have i ever mentioned how badly i want to be a photographer?
i mean like... not as a hobby.
well, yes... as a hobby,
but i want to do it like ... on a larger scale, too.
i've applied to photography programs like errywhere,
and even got accepted to a certain art school in nyc...
but i have never pursued it.
probably because everyone and their dog is a photographer.
so if you say
"i'm a photographer"
people go, "ohh ohh yeah kool gr8 4u".
on one hand there are the talenty people {looking at you, anna james}
and then there are kiddos who take pictures of a building at an unconventional angle and post it on facebook in a "** MeY PHOTOGRAPHeY!!! XD :)) ;)))**" folder.
and they're a photographer. technically.
sit down and think about all the "photographers" that you know.
their names alone could fill a warehouse.
everyone is starting a photography business.
they're popping up everywhere.
it's discouraging.
i've returned lenses, stopped reading books on exposure, quit learning
because i feel like everyone else is doing the exact same thing!
on the other hand...
there are SO many dancers out there.
if you didn't stick with it, you took a dance class at some point when you were 4.
and yet i still dance and teach and choreograph.
because i love it.
i still want to share it
and i know it's competitive...
okay that's an understatement....
but i still keep on truckin' because maybe i have something to offer in the dance world.
when i went to a photoshoot in provo once,
the photographer was talking and shooting me at the same time
asking what i did for a living, hobbies, etc.
i said i loved dance. i love art. i love photography.
to which he responded
"everybody's a photographer, artist or dancer around here."
gahhh!
it's true.
anyone can pick up a pair of tennies and be a runner.
anyone can pick up a whisk and be a cook.
anyone can be a singer, an actress, a writer, a doctor.
well maybe not a doctor...
but still.
i look at photographers and i want to go all ariel on them!
i wanna know everything.
ask 'em my questions and get some answers.
i've got 9 cameras,
boxes of rolls of film,
lens filters,
books and books on photography,
folders on my computer of photographs that inspire me.
if i won a bunch of money i would definitely buy an amazing camera,
go to photo retreats, buy lenses, gain all the knowledge i can.
so why not now?
i want to be part of that world,
but i feel like it's already too crowded.
Who gives a crap? Do it if you want to do it! You are kewl.
ReplyDeleteooohhhhh the photographer claim issue. i have so much to say about it. i sort of hate the whole "i have a nice camera and photoshop on my computer, therefore i am a photographer. don't mind my photos that lack composition, thought and quality. it's all about the editing peeps." NOT EVERYONE IS A PHOTOGRAPHER. at the same time i hate claiming to be one myself. i actually never do. i just claim it as a hobby/talent of mine. never do i say i am an actual photographer. partly because of the first reason, and also partly because it's the "in" thing these days. i don't want people thinking that i claim to be such a thing just because it's the cool thing to do when in reality i do it because i love it. i agree with you about the discouring part. the photographry world is so competitive right now. it makes me feel that there is no more room left for new additons. and anna? she can claim the photographer role for suuure. she has mad talent. and ayley, you have some serious serious skills in the dance department. you were always one of the few on the high school team who had the potential to actally go somewhere with their dancing and i'm so glad that you're still persuing it. in the end if photography is something you enjoy then do it! that's why i still take my little random pictures and upload them to my fb in my "hobby" folder :]
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