I got into this line of work because it keeps me on my toes. Pretty much everything will bore me stupid after a while, so to be in a line of work where the stimulus changes up from day to day is perfect for me.I'm freelance, so I don't get the four assignments to chase around town every day like I used to when I worked at a newspaper. Some of you know the drill: water main breaks, local chick wins national pie-baking contest, k-9 funeral and a nice shiny sportrait at the end of the day to top it all off. I was overstimulated back then, but somehow underwhelmed.
I have a lot of downtime now but I spend much of it doing paperwork like filing invoices, keeping spreadsheets up to date and scanning receipts. When I'm not shooting or doing that, I'm planning my next project.
I live pretty close to a big expo center where they have some interesting shows. I check out the calendar every so often to see if there's anything worthwhile and a couple of months ago I noticed the center would be hosting the National Capitol Cat Show. Well hot damn. I marked my calendar and eagerly awaited the date.
I was not disappointed, as cat people are... very special people. Let's just say they photograph well.
My point is, most of the things I shoot on my own time are things that I find interesting. They amuse me or intrigue me- and they serve to keep the flame burning. I'd quit photography in a heartbeat if I only got to shoot weddings and senate hearings. It's a good thing there's no shortage of subject matter.
5 comments:
Melissa-- thanks for the post. Wonderful, strange people. That's my favorite part about this job-- nothing tops reality. Perhaps over a beer you'd talk more about your transition from newspapers to freelance. I have a feeling that's a career path a lot of us newspaper kids will need to consider. I look forward to meeting you.
I'll talk about anything over a beer, Amanda. I'll also pretty much talk about anything at any time. I don't have a filter nor do I have any shame.
We are obviously a perfect match. No shame whatsoever. : )
Are newspapers worth fighting for?
It's tough for me to imagine a world without them. I'm online a lot, but for pure reading pleasure it's tough to beat good old fashioned newsprint.
My first job was as a newspaper delivery boy. 5 am. Every day of the week, every week of the year. 4 miles on my bicycle. Nothing better than riding across people's lawn's smashing their doors with a tightly rolled paper, early in the morning.
In any case each morning I looked at the front page over and over again while I folded the papers. Fortunately for me my hometown paper had a great photographer who helped shaped my vision. I remember the day Eddie's photograph was plastered across six columns. Quite a wake call.
I spent the first part of my photography career working for a great newspaper, and it was wonderful. Leaving was one of the toughest things I've ever done and I was headed to Sports Illustrated.
I think newspapers are giving up too easily. They constantly proclaim their own demise--guess it's a story they don't want to get beat on.
Without newspapers we wouldn't have survived as a society, a democracy.
What can be done to save them?
Bill
I'm currently working for a great newspaper, and I'm not sure I'll ever have another job like this again. Newspapers are critically important to an educated electorate, and yet they seem to be the toughest industry to make profitable these days. Are we just waiting for online revenue to be viable? Will it ever be? Do I have to learn video to make it in this industry? Is anyone watching video?
Until June, I'm happily tucked away in Jasper, Indiana, learning visual storytelling through still photography for a community that values picture stories. After that, I have no idea,
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