socials. We laughed a lot. And to this day, I still cheer these people on. I still interact on their socials and follow their personal life virtually. Because they’re good people. And they happen to have the same eye for life that I do.

It was on this headshot swap that I was given my favorite behind the scenes photo ever taken of me, thanks to Lexi Hampton. We were all moms, and no one batted an eye that I had to bring my littles along. He climbed every rock, walked into a cactus patch, and probably had two meltdowns this day. And you know what? They embraced me. They made me feel welcome and seen. They saw my struggles, and they raised me up. Because together we were building something great. We’re stronger together.

Here I am, in my high heels and carrying my gear, trying to pull my toddler off a rock that he was determined to stay on. Mom-life, amiright?

Learning and Growth

Perhaps the biggest and most important thing I got from the TAPP community was the ability to explore in my craft. I went with other photographers on their shoots. I went along with the experienced photographers in my community, and some newbies, on their sessions. I was able to play with weddings, boudoir, and headshots.

I almost took out Justin Payne’s eye when he let me assist him in lighting one of his engagement couples. For real, the umbrella flew inside out in the wind on the top of a cliff line, and it stabbed him about half an inch under his eye. He might still have the scar to this day. But he invited me back on a boudoir shoot and continued to teach me how to use flash and diffusers. Thats a true story y’all. The proof is in the pudding. And here is perhaps one of my only boudoir images, taken while shooting with and learning from Justin, after I almost permanently blinded him.

Chelse Garner was a wedding photographer in Tucson until she moved to Colorado. She still does wedding photography but also started up a coffee shop. She brought me along on her weddings as an assistant and let me shoot with her. I was still very new to off camera flash and posing. She discussed with me my techniques after reviewing my images and helped me learn my craft. I adore her and will 100% buy her coffee when I visit, not because I buy coffee—I’m a Folgers girl— but because I love who she is, and I want nothing more than to see her thrive. She is good friends with Manuel Ruiz, who I also adore and who has helped me so much along the way. Here’s me, standing next to Chelsea, working through her bridal party shot list, taken by Manuel in 2019. These three photographers (Justin, Chelsea and Manuel) are the reason I believe in community over competition. We’re all here trying to do the same thing, and it’s not to make money, that’s just a wonderful byproduct. We’re creating joy. CREATING. JOY. That’s right. We aren’t just taking photos, we’re inhaling the essence of life, together. Because we’re stronger, and happier, together.

This is what community looks like. These are my people. This is my family. I may not be a native Tucsonian, but I considered this my home. And I want to make Del Rio my home away from home and bring this feeling here. I want to see us all working in unison, lifting each other up. When you bring someone down, you bring the standard down. When you lift them up, you bring us all up. So, lift each other up. It’s good for all of us. And join me on the next meetup. Chances are, you’re my next photographer bestie in my home-away-from-home.

Change Your Mindset

And there you have it, folks. Community is key. Without it, you will inevitably fail. Photographers especially are prone to isolation and burnout. So, take a moment to reflect. Either there is something you can learn from the group, or there is something you can teach to the group. And together, our group will thrive.

From Tucson, with love.