08 February 2010
I recently started wondering, "Why am I working my way closer and closer to professional photography?" I love my day job, and I don't need or want 2 jobs, so why am I so driven to pursue this?
Practicing and mastering a skill is greatly rewarding, but I can do that without getting paid, so why do I feel like I need to turn photography into a legitimate job? Some of these jobs are really hard work!
It's nice to have the hobby pay for itself (at least a little), but I realize that access has become most important to me. I get access to people and places -- when people see me as a photographer, I'm invited to make portraits or to capture events. I get to decorate people's homes or contribute to a larger project with my images. I get to practice my craft without having to recruit participants, and when I do recruit, maybe people are quicker to say "yes" having seen some previous work. People give me their time and expect good things.
I love the story of the guy who gets into the concert by offering images to the band in trade. He got in, and he got to shoot! (I hate that I can never get a camera into a show.) David Hobby even got into CERN. Sometimes, I just want the chance to shoot a friend or a stranger -- as long as it matters to someone, even if it's just me.
So, here I am, working to promote and price and show my work in any way that makes sense just to ensure that I'll be able to make some more interesting images tomorrow, and to hope they're worth something to someone.
Filed Under: Photography