I've had several people in the last week come up and say, "hey, I saw your pictures - why aren't you doing this professionally?" One was a colleague who said I was really wasting my time in what I'm doing now. I've never been so flattered to be told that I shouldn't be working where I am. Not that that happens frequently... I'm sure you know what I mean.
I'm not sure, though, how to get to that next step. Some things are clear:
- I will not do portraits of children at Walmart
- I won't accept the hours and mobility that are needed to be a real photojournalist - besides, my desire to portray a slightly idealized world (the one I live in, actually), rather than absolute reality would get me in trouble there
- I will not sell pictures of kittens
Past that, though, it's much more murky. How do I make a living at this? Weddings? Maybe. Portraits? I'd love to, but that's going to be a fairly small market for the kind of work I want to do. "Art"? Well, that would be fantastic, but I'm not at all sure about how to get started.
Other than taking the pictures.
So here's the thing. When we were in Prague on the Saturday, and I saw that there was a little bit of sunshine, and had seen a bazillion people out the night before so KNEW that the streets would be full, I was excited.
Very, very excited.
And once I got out there... had my music going, had my camera in my hands, and started to make pictures (which is what photographers call it, and a slightly more intentional term than "taking" pictures, I think), I was ecstatic. I was almost dancing. I had a huge smile on. I wanted to sing, to run around, to somehow let everyone around me feel the way that I was feeling.
In some ways, it seems rather unnatural to be this excited about anything that doesn't involve beef, getting kissed, or A BRAND NEW CAR! But that's the way it is for me: it makes me feel alive, makes me vibrate, brings out beauty and hope and wonder all around me.
Part of me thinks it would almost be wrong to be able to get paid for that.
So I'm not sure what's next... start entering contests, I guess. Figure out what kind of market exists, especially in Calgary, where I'll be living soon. Make some good, large prints to get a better idea of how my pictures are working off of a PC screen. See if I can get in touch with other people who do this, and do it well.
If you have any ideas, I'm open.
But even now, I'm still smiling. It's just beautiful.
11 comments:
The thought that it can't be like this all the time (or that we couldn't bear it or possibly deserve it if it were) is what keeps up from leaping, isn't it?
Some good ideas here. I'm in favor of the contest thing. Yes. You've got the goods (this from a stranger who does not lie about such things). Why not?
Oh, and pick up the Photographer's Market too, if you don't already have it.
You definitely have great potential, Darryl. I strongly support the contest idea. The thing that terrifies me is if you were to quit your day job - hang on to that as long as you can, my son. My Mom talks about eating chicken one day, feathers the next... Having a steady income helps insure the chicken (or beef)!
Dandy, I've never heard of that, so I'll look into it. Thanks for the vote of confidence.
And mom... oooops, I've already quit.
But don't worry, I'm sure it will turn out okay.
I concur, you have an abundance of talent. And the contest idea is definitely a good one.
Have you thought about getting into stock photography?
I'm not sure if a model release is required when selling photos of people, which is something to consider.
Getty Images might be a good place to start. (http://contributors.gettyimages.com/)
Welcome, Sydney - nice to see you here!
I have thought about stock photography, but there's not a very good overlap between what I like to shoot and what people are looking for in stock agencies. Plus, most agencies will only accept images over 10 megapixels, and I have a 6 megapixel camera.
The model release thing... well, if I want to sell images of people as stock, I need a release from them, since they can be used in advertising. To sell them as art, though, I don't need anything other than the guts to take the picture and the ability to find someone willing pay for it.
One of which I have.
Thanks for joining in!
Thank ya kindly for the welcome. :)
It's so awesome that you're this informed and you've already looked into some options.
The art aspect seems more suited to your shooting style, anyway. It would be sad to have that view hampered by any number of restrictions or guidelines.
So no pictures of kittens eh? It's really a shame to limit yourself at this early stage. Probably a smart move though since there are very few photographers who are able to capture the unique beauty of the feline species with the camera. So many hacks in the area of cat photography. Hypothetically speaking though, I wondered what you would say if Herb Ritts called you up one day and was like "Hey Darryl I love your work and I was wondering if you'd shoot some portraits of my kitten?"
Did I say "cats"? Stupid swiss keyboard... of course, I meant "hats".
Oh, and how much does it pay?
There's big money to be had in hat shots, man.
I hear you on the stupid Swiss keyboard though. brought back memories. But the French keyboard is much, much stupider.
So, how about photo shoots for political candidates (ie: creative, egotistical portraiture!)?
Did I say "hat"? I meant...
Oh, never mind.
I'd love to cover a campaign... that would be really interesting. Plus, the cash potential from selling scandal shots to tabloids is very, very lucrative. Everybody wins!
True! Everybody DOES win!
wicked, wicked thoughts now running through my mind... once again, very glad I talk my smack under pseudonym here... it's too bad I didn't do this with my own blog. I'm toast. Must solve the security problem very soon.
Anyway... in honor of your love of photography and highly justified, renewed pursuit of it: "and I want to add to the beauty, to tell a better story, to shine with the light that's burning up inside...."
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