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it requires near-total commitment.
it usually does take rearranging your life to....
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In a way the 10,000 hour rule applies. To reach a high level it’s not your job, it’s your calling. You go to bed thinking and working on photography, wake up doing the same.
The way I started I was a very young art director in a medium sized agency. I hired good photographers, but then as our agency picked up larger accounts, photo agents from around the U.S. would come in with huge portfolios.
For the first time I got to see great photographer’s personal work and I fell in love, until one day walked into the agency’s President and said I quit I’m going to be a photographer. My job paid me well and actually at that time I had low overhead so leaving was a chance, but I did, got a gig in a catalog house, then went on my own.
Early own I thought I was pretty good, sometimes was, because at that stage you have an unencumbered mind. You’re not thinking about clients or genres, your just shooting what you like and I love photographing people. Scenics, Still Life (though I did them from time to time) didn’t interest me, though I have respect for people that are good at it.
Then work came in I stayed busy and that’s when the creativity starts to drop, because you start accumulating things and your life changes, you have to listen to the client because you want to get paid and you don’t have the experience to explain your way around a challenging idea (good or bad). Then you hit a point that you’ve worked for some many different people you can find a better solution and explain it, so my work improved. Communication with people; clients, crew, suppliers, subjects, (unknown or famous) because unless you get the best out of everyone, the image suffers.
The one thing I never wanted to do was be locked into one single genre. Most photographers like to specialize, but I had no interest in just shooting one thing in one style over and over. Everyone said it would hurt my business, but I always stayed busy and it was a great learning experience and I could apply hanging out of a helicopter on the border to shooting fashion in Milan, or a sports star in Barcelona.
To me it’s always just story or creative brief, subject, lightiing and composition.
Our business flew when I met my wife who is uber talented as a producer and stylist. Everything she puts in front of the lens is perfect, her planning is off the scale. That allowed me to really free up and work on my side on the job.
We also learned motion capture early on (I hate the word video) learned to edit and grade and since I was in LA it was easy to buy and own movie lights and grip, whether it be for stills or motion.
Dave is right, you have to be careful because life can get in the way. We recently went through some tragic family issues that lasted a few years and it’s consuming and this is such a competitive business, anytime you take away from your goals, networking, moving forward, it will effect your work. (thankfully that part is over).
I have and still am very fortunate, usually have lived in two places simultaneously which also broadens our horizons.
I’ve been asked a trillion times by assistants and swings how do you make it in image making (I guess that’s the new term). My modest advice is 1. Do no quit and weather the ups and downs 2. Look at your life as if have perpetual homework that you’ll never complete. 3. Also be fair and kind not only to clients, but to all the people you work with, crew, suppliers, talent agents, location finders, drivers, everyone. This last suggestion will save you so many times.
If it’s not special in front of the lens it’s damn hard to make it interesting in the camera.
IMO
BC