How do you earn a living?

[LesPalenik]

never mind the lost "link", I bet that even the poster is now lost

[John Camp]

never mind the lost "link", I bet that even the poster is now lost

I write thriller novels under the name John Sandford. I've written more than fifty of them now. I got involved with photography in high school, continued as an Army newspaper editor in the 60s when I had to shoot my own art for the paper. After the Army, I worked for four papers (in Cape Girardeau, Mo,  a university paper while I was getting a masters degree, the Miami Herald, and the St. Paul papers) as a reporter. I shot a lot of photography for the first one, less for the second, and even less for the third and fourth. In 1997 I began sponsoring an archeological dig in the Middle East (Israel) that continued for 15 years, and I worked there as the staff photographer for most of those years, except when my first wife was dying of breast cancer and I had to skip the digs. That was the most brutal photography I've ever done, heat up around 100F/40C every day, clouds of dust from the digging and sifting, shots into narrow holes in the ground, everything contaminated with sweat, and also macro photography of small finds in high heat with no air conditioning (Finds as small as a fingernail.) While I was a reporter I won a Pulitzer, which had the benefit (about the only one) of getting me occasional journalism offers, and in the 2000s I got a gig to go to Iraq during the war there and fly with the 2/147 air assault battalion and also a helicopter medical evacuation unit. I was in my sixties by then and I found the photography difficult -- I was jumping in and out of helicopters wearing armor and a helmet, carrying water and rations and a pack with a D3 and four lenses (the 3 Nikon f/2.8 zooms and an 85.) That was strenuous, but the photography opportunities were great. I've always been mostly interested in street and documentary, but I don't worry about saving my stuff -- I find it basically ephemeral, and that's really fine with me. I shoot it, I look at it, ponder what I'd seen, and let it go. I don't know much about the technical aspects of cameras and lenses, or about software. I keep the equipment clean, the batteries powered up, and shoot.

[HSakols]

never mind the lost "link", I bet that even the poster is now lost

I'm still here.  It still is an interesting thread.  John Camp thanks for serving in the military.  You have had an amazing life!  I am now a retired school teacher.   

[LesPalenik]

I'm still here.  It still is an interesting thread.  John Camp thanks for serving in the military.  You have had an amazing life!  I am now a retired school teacher.

I meant the Duarr2 poster on Nov 21, a newbie with one post.

On the other hand, I remember your last burst of twenty one-line or one-word posts/topics within one hour from about a month ago. For some reason, those posts are now all lost.

[Alan Klein]

I write thriller novels under the name John Sandford. I've written more than fifty of them now. I got involved with photography in high school, continued as an Army newspaper editor in the 60s when I had to shoot my own art for the paper. After the Army, I worked for four papers (in Cape Girardeau, Mo,  a university paper while I was getting a masters degree, the Miami Herald, and the St. Paul papers) as a reporter. I shot a lot of photography for the first one, less for the second, and even less for the third and fourth. In 1997 I began sponsoring an archeological dig in the Middle East (Israel) that continued for 15 years, and I worked there as the staff photographer for most of those years, except when my first wife was dying of breast cancer and I had to skip the digs. That was the most brutal photography I've ever done, heat up around 100F/40C every day, clouds of dust from the digging and sifting, shots into narrow holes in the ground, everything contaminated with sweat, and also macro photography of small finds in high heat with no air conditioning (Finds as small as a fingernail.) While I was a reporter I won a Pulitzer, which had the benefit (about the only one) of getting me occasional journalism offers, and in the 2000s I got a gig to go to Iraq during the war there and fly with the 2/147 air assault battalion and also a helicopter medical evacuation unit. I was in my sixties by then and I found the photography difficult -- I was jumping in and out of helicopters wearing armor and a helmet, carrying water and rations and a pack with a D3 and four lenses (the 3 Nikon f/2.8 zooms and an 85.) That was strenuous, but the photography opportunities were great. I've always been mostly interested in street and documentary, but I don't worry about saving my stuff -- I find it basically ephemeral, and that's really fine with me. I shoot it, I look at it, ponder what I'd seen, and let it go. I don't know much about the technical aspects of cameras and lenses, or about software. I keep the equipment clean, the batteries powered up, and shoot.

What an amazing career John.  That's great.  Which of your books would you recommend to someone like me that moves, interesting, catches your interest quickly, exciting, etc.  I'm sure they're all that way, but if you had to pick one for me to read, which one?

[Jeremy Roussak]

On the other hand, I remember your last burst of twenty one-line or one-word posts/topics within one hour from about a month ago. For some reason, those posts are now all lost.

The word is "deleted", not "lost".

never mind the lost "link", I bet that even the poster is now lost

Correct.

Jeremy

[James Clark]

What an amazing career John.  That's great.  Which of your books would you recommend to someone like me that moves, interesting, catches your interest quickly, exciting, etc.  I'm sure they're all that way, but if you had to pick one for me to read, which one?

Start at the beginning - you’ll be entertained for months.  Maybe years.  My wife and I are both fans, my only quibble being the character’s penchant for rear engined Porsches

[jeremyrh]

Start at the beginning - you’ll be entertained for months.  Maybe years.  My wife and I are both fans, my only quibble being the character’s penchant for rear engined Porsches

As long as he's not a Canon shooter !!

[James Clark]

As long as he's not a Canon shooter !!

Probably a Leica guy

[PeterAit]

Coming in late here, but in the off chance that anyone is interested:

I was faculty at Duke Medical Center for 20 years. Then I left and, with the missus, formed a consulting firm that worked in drug development. We are both retired now.

[RSL]

I spent 26 years in the Air Force. Went to war three times -- Korea as a fighter-bomber pilot, Vietnam as a radar site commander, and Thailand as commander of our remaining radar sites after we withdrew from Vietnam and were fighting in Cambodia. After I retired from the Air Force in 1977 I began writing computer software and started a small company doing that. I also occasionally taught computer science. I retired completely in 2008 and turned my attention full time to photography. which I've been doing since I was 13.

[Chris Kern]

I'm glad someone resurrected this thread: many interesting backstories.

I'm a retired U.S. government bureaucrat.  Trained as a lawyer, but never practiced.  Employed for 38 years by essentially the same outfit—the Voice of America and its various parent agencies—in different capacities at various times: reporter, news analyst, software designer, IT manager, and information security officer (i.e., detecting and deterring hackers).

My grandfather gave me a camera when I was eight or nine years old, and photography has been an on-and-off hobby ever since.  I'm mostly self-taught: a secondary school physics teacher who served as the advisor to our camera club showed me how to process film and make analog prints, a whirlwind college survey of 20th Century painting by John Wilmerding is the extent of my knowledge of art, and I learned what I know about digital post-processing from the Reichmann/Schewe videos posted on this site, along with Jeff's excellent books.

[Robert Roaldi]

As long as he's not a Canon shooter !!

Virgil Flowers shoots Nikon, can't remember if the model was mentioned. I seem to recall Nikon being mentioned in one of the "Prey" novels, but I don't trust my memory on that.

Re the main subject of thread, I got a couple of physics degrees a lifetime ago, worked in IT for 25 years writing code on everything from mainframes to real-time work on micro systems, in various industry sectors from economic forecasting to engineering to investment banking, but my last IT job was in the travel industry at the time of 9/11, spectacularly bad timing. Then I had a second career in scientific publication, mostly as a copy-editor on physics and chemistry journals. First camera was a Spotmatic in late high school but neglected photography for 30 years till I picked it up again about 25 years ago. I sell a few pics of local grass-roots bicycle races, making enough money to pay for the gasoline to get me to the venues but not enough to pay for cameras or lenses, but I don't care. I competed in automobile rally for a few years, later volunteered in rally organization.

[KLaban]

Image maker.

[BernardLanguillier]

I was trained as a mechanical engineer specialized in fluid simulations, currently trying to manage a sales support organization in a software company. I have been living in the long shadows of Mt Fuji since 1997.

Started photography 30+ years ago, sold a few prints and still a few images on Getty when the moon feels like it. But I have the luxury of shooting whatever I feel like shooting, which is often friends and their children.

I am also trying to finish a novel and to start a photography app that will most probably revolutionise the Western part of the galaxy as we know it...

Besides photography I love being in nature and still do quite a bit of hiking, snowshoeing, pack rafting. I started to do a bit of sailing a few years ago. Still very much a beginner but having fun learning.

For those who may not know, I am a hard core Canon fanboy. I just love the brand. Can't help it.

Cheers,
Bernard

[jeremyrh]

Oh, plenty. Not my work, but you get the idea:

https://www.google.com/search?q=open+pit&hl=en&rlz=1C1GGGE_enAU427AU428&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=qmVJUcebLeqZiQenj4DwDg&ved=0CEsQsAQ&biw=1109&bih=512

These would be the "after" shots.

Somewhat similar here. As the bumper sticker says - "Don't tell my moma I'm working in the oil patch, she thinks I'm the piano player in a whorehouse".

[ErikKaffehr]

My profession was reactor physics.

Photography for was for me always a hobby, that is a sink of resources.

Back in 1972, I was paid 200 SEk (around 20$US) for a picture. That is the only amount I ever earned.

Best regards
Erik

[kers]

When i was 16 it was the first time i used a camera. It was an OympusTrip camera that i borrowed from a friend.
From that day i really enjoyed making photographs.


I was on holiday with my father and two sisters.
Two months after that my father suddenly died making the photographs much more important.
A lot of them were badly exposed and not very sharp...

Since then i saved money to buy a good camera. When i was 18 i bought the Nikon Fe+ 50mmf2 lens.

Living next to an Art Academy i went to see if it was something for me.. I decided it was not really a job becoming a photographer and started a study in airplane engineering at the university.
It was not for me; the most difficult study i could choose and i was not motivated/good enough to carry on.
Also I did not want to work in a factory from 9-5 with only metal around me. So i changed the study to Physical Geography. It was a better choice...I completed that to find out that my first passion was photograpy after all.
Since then i am a professional photographer, working for architects and in the experimental cultural scene. To get an idea what i do it is best to google my name...  Pieter Kers

[bjanes]

I'm glad to see that this thread has been resurrected after a period of quiescence. The stories are interesting. I am a retired pathologist whose photography is now entirely for pleasure. I first started photography in earnest in 1968 when I was a general medical officer in Viet Nam with the Marines. Nikon equipment overseas was cheap; I bought the Nikon Photomic FTN for $100 and a number of lenses. I photographed military operations, mostly on Kodachrome 64. On completing military service I was in an internal medicine residency for 2 years and took pictures of patient lesions.

I then went into pathology at a large university hospital in Chicago. We had an unused dark room with a Polaroid MP4 copy unit with 4*5 inch large format camera, a Polaroid back where I could take 4*5 images with film that produced a negative as well as a print. We had a light head and I could also use the unit as an enlarger. There was also a large drum print drier. For 35 mm I could attach my Nikon. I used these to document a friend's PhD thesis as well as other research work. For photomicroscopy, I had access to a Zeiss Universal Photomicroscope with a full range of bright field apochromatic objectives, phase objectives, and dark field capability. I took thousands of photomicroscope images over 8 years.

For photographing gross specimens we used a custom built stand with an illuminated blue background beneath the glass specimen support. For illumination we had quartz iodine bulbs filtered to daylight with dichroic filters as well as crossed polarized filters to eliminate reflections. Again, thousands of images over an 8 year period. I also did electron microscopy where the images were captured on large format monochrome negative film which were placed in hangers and developed in solution tanks. It was a photographic nirvana.

This photography was technical with little room for artistic development. Since retirement, I have been trying to learn composition and other artistic skills. My photography now is at the local zoos, landscape shooting, and shooting at the wonderful Chicago Botanical Garden. I have also gotten into macro with focus stacking. I went partially digital in 1987, scanning transparency film with a 4000 ppi dedicated scanner, processing the scanned images in photoshop and having the scanned images printed commercially or later printing on inkjet printers. My first digital camera was the D70 which I bought in 2004. Since then my work has been entirely digital. Because of my scientific background, I have always been interested in the technical aspects of photography.

Cheers,

Bill

[Peter McLennan]

Fascinating the diversity of occupations documented here.  Pulitzer-winning best seller authors, reactor physics specialists, pathologists, warriors; all bound together by a love of photography. 

Aren't we lucky!