During the past number of years, I have seen this cycle play out over and again. A new photographer comes along with their shiny new camera and decides after having their camera for a couple of weeks or perhaps a couple of months they want to be a professional. They’ve read all the photography forums and start off with mini-sessions. charging some ridiculously low price. They then progress into wedding photography. The photographs as okay but they are shot outside in natural sunlight on auto mode. All goes well for about a year or so when they just seem to go away. I’ve had a few of these as students at some point in their venture after they have had some sort of failure. What happened? I know some have come through tough times financially, but what about the others? Even those whom I had as students virtually disappeared from the contact information I had. Could it have been burnout? I’ve often wondered but I haven’t really found the answer.
I tried the professional photographer route once, well sort of. I tried the professional route but it was after I retired from a 32-year career with a pension so it wasn’t like I was going to starve or be homeless if it didn’t work. What I found was I hated marketing. The types of photography that were going to “pay the bills” so to speak, was fun but not really all that exciting, at least to me. Did the others experience the same thing I experienced? Maybe.
Today, I focus more on what I call photographic art. I photograph the things that interest me and occasionally others find the photographic art I produce interesting. I haven’t even listed anything for sale for a while now and that is fine. I may venture down that path again but this time, I will produce the images I want at a pace I want. If you want to be an artist make the art you want. Make the art that moves you and inspires you, that is where I’m going. Join me as artists.
Photographer Clay 
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