Love this essay. It doesn’t shy away from telling it straight: there are no short cuts and this isn’t a craft you can learn in five minutes over a skinny latte. Many classic photographers came from modest backgrounds and they really had to struggle to make it, world wars and all. But when someone ‘gets it’ and starts making work that is truly their own, then wow - it all becomes worthwhile. Besides, I always like articles that lead me back to folks like Leonard Freed and his colleagues at Magnum, past and present.
