GoM
TPF Noob!
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2006
- Messages
- 1,537
- Reaction score
- 1
- Location
- Toronto, ON
- Can others edit my Photos
- Photos NOT OK to edit
So, I do some volunteer work for a couple publications while I finish up my photographically-unrelated degree this year. To gain experience, because photojournalism is what I want to do. Unfortunately, as I am finishing up school at the moment, I have to devote an inordinate amount of time to work that's better and much more preferably spent shooting.
About a month ago, I shot a country concert. The guy I was next to was from the London Free Press, and he told me that to be the guy with the camera you have to want it more than anyone else in your class, age group, location, skill level, anybody around. Talent can take you so far, acumen can take you so much farther, but desire takes you to the top.
About two weeks ago I shot a football game on the sideline, my first experience doing that. Last week, I shot a hockey game. Tonight, I shot an election campaign's HQ as the results came in for the riding (they won).
I by absolutely no means can even pretend that I have the most talent out there, nor the most experience, nor the most day-to-day shooting, nor the best camera (not even close). I've been shooting for a year and a bit, most of which I've taken seriously. I suck in every bit of information and insight I can, even if I can't apply it; if I can, so much the better.
What I'm saying is I know I've done basically nothing. I haven't been paid for my own work outright (I work part-time at a photo studio in a grocery store; lighting is fixed, our only creative input is the posing (which is, admittedly, pretty important), we get paid an hourly wage and the rights belong to the customer. I count that as experience, but not getting paid for my own work) yet. I can't devote nearly as much time to my own creative outlets, but I make it where I can.
But I do know that this is what I want to do, and that feeling increases with everything I do related to it, whether it's admire another's work, cover an event or talk shop with a rep at a camera store. I leave earlier for an event to cover and stay later each time (unless I have another event to get to), I explore different angles, shots, effects and everything to my ability to get a distinct shot whilst still telling the story; more often than not, it usually fails, and I don't expect that trend to change. But a thought struck me tonight on the bus ride home from the outskirts of the city where the election HQ was located.
I love what I do. And I'm not even doing it yet. There's a long road ahead, longer than I can possibly imagine, but god damn if I'm ever ready it.
(this post has absolutely no point beyond expressing some arbitrarily-discovered and haphhazardly-reasoned self-confidence that appeared for no particular reason)
About a month ago, I shot a country concert. The guy I was next to was from the London Free Press, and he told me that to be the guy with the camera you have to want it more than anyone else in your class, age group, location, skill level, anybody around. Talent can take you so far, acumen can take you so much farther, but desire takes you to the top.
About two weeks ago I shot a football game on the sideline, my first experience doing that. Last week, I shot a hockey game. Tonight, I shot an election campaign's HQ as the results came in for the riding (they won).
I by absolutely no means can even pretend that I have the most talent out there, nor the most experience, nor the most day-to-day shooting, nor the best camera (not even close). I've been shooting for a year and a bit, most of which I've taken seriously. I suck in every bit of information and insight I can, even if I can't apply it; if I can, so much the better.
What I'm saying is I know I've done basically nothing. I haven't been paid for my own work outright (I work part-time at a photo studio in a grocery store; lighting is fixed, our only creative input is the posing (which is, admittedly, pretty important), we get paid an hourly wage and the rights belong to the customer. I count that as experience, but not getting paid for my own work) yet. I can't devote nearly as much time to my own creative outlets, but I make it where I can.
But I do know that this is what I want to do, and that feeling increases with everything I do related to it, whether it's admire another's work, cover an event or talk shop with a rep at a camera store. I leave earlier for an event to cover and stay later each time (unless I have another event to get to), I explore different angles, shots, effects and everything to my ability to get a distinct shot whilst still telling the story; more often than not, it usually fails, and I don't expect that trend to change. But a thought struck me tonight on the bus ride home from the outskirts of the city where the election HQ was located.
I love what I do. And I'm not even doing it yet. There's a long road ahead, longer than I can possibly imagine, but god damn if I'm ever ready it.
(this post has absolutely no point beyond expressing some arbitrarily-discovered and haphhazardly-reasoned self-confidence that appeared for no particular reason)
... made me think about stuff. Thanks
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![[No title]](/data/xfmg/thumbnail/33/33023-51777cffdd160249e68e593d19942418.jpg?1619735835)
