I’ll start with a disclaimer… I am not a philosophy or psychology student. These are just my ramblings… 
When I was in high school many of my friends and teachers told me not to be a photographer because I was ‘too intelligent’. I was valedictorian of my senior class, and people expected me to be a doctor, lawyer, professor, or something ‘smart’. I eventually concluded that the ‘smartest’ thing I could do would be to pursue what fulfilled me in life. I realize today the reason I have succeeded is because being a successful photographer involves having multiple types of intelligences.
To be at the top of the industry, or even just succeed in this field, you have to be good at business, dealing with people, art, time-management, handling equipment, and much more.
When I was younger I learned about people being ‘right brain’ or ‘left brain’ but that just didn’t make sense to me. I like words and art, but I was also good at math and science. I was not amazing at either… but was proficient at both and that really helped me get ahead in life in general. I felt that it was my balance and grasp on different types of intelligence/skills that helped me to stand out.
Today, there is a theory that there are 8 different types of intelligences: Spatial, Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Musical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, and Naturalistic. After reading up on these a bit, I realized that successful photographers require MANY of these intelligences!
Spatial: This deals with spatial judgement and being able to previsualize, particularly with art. Obviously this understanding of depth and art is a skill that successful photographers possess. Furthermore, spatial intelligence also allows people to solve puzzles. Every single photo shoot I do is a puzzle… fitting together pieces like posing, lighting and composition to create an asethetically pleasing piece.
Linguistic: This intelligence has to do with words. While not all photographers are good with words, being good with words is extremely helpful. My skill with words helps me to teach, write books, and improve the SEO on my blog. Many photographers must figure out how to communicate with others in order to achieve a unified idea (on a collaborative shoot) or to get the best out of your subject/model. Although we are visual people, words and linguistics have more weight for the successful photographer than many realize.
Logical-Mathematical: Many successful photographers are good at understanding numbers and abstractions like the behavior of light, exposures, computer equipment, etc. One of the key elements to success is a photographer is a strong grasp of business- cash flow, accounting, etc- and clearly logical-mathematical intelligence improves one’s business acumen. I have seen many photographers who take STUNNING photos, but are weak in business and therefore do not have a strong career. On the other hand, I’ve seen many mediocre photographers soar above others because of their strong business sense.
Bodily-kinesthetic: This typically has to do with control of your own bodily motions (like athletes). This may also apply to anticipating movement/events… in other words this is extremely useful for event or sports photographers!
Musical: not me! But if you have this intelligence, I recommend you combine your loves of photography and music… and perhaps create music videos or photograph bands in order to pursue multiple passions!
Interpersonal: Perhaps you are not good with words (linguistic), then you certainly need to have interpersonal skills in order to interact with clients. Interpersonal skills allow you to sense other’s moods, feelings and motivations. For a portrait photographer, this is essential. This also plays an enormous role in networking and business growth. If you aren’t a ‘people person’, then your business suffers. I realize more and more each year that business success requires that you relate well to people and that you surround yourself with like-minded people to help you reach new goals.
Intrapersonal: This has to deal with self-awareness and self-reflective abilities. Many fine art photographer and artist excel in this area.
Naturalistic: This has to do with relation to one’s own surroundings. This can be a great skill for photographers, particularly those shooting with natural light on location, or even more important for nature photographers.
IN SHORT… FIGURE OUT YOUR INTELLIGENCES and unite them with photography in order to succeed! When people are trying to figure out what type of photography to pursue, I encourage them to sit down and really look at their strengths, weaknesses and other passions in life. An honest look at yourself and your goals will help you focus your professional career path. This doesn’t just have to do with intelligences, but also passions. If you love sports and photography… be a sports photographer. Or if you are passionate about dance, shoot images about dancers and of dancing. If you love children, photograph children! If you combine passions, you’ll be twice as passionate and have twice as much energy backing the pursuit of your career!
Don’t ever let anyone tell you that being a photographer doesn’t require intelligence. It actually requires a LOT of intelligence because to truly succeed you need to have multiple intelligences including being artistic, running a business, and interacting with other. Many of the people we consider ‘geniuses’ only really stand out in one of these areas… but as photographers we must excel at several!
