Has photography changed you?

[keith204]

I started getting into people portraits a couple of months ago, and in particular - that has dramatically changed the way I communicate and interact with others.

On a personal level, I can interact with the kids at family gatherings so much better. Working with kids in my little studio in the past couple months has taught me to relax and just hang out, try to make an instant friend.

On a business level, it has taught me how to communicate better with clients. I'm a software developer, and when representing my company to a multi-billion-dollar insurance carrier, who has a multi-million-dollar contract with us, the pressure is on. Photography has taught me to think fast, know my stuff, and don't ever let the clients think I don't know what I'm doing.

On a physical level, I lost 40 lbs between July and September, and have kept it off since then, and even lost a little more. My encouragement is from the town's main photographer - I like his work, and his style - he always looks professional. So I stopped all the fast food crap I ate, actually paid attention to nutrition tables and started eating vegetables. I can move around a heck of a lot better than I could before, which is plenty of reason to ban any place that can sell a cheeseburger for a dollar.

Photography's been good to me, and that's why I try to keep it up. Has photography influenced your lifestyle/personality?

 

[kanmai]

Photography makes me happy overall...

 

[JerryPH]

Well... in my field, I am in a constant state of one high-stress situation after another. People always want answers from me and they want them NOW. Photography is a less physical way that I can de-stress compared to my martial arts.

I call photography "my moment to regain balance and restore some modicum of sanity"... lol.

It doesn't frustrate me too much, and makes me a lot happier on many levels.

It is also a heck of a way to preserve some very precious memories of loved ones.

Has it changed me? Yes, a lot. I have a lot more pleasure in my life thanks to it. How could that not change anyone?

 

[skieur]

No, but then I have always been a photographer.

skieur

 

[uplander]

Since taking it up again in the last two years I find myself seeing opportunnity everywhere. Sometimes I must be a pain to others when I stop to catch a shot. I deffinately look at people differently and notice lighting more. I know I really interact with people on adifferent level now too. So has it changed me? I'd say yeah.

 

[craig]

I have been in photography and the arts since day one. Hard to remember how it has changed me. I can say that it made me think creatively. That was an amazing change. Made me a better person to say the least.

Love & Bass

 

[Jedo_03]

I started getting into people portraits a couple of months ago, and in particular - that has dramatically changed the way I communicate and interact with others.

On a personal level, I can interact with the kids at family gatherings so much better. Working with kids in my little studio in the past couple months has taught me to relax and just hang out, try to make an instant friend.

On a business level, it has taught me how to communicate better with clients. I'm a software developer, and when representing my company to a multi-billion-dollar insurance carrier, who has a multi-million-dollar contract with us, the pressure is on. Photography has taught me to think fast, know my stuff, and don't ever let the clients think I don't know what I'm doing.

On a physical level, I lost 40 lbs between July and September, and have kept it off since then, and even lost a little more. My encouragement is from the town's main photographer - I like his work, and his style - he always looks professional. So I stopped all the fast food crap I ate, actually paid attention to nutrition tables and started eating vegetables. I can move around a heck of a lot better than I could before, which is plenty of reason to ban any place that can sell a cheeseburger for a dollar.

Photography's been good to me, and that's why I try to keep it up. Has photography influenced your lifestyle/personality?

Hmm... How can you be sure that the new-you wasn't packaged with the Ego-Module included with the 5D Mk II..??
I'd be swaggering too, if'n I had one of those hanging off my neck...
And - Ye Gods..! - The 5D Mk II is the new dietary revolution too...
40 pounds in 3 months...!!!
Just gotta tell my Wife this... She will buy me one Tomorrow...
Hell - If owning a 5D Mk II makes me eat vegetables - I'll buy the grandkids one each too...
Just think what the 5D Mk III could do...??
Jedo

 

[mrodgers]

I have been in photography and the arts since day one.

Wow, you must be VERY old to have been there since day one when cameras were invented.... :mrgreen:

Has photography changed me? Sure has. I'm a guy who puts his camera in manual mode and sets the settings himself now as opposed to a guy who uses his camera in automatic mode.

 

[Saddlebreds4me]

Yes. It has changed me.

Sorry, this might sound a little goofy but...I think I've found what I would define as my "spirituality" - not being really of any religious and/or spiritual persuasion, I find that I completely lose myself when I am with the horses. In general - riding, grooming et, al but photographing them takes me to a deeper level. My self awareness kind of disappears and all that matters is how I translate what I am seeing and feeling through the lens and onto paper.

I'm not sure if any of that makes sense - but it gives me a sense of peace I guess.

The funny thing is that I've really only admitted that to myself and I have had 3 different people come to me and tell me I really "capture the feeling and relationship" between horse and rider - or just the horse, if that is all I am shooting.

I absolutely love it (and still can't believe people are willing to pay me for it!)


Great thread by the way!!

 

[jlykins]

Anything that you devote yourself to will change you. I notice things more now. I am constantly looking for good compositions and interesting scenes. It has changed me.

 

[jlykins]

Oh almost forgot it has changed the amount of money in my checking account...

 

[Do'Urden's Eyes]

Man, you can get a cheeseburger for a dollar? if they were that cheap id buy a lot of them.

 

[saycheese76]

I never had a creative outlet in my life until I picked up a camera. I was always a consumer of creativity, never a producer. To have found that outlet was liberating. I found myself speaking with a voice I never knew I had.
Jason

 

[Battou]

No....Not really, I'm still an asshole. Easily irritated with general ignorance.


Sorry, I'm slightly irritated now because I am being bitched at on another forum buy a bunch of kids who don't know how to use auto focus....... [/vent]

 

[benhasajeep]

Another stressful jobber here as well. I am the one who signs off an aircraft safe to fly after about 120 other people have taken it apart and put it back together. Our biggest plane seats 380 plus 17 crew.

While the job is going I have the workers complaining why they have to do this or that. Then on the other I have the company saying how much this going to cost us. Or the plane is already late now this. Or the biggest one, we have scheduled a flight for such and such date. When there is no way it will be done in time.

So, I have several outlets when I get home. If one thing doesn't fill the need I go to the next. So, I have several different hobbies I can fall back on.

As for photography changing me. It almost did but I didn't see it. I had loved cameras since I was really young. I had a 35mm Pentax ME Super by the time I was 10 (fathers but was with me 95% of the time). When I was in college I worked for the student paper (printed M-f) so it was a busy paper. Through them I could also go to the local city paper and put things on the AP wire. I can't say I was better than others, but I was getting alot of prints in the paper, more so than the other 8-9 photographers. At one point it was determined I was cherry picking the assignments when they were posted. So, they made a rule you could only take a max of 3 at a time. I still had more printed than the others. :mrgreen: I did alot of sports so that helped.

Through the paper I was actually contacted by parents of some of the kids playing the sports. They wanted pictures of their kids playing (useaully seniors). So, I had a very good side business going taking pictures for them. I always had at least 1 a week to do. $150 and I only had to hand them the rolls of film after the game. Did no advertising, and yet got lots of business.

But I didn't see the signs. The thought of becoming a pro photographer never occured to me. I was not in school for photography or journalism. I did it becasue I liked it. Part of the reason I think I didn't realize I could do it for money was I was always broke still. I was buying new equipment all the time and had a new Jeep (college kid with Nikon F4s, and 300 f/2.8AF). I always think back to it and wonder what would have been.