Re: When I was a pro ....
On Sep 15, 2004, at 5:46 AM, CRB wrote: How about you? What's your story? Mine is only just beginning. I know better than to become purely a professional photographer but I do intend it to be a significant part of my moneymaking activities. Cheers, - Dave http://www.digistar.com/~dmann/
Re: When I was a pro ....
Hi, > there are hundreds of recent graduates with diplomas in > photography (at least two colleges in this area offer such diplomas) > who are prepared to work as assistants for ~free~ to get experience. [...] > Before anyone jumps in, no I'm not a twisted bitter old man (ok, I am > so, but not because of this ), but those are simply the realities, > at least here in Toronto. It's also true here in London. I first took up photography at the same time as a friend of mine, Don, about 27 years ago. We agreed that we would both be professional photographers by the time we were 30 - which was then about 10 years in the future. I started quite well by getting a lot of calls about work from an exhibition I had. But unfortunately I was travelling for 3 months, so I never got the calls, never capitalised on the success of the exhibition, and then got caught up in the maelstrom of trying to keep b&s together in London. At this time Don came to stay at my flat and starting hawking his portfolio around the London studios. Bizarrely he was offered a lot of work modelling, but eventually he found unpaid work as an assistant. He lived on my floor rent-free for a year, and received a small allowance from his father to pay for his food. In the end he was a professional well before he was 30, and managed to scrape a living as a photographer for over 20 years. When his children started to arrive he found he needed something more reliable, so gave up professional photography and got himself a proper job. Now he takes about 2 or 3 paid photography jobs per year, mostly shooting mountaineering and other outdoor equipment abroad, so he gets a bit of pay, plus the chance to climb, ski, walk, paddle etc., which suits him fine. Having watched him all these years, I don't envy him. It was a hand-to-mouth life, with a lot of worry. Even though I am self-employed, and often out of work, I am not psychology equipped for the difficulties Don had to put up with, and which I know other photographers have to deal with too. One of the differences between him and me, which partly explains why he became a photographer and I didn't, is that I always had other possibilities open to me, whereas he has no academic qualifications at all, and had no other choices. -- Cheers, Bob
Re: When I was a pro ....
On Tue, 14 Sep 2004 13:46:05 -0400 (EDT), CRB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > ... it lasted for about a year. > I was a better photographer than businessman. > (that's "businessperson" in metric) > Success, of the fiscal sort, lasted about 6 months. The last few months were a > struggle, having mis-spent my adv. monies. I know better now, but won't go back. > It's more fun as a hobby. > > How about you? What's your story? I was never a pro photog. But, I was a self employed professional, back in the day. Similar to you, I was a better lawyer than a businessman (and I likely wasn't a very good lawyer, so draw your own conclusions from that ). Unfortunately, they don't teach "The Business of Being a Lawyer" in law school. Probably just as well; my heart really wasn't in it anyway. As one can imagine, during my recent break from the workforce, being a professional photographer was something I thought long and hard about. Decided against even attempting to pursue it for a number of reasons, one of which is that I would have to freelance at first, and I just don't have the temperment for that. I also don't have the luxury of going through a few lean years (or whatever period of time) to build up a clientele. That's fine for 18 year olds who still live at home, but I got obligations that can't wait that long. But, above all else, I realize that I'm a baad businessman, and I simply wouldn't last out there in that jungle. Of course, another problem is that right now, things being cutthroat as they are, there are hundreds of recent graduates with diplomas in photography (at least two colleges in this area offer such diplomas) who are prepared to work as assistants for ~free~ to get experience. I see their posts on bulletin boards outside of pro labs and trendy studio loft buildings where lots of studio photogs have set up shop. Same thing with some small photo labs - they've got little unpaid slaves (I think they call them "interns", as it sounds so much more palatable) working in their darkrooms, getting "experience" and "building their resumes". Again, great for 18 year olds living with mom and dad, bad for 48 year old who has to pay rent and child support. Before anyone jumps in, no I'm not a twisted bitter old man (ok, I am so, but not because of this ), but those are simply the realities, at least here in Toronto. cheers, frank -- "It's about time we started to take photography seriously and treat it as a hobby." -Eliott Erwitt
When I was a pro ....
... it lasted for about a year. I was a better photographer than businessman. (that's "businessperson" in metric) Success, of the fiscal sort, lasted about 6 months. The last few months were a struggle, having mis-spent my adv. monies. I know better now, but won't go back. It's more fun as a hobby. How about you? What's your story? Sincerely, C. Brendemuehl "Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first." Ronald Reagan ___ Join Excite! - http://www.excite.com The most personalized portal on the Web!
