Stories about photography gear, finding a photographic specialty, developing a style, negotiating a contract, licensing pictures, balancing family and career, planning for the future, and staying ahead of the competition.
There are precious few careers that can put you on a major league baseball field one day, in a helicopter the next day, and on a movie set the following day. It’s a true gift to find something to do with your life that sustains your soul and spirit. It’s like finally discovering “the one.” When you find that connection, the depth of the love is undeniable. It weaves itself into your very being and remains there until the day you die.
We’ve all met them, we’ve all heard about them, and sometimes, we have to work with them. With a bit of homage to the brilliant riffs on rednecks, here are ten vivid examples of douchey photographers from both personal experience and the first-hand accounts of friends and colleagues.
While the therapist’s couch used to be the place to go to privately work things out, the keyboard now seems to be the place to go to publicly let it all hang out. What some vocal photographers don’t seem to realize though is through their keyboards they are becoming demolition experts in the destruction of their reputation and career.
Do you really want to do what’s necessary to become the best photographer you can be, or are you more drawn to the idea of being a photographer and the trappings that come with it? If you’re just beginning on your path, I think it’s a fair question to ask yourself. And it demands a soul-searching answer. In other words, as my friend Dave Black likes to say, “Are you all in?”
What types of pictures would you choose to make above all others? What kinds of subjects does your camera and soul naturally gravitate toward? And if you pursue that path, will there be people who will pay you for the resulting pictures? A former Life Magazine picture editor has some timeless advice about your career in photography.
Creating a career in photography requires long-term planning and short-term adjustments. It requires the focus to remain in demand for decades without becoming the equivalent of disco or tube tops. It requires removing the expiration date from your portfolio by finding a style that can sustain a career over the long term.
