We recently connected with Tisha Gale and have shared our conversation below.

Tisha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

Whenever I think about what it takes to be successful , I often think about the song, “Remember the Name” by Fort Minor. “This is ten percent luck
Twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
Five percent pleasure
Fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name”

Success takes luck, skill, and determination. To be truly successful you have to be able to embrace everything on your journey. You have to push through the pain. And you have celebrate your accomplishments, no matter how big or small. And most importantly, never let the difficult times discourage you. you have to keep going no matter what.

Tisha, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a self-taught freelance sports and entertainment photographer based in New York. In December 2017, I was gifted my first DSLR camera, a Rebel T-6. And with very little understanding of the correlation between aperture, shutter, and ISO, I delved into the underworld of sports photography. I was able to combine my new found love for photography with my life-long passion for soccer. I traveled to various soccer stadiums photographing MLS, NWSL, and USWNT games. An unexpected world had opened up to me, and I let myself sink into it. Then the pandemic hit and everything came to a halt. During this time I tired to continue to create by publishing a series of “A conversation With…” articles on my website, but I struggled to find the relevance in all of it and I felt the momentum fading. When 2022 started, I had no idea what the next step on my photography journey would be. I was torn between wanting to keep putting myself out there, and wondering if I should list my camera gear on eBay. Then in February 2022, an MSG representative reached out to me. They wanted to know if I was interested in coming out to shoot a Knicks Game at The Garden as part of their Black History Month Photographer Spotlight. I was thrilled and jumped at the opportunity to photographer my first NBA game, an experience I am not likely to forget. That night, with every click of the shutter button, I felt like a fraud. I felt like I had no business being there, but with sweaty palms and a racing heart, I kept telling myself to “just keep shooting.” Fast forward to present day– I am a freelance photographer with MSG Sports & Entertainment as my most consistent client. The thing I most proud of is that I did not give up. I pushed through all of the self-doubt and with a bit of skill, determination, and some good old fashioned luck, I was able to tap into something I never imagined would be possible.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Providing services for free or underselling yourself.

When I first started out, I didn’t know anything about anything, so I felt it was appropriate to provide my services for free/exposure. I traveled on my own dime, and rented/or purchased new gear without having a client to bill. I did not feel comfortable charging clients for my services. I would oftentimes do a job, send the links off to the customer and remind them to “tag me” and think that was enough. Or, I’d sometimes settle for “travel reimbursement” as an acceptable form of payment. Now that I am a more experienced photographer with professional quality gear, I still struggle with pricing out jobs for clients. A part of me still feels uncomfortable charging clients even though I am fully aware of the costs of doing business. I’ve had to unlearn the whole “free/exposure” scheme.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Photo Mechanic and Bridge were both game changers for me. Using these two programs for my post production workflow has saved me a ton of time and increased my turn-around speed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tishagalephotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tishagale15/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/tishagale15

Image Credits
Tisha Gale