You got a fast car
And I want a ticket to go anywhere
Maybe we can make a deal
Maybe together we can get somewhere
Anyplace is better
I remember we were driving, driving in your car
The speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
Band photo session.
Hamburg, Germany.
Autumn 2011.
I haven't published a lot of portraits last year. If I remember correctly, all of them were self-portraits. However, that doesn't mean I'm not taking any portraits no more. I'm still doing photo shoots. Just not as many as I used to back in the days when I wanted to make a living as a photographer. I don't get paid for the photo shoots I do now; I do my friends a favour, and in turn they invite me to their concerts or they give me T-shirts for free (I'm also the photographer for a friend's clothing line).
I'm a lot more happy that way than I used to be three years ago. There's no pressure. No pressure to satisfy clients, no pressure to get enough assignments to earn enough money to make it through the month.
My advice to any other young person with an interest in a creative job would be to keep doing what you love as a hobby, and find yourself a day job that you're passionate about. It certainly worked for me.
I'm going to keep studying until I get my Bachelor of Arts degree because it'll be an accomplishment to be proud of, but now that I'm working in gastronomy again, I've realised that it's what I want to do for a living. I'm going to work my way up - in a couple years I might be the manager of a coffee shop - and someday, I might own a café or bar.
This past weekend, I went to see the film "Intouchables", the second most successful French film of all time. It's a wonderful film indeed - I promise, it's a must-see - and the soundtrack is amazing as well; the music was composed by Ludovico Einaudi, who also contributed a track to the soundtrack of "This Is England".
Goodnight.
- Dom
4 comments:
I think you're very wise. Unless you are very lucky, many people find that creative work can become a very difficult way to make a living. What is fun becomes a chore.
Great band pics!
I used to love that song. Well still do, I guess. I would like to learn portrait photography this year. I love your photos!
J.: Exactly, fun becomes a chore. Glad you like the pictures! :-)
M.: Thanks very much! Learning by doing has always worked best for me... and lots of inspiration - Flickr is an endless source of inspiration.
I must admit, I do learn from others' techniques. I learned "shooting from the hip" last year and it works so well for markets and people shots because no one notices the camera.
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