Business or Passion

I was listening to a podcast on a flight the other day that was about the business of photography. The main thrust of the interviewee was that photography is a business and that emotion should not have a part in the business. I am not going to name names in this post as these are my thoughts and I do not want to convey to you the reader my interpretation (or misinterpretation) of any person that I have not personally engaged in conversation with. So I will name the interviewee Fred, simply because I don’t want to type interviewee every time I wan to make reference to Fred.

Fred’s position of an emotionless aspect of the photography business does hold some merit. Case in point; I could have a huge emotional attachment to a particular image and you may look at it and go eh! On the other hand I may have produced an image that does nothing for me but is technically correct and you may appreciate an image that obeys all the rules of photography and think it is a fantastic image. Fred says for this reason we must remove the emotion and stick strictly to the business.

I will agree that a well marketed mediocre photographer is going to earn more money than a great photographer that nobody knows about. So there lies a major key to a successful photography business. How and where we market ourselves determines not only the amount of income we may earn but also the amount of time we will spend earning that income.

It would be nice if photography was a merit industry but it just is not that way. Why does the $11 K-Mart photo mart prosper when the professional photographer struggles with a $200-$400 photo package. A couple of thoughts on this.

• Is the consumer that driven by cost that value is no longer an issue. This might be part of the reason. Why is one stock cost $2 per share and another cost $150 per share. There is a value attached to that $150 share, perceived or otherwise.

• Quality is another issue. That $11 image will not have the same depth as the higher priced image. Cameras have become ever more advance and produce some really beautiful imagery. They do not however have that power of the PC nor the skill of the artist to take an image and create photographic art.
  

Fred, while very profitable, I think misses the purpose of why we are photographers. That being a genuine passion for the art. I say art because it is very much a creative process. A passion will cause someone to do something for reasons other than monetary value. I say this from one who has spent a life in a profession where the general public would be blown away if they knew the truth. In aviation, not all professional pilots make 200K per year. Actually very few airline pilots make that in this economy. Aviation like photography requires a certain passion in order to endure the years of struggling pay before and if ever one is able to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

To wrap this longer post up, I could summarize it with this statement that applies to any profession, vocation, or work endeavor. Find something that absolutely captivates your interest and find a way to work in that market. Do it to fulfill your passion and if the high scale reward never comes, you will be able to look back and say you spent your time enjoying what you did.

I will stick to my tag-line. 

Enjoy what you do… or find something you can.

This image says it all. Have a great week… Doug