[Leica] Making a living as a photographer ALAN.....

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (tedgrant at shaw.ca)]

Alan Magayne-Roshak offered:
Subject: Re: [Leica] Making a living as a photographer
> Good on you, Ted, for your drive.  I must have the opposite personality, 
> since I like being a (rare) staff photographer, where someone else deals 
> with setting rates, and I only have to photograph and archive.  I'm coming 
> up on my 37th anniversary in this job (Dec. 17th), and two days later will 
> be covering probably my 60th commencement ceremony.  I photograph some of 
> the same events year after year, but I try to approach them as new since 
> for most of the participants, it IS the first time. This has been my dream 
> job, and I feel extremely lucky that I have it.  I don't freelance at all, 
> knowing I'm a poor businessman.  Also, I take the pictures others want all 
> week and would like to shoot what I like on my time and I don't own the 
> digital equipment required these days anyway (interestingly, I have a 
> non-pro friend who has fancier equipment than even our lab does!).  So, I 
> guess I'm really an "amateur" in that I love taking pictures, although 
> I've been shooting far fewer for my
> self in the last ten or so years since I can't get in the darkroom very 
> often and don't get the same thrill with digital that I get using (B&W) 
> film.

Hi Alan,
 I don't see your position as a bore at all, simply because things are 
always changing, new faces and situations even though similar.

More importantly, it's photography you enjoy! And right there is the most 
important part of all!  ENJOYING IT! :-) I never enjoyed shooting weddings, 
not my kind of pomp and ceremony! :-) Oh yeah and the brides Mother! ;-) 
However when I did, the finacial aspect was the redeeming balm to sooth the 
nerves and mind! ;-)

cheers,
ted