The Long-Term Plan For Your Photography

on July 28, 2022
I had a long-term plan for my photographic career - stop laughing - it was to keep on taking pictures until I was either famous, infamous, or completely obscure. I didn't care which; I am starting to suspect I may have achieved it. Not imagining that I would make the profession or business of photography my sole career, I let it be the important sideline to my main profession. Then it became a big part of my life after the first retirement. After the second retirement. ( Will he never go away? Change the locks. ) it still echoes on as a passionate interest - and one that has a point supporting my other interests. Never planned it that way, but that's how it worked out. How about you? If you are top photographer, remunerated and awarded in keeping with your skill, you may have carefully planned this and worked out the steps that led you ever upwards. Perhaps a formal education at a tertiary level, then internship in a professional firm, then your own practice. Perhaps a apprenticeship - perhaps an increasing number of jobs with different employers to build your skills. Perhaps a job in the publishing or retail trades. But did you map it out beforehand...or did you, like Topsy, just grow? Whichever approach, fate and/or chance may have played a part of it. Good luck is good luck, after all. But what if it wasn't good? There are careers that have risen only so far before they came down again - sometimes due to the person themselves but in many cases due to a variety of external causes. I cannot think, though, that anyone planned their own eclipse - to some extent it has always come as an unpleasant surprise. The serendipitous photographer may have it a great deal better than the calculating one when encountering the exigencies of fortune. If you find things going well for yourself without any conscious planning, you are more likely to accept a flip of the coin as well. The driven professional, amateur, or artist would take reverse harder as it despoils their plans. Of course they may have secondary plans for recovery. They may have more severe rivalries, as well. I have not learned of any instances of professional photographic disputes being settled with cage fights or meetings at dawn, and few of the shooters forsake cameras for rifles, but there are probably still some pretty strong undercurrents when money is being sought. And I wouldn't care to run between the trenches on some photographic club nights...
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