The hats we wear

The hats we wear

What makes up photography is an endless list of job hats most people do not realize. My time spent learning about computers has helped me a grate deal with cutting cost in todayand#146;s digital world. I build my own machines to make sure they are capable of pushing the sometimes 500mb to 1.5 GB files. Permission from the government to be a photographer is another hat all to itself. Photographers like all business owners have taxes to deal with and an endless list of PR work to maintain the exposure and keep inquiries coming in so we can give 30% of what we make to uncle same. Printing is separate from photography. Just because you can make a baby smile and capture a solid exposure does not mean you can produce a print capable of winning awards. There is a step between shooting and printing that is often missed. Being able to sell the work that is created is 90% of being a photographer. Not everyone understands why one image will print better then another or the twenty million options for final presentations you have to choose from. Selling when done well leaves a customer with a feeling of being overwhelmed with options but satisfied the option they chose is the right one for their needs. Giggles and grins we all like to see brings up another job hat. In order to bring out a subjects personality we have to ask questions and talk to people. When people start talking you never know what to expect. Everyone goes through hard times with different issues in their life. These are the easiest things to talk about. More often then not photographers will have to play the roll of sociologist friend to comfort subjects to help explain why things are happening in someoneand#146;s life to get the subject back to a happy place for a nice expression. Each genre of photography comes with a new set of hats to wear and each hat I put on makes me a stronger person and a better photographer. Photography found me at the age of 18. It is my job, my career, it is who I am. I wake up every day and check my email wondering if I will get an inquiry for something new. Will it be a wedding in Ashville or a commercial job in Charlotte or maybe a magazine editorial where Iand#146;ll have to fly to California to shoot an image for a hot new story? Whatever it is you can promise I will try my hardest to do my best and be the best at getting the job done with the highest respect for quality. As a photographer Qality is what counts more then anything else as in most industries to seperate professionals from those who pick up a camera for the first time and slap a label on their door. Some people go through the motions in life, some try hard but only hard enough and others simply push. The ones that push are the ones that produce what is considered quality. A comment that sums up how i look at what i do would be "do not just do somthing, do it so well others want to do it too". I do not remember who said this to me but it stuck. Every day no matter what hat i wear i have this statement echoing in my head. Add a Comment Back to All Articles