Author: The Photographer Clay

Yesterday morning, December 11, 2022, I woke early, as usual, and when I let the dog out for his morning ritual I noticed it was pretty foggy. This is often something that can’t be planned where I live since this morning it was forecast to be foggy but it isn’t. The unpredictability of the weather is often a challenge for most of us since we have other jobs, well I have 14 more workdays left. We can often work with the weather but planning a photo project based on the weather makes it, at times, something that is out of reach for us or when it happens you just have to be ready.

When I saw the fog yesterday morning, I quickly put on some shoes and a jacket grabbed a camera, and started to walk my neighborhood.

I didn’t take many but I was able to get out and get some shots. Even small exercises like this are necessary to get your vision and motivation going. Photographic exercises are just like physical exercising in that photographic exercise keeps your skills and vision in shape just as physical exercise keeps your body conditioned.

Remember to exercise often. If you can’t get some photographic exercise daily, at least to weekly exercise.

I don’t dream of becoming a high-end fashion photographer, or a world-renowned photojournalist. My greatest photographic goal is to create art that inspires not only me but may inspire others to stop chasing money and start to follow a creative life. To create art that enhances the beauty of the world despite what others may see. If we are surrounded by the beauty of the world we become better people and when we become better we inspire others to become better. My greatest photographic goal is to make the world a better place even if it just starts with me.

It’s not always about photographing people dressed scantly. It’s not always about scoring the paying event. It’s not always about money, it is about hopes, dreams, emotions, and creativity. It’s about finding beauty in the everyday world and everyday people.

The photograph I featured today I took 12 1/2 years ago. I was inspired by the artistic expression of the graffiti artist. When the image was shared with the outside world I took a lot and I mean a lot of criticism for glorifying vandalism. While it is true that the act of painting graffiti is a crime the image has nothing to do with glorifying anything but the art. I’m still, to this day, inspired by a lot of the artistic graffiti I see. So much of the world has become hardened and angry and unable to see how beautiful things can become. Maybe, just maybe I can help at least one other person to be able to see the beauty that exists in everyday people and objects doing everyday things.

We’ve all probably done it. We find a hobby and think, “I wish I could do this as my job.” The problem is that we often fail to realize that we started the hobby to relax from working. The hobby was our way to disengage from the workweek. If the hobby becomes the job is it still a hobby? Do we then have to find a new hobby? I’m sure there are those people that exist that can separate work and hobby when they are the same, such as photography or painting. As for me, I’m not so sure I could separate the two.

My start in photography was quite an accident. I was given a 35mm camera as a gift. I hadn’t ever really done any photography before. We had cameras but they were mostly for family events, birthdays, Christmas, and such. When I got the camera the more I experimented and played with it the more it became a hobby. It was a way to escape my work, which I really enjoyed at the time but the work was often stressful.

I have attempted to start a photography business in the past. What I found was there was more work than mere photography. It wasn’t all taking photographs. There was marketing, client meetings, deadlines, product delivery, and product review. There were emails, phone calls, accounting, and a whole plethora of other office work to be done. You also have to maintain insurance, contracts, websites, and equipment. Everything had to be triple or quadruple backed up in case of failure. It was, well, a job.

I decided that, for me, it was better to keep photography as a hobby and if during the course of performing my hobby someone wanted to buy or pay for my photographs it was great. If not, it is also great because I’m doing something I like the way I like for enjoyment, without pressure to perform or deliver.

If you are thinking about doing photography as a business because it is currently a hobby consider all the things that it may involve beyond taking photographs. It will save you some headaches and heartbreak if you find you’ve lost interest to continue your hobby because it became a job.

Hard work isn’t enough to become successful. I know lots of people who work hard every day but by the common definition of successful, they are not successful. It’s a hard fact that few of us want to admit. We like to believe if we work hard, our hard work will be rewarded. It’s not the case.

Not only does it take hard work but it also helps to put yourself in a position to become successful. You have to ask yourself what you have done to prepare yourself. Do you have the skills and knowledge in your chosen field? Do you have the experience? Have you invested in yourself? Are you prepared to hear an honest critique of your work?

Years ago, I got my first critique from a photography instructor. It was brutal, but I needed to hear that critique at the time. It caused me to try harder by taking the lessons more seriously and actually putting forth an effort to learn. It caused me to take an honest look at my work and become determined to improve.

Sometimes you have to say what needs to be heard. Sometimes you have to roll with the punches. Sometimes you have to take a chance. Sometimes you have to realize your potential or lack thereof. If your potential is lacking you must decide how you’re going to fix it.

I’ve heard this phrase so many times and to some extent, I agree with it. The problem starts when we try to take it too far. You can’t fake talent, knowledge, or skill. Especially when it comes to photographic art. It takes talent, knowledge, and skills to create photographs that are more than mere snapshots.

I certainly don’t wish to discourage others. I don’t want to discourage others from dreaming big. At the same time, I want to encourage those to be humble and stay grounded. When you try to pass yourself off as the “Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz”, eventually, just as happened with the wizard, the truth surfaces. Now you’ve damaged your reputation unless like in the movie those who pulled back the curtain to reveal you are understanding. In business, that is often not likely to happen.

I am not the greatest, most talented, or most knowledgable, or even have the best skills. What I have, though is a community to help me along the way. After all the years I’ve been a photographer, I haven’t always been a photographic artist. For years, I was a picture taker. A snapshot shooter. In recent years, I have become passionate not about photography but about photography as an art form. It’s more than setting up dozens of photo sessions and taking hundreds or thousands of pictures. It’s about telling stories, conveying messages, showing emotions, and capturing personalities.

Photographers who truly want to rise to a level above where they are, be they beginner or advanced, should spend some time on self-reflection. See where you are, objectively, and then decide where you want to be. Develop your skills, knowledge, and creativity. Hone your talent. Only then will you be able to rise above the crowd. The fake it til you make it, is a false god. Learn it til you earn it.