What I've Been Reading

So, since I'm still not really sure what I have to say here, I though it might make more sense to start out with what some other people have.

My goal is to become a professional photographer. Seems simple, but sometimes not. So I've sought out anything that might show me just how to get there. Mostly through magazines and workshops, books and blogs. But it seems most of what’s out there is about gear and techniques. And while this has all been incredibly helpful, it still left a massive hole on how I was to make any money out of this.

Then, as luck would have it, late last year David duChemin came out with his latest book VisionMongers. All the reviews and comments online had gone on and on about what a brilliant book it this was to inspire and remind aspiring and professional photographers that it wasn’t about your gear but about your vision. A vision with a sense of purpose. A vision with a style. A vision.... to have a vision.

And while David does a great job inspiring us all with this, it was the other half of the title (the word I don’t think a lot of us want to concentrate on) that really makes this book so good: Monger

I’ll leave it to him to best describe this word and all it’s meanings, but when you get down to the heart of it, he reminds the reader that this is a job. You’ve got a craft to learn, a business to run and a product to sell.

Through his own personal story of success and failure, and making money in an corner of the business with very little to go around, he shows just how important it is (if not more important) to run a tight ship and keeping your clients happy.

It’s always been a dream that if I took good enough pictures, work would come my way. Without crushing that dream, David shows how this kind of wishful thinking is no substitute for an honest plan.

Of course there’s still plenty in the book to inspire you to follow your creative passion and the need for you to have that vision, but it’s his practical advise on how to market and sell that vision that sets this book apart.

And after you read the book, David also has a great blog to keep up with him as he travels the world.

First Photo

While certainly not the "very first" photo I ever took, I still like to think of this one as the one.

Why? Because for the very first time, I went out with camera in hand and a photo in mind. Everything before were just random snapshots, made in the moment and the hope that something good enough to use would come out. But for this one, my good friend Rich asked me to make a Hanukkah card for him. You could say he was my first client. And this, my first assignment.

The concept for was brief, basically "let's make it funny", and most of the ideas involving various members of an unwitting general public. Long story short, it didn't quite go to plan. But we did end up in this restaurant down on 3rd Street and made the scene up as we went along. 3 or 4 rolls of film and a few curious stares later and wouldn't you know it, the first photo I ever took is still probably my favorite.

Day 1

Lately everyone's been saying you've got to get a blog. OK, they've been saying it for years. But not until recently, with a little extra time on my hands and some solid encouragement, have I decided to finally get started.

So, like many blogs out there, this one will begin in much the same way - with no idea where it's headed. But if a title can be a guide, I've called this blog what I plan on being: a professional photographer. For now I'm a stay-at home dad to my beautiful daughter Gracie and with a long way to go before I'm making a living. But a story has to start somewhere, and here we are.

Thanks

Kevin