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08/19/2004 12:18:03 PM · #26 |
Goals are good but also ever changing.
Mine have changed over the last year or so, but some distant goals are now not so distant.
Initially my dream if you like was to have one of my photographs printed in a proper photography magazine, my criteria for proper was that it must be sold in WHSmiths ;)
I thought it a long shot, then sent a few pics to Digital Camera Magazine and a month later they contacted me to say they wanted to print it.
I was so excited, nothing has beaten that feeling.
Then my goal was to have my work in every other magazine that I read, and I pretty much accomplished that fairly quickly for both photography, and graphic design - from single photographs to a 4 page spread just to me and my pictures.
Whilst exciting at first, it becomes unfufilling.
Although never a goal, winning the MacUser Photography award and my Nikon was nice, big award ceremony etc (which I didn't go to). That was special because I won it with a photograph that I personally liked (rare)
Then my goals were getting more ambitious and I wanted to make some cash from my images. I have sold a modest amount of images now - every one being for £250 with rights to the owner, so I loose the image but gain money which is kind of sad in a way - but i like money a lot.
At one point I had a goal to make a full time living from it. I have shadowed paparazzi and a fashion photographer a few times, and whilst it's extremely glamorous and well paid and includes lots of free travel, beer, and girls - I am not really in a position to do that and can honestly say all the flying etc would get boring after a while (if I was a teenager again though....yessir!) and more importantly you do have to be very good and very ballsy which I am not.
So my only goal is to make a difference with some photographs that i take. I would dearly love to fly to a stricken country, be it famine, war, natural disaster and record the scenes before me. I dream of returning home and sharing those images and feelings with close family and friends, and with people such as yourselves on DPC - hopefully at least one person would be effected by it enough to alter the way they think and give / consider to more unfortunate people than themselves.
If that happened, that would be a dream, and thus it is a distant goal of mine.
Sounds quite romantic, but equally i want to win a bloody blue ribbon! :D
Message edited by author 2004-08-19 12:21:06. |
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08/19/2004 12:35:12 PM · #27 |
Goals, in chronological order:
Take a course.
Win a dpc ribbon.
Improve my photography and win some other contests to boost my ego.
Convince my wife to let me buy a digital SLR.
Compile a portfolio.
Go to university for photography.
Work for a low key journal/publication.
Get a photojournalistic job that is higher profile ("you mean you'll pay for my flight!")
Win bigger, more prestigious awards.
then...National Geographic.
Estimated Time of Arrival: 10 years
Hey, stop that! Why do you have to ruin my dreams by looking at my portfolio, you party-pooper?
Give me some time, I'm new...
:0)
Message edited by author 2004-08-19 12:35:51. |
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08/19/2004 12:49:28 PM · #28 |
I like your last one - Natgeo would Rock
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08/19/2004 03:40:21 PM · #29 |
Originally posted by thatcloudthere:
Goals, in chronological order:
Take a course.
Win a dpc ribbon.
Improve my photography and win some other contests to boost my ego.
Convince my wife to let me buy a digital SLR.
Compile a portfolio. |
I guess I've gotten about this far too.
Not quite sure what direction I want to go.
It would be nice to earn money to pay for gear.
I'd like to be able to sell my photography at some point.
I've shot weddings and while it is very lucrative, I'm not too sure I'm interested in the hassles.
Sports/ event photography is certainly interesting but probably not that much money in it.
Exhibitions and being published is nice but pretty time intensive after a while.
Maybe I'll write a book...
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08/19/2004 03:43:14 PM · #30 |
Originally posted by Gordon:
Originally posted by thatcloudthere:
Goals, in chronological order:
Take a course.
Win a dpc ribbon.
Improve my photography and win some other contests to boost my ego.
Convince my wife to let me buy a digital SLR.
Compile a portfolio. |
I guess I've gotten about this far too.
Not quite sure what direction I want to go.
It would be nice to earn money to pay for gear.
I'd like to be able to sell my photography at some point.
I've shot weddings and while it is very lucrative, I'm not too sure I'm interested in the hassles.
Sports/ event photography is certainly interesting but probably not that much money in it.
Exhibitions and being published is nice but pretty time intensive after a while.
Maybe I'll write a book... |
Congrats on all your achievements so far! Im aiming for the 'win a dpc ribbon' goal :-)
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08/19/2004 03:50:05 PM · #31 |
Yes, sincere congrats on your accomplishments so far, Gordon!
It's members such as yourself that are proving very helpful as I strive to improve my photographic skills and this site will ultimately help me to see more of my goals be obtained (maybe not all of them!). |
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08/19/2004 05:34:51 PM · #32 |
My Goals
Long Term - I want to sell my photographs as "art" for people's walls.
Short Term - I want to learn as much as I can about studio photography (with equipment in MY price range) and about night photography. I also want to win a ribbon one day and gain the respect of all you DPCers. I am pretty far away, but I do have that as a goal of mine! I am taking a DPC break from submitting for now, but will be participating again soon. I just moved, so no motivation to do anything but unpack (evenings). During the day, I look at the forums here, while at work. I REALLY want some better quality lenses. My photos are lacking some luster, and I blame the lenses. I tried a friend's lens and my images were amazing in it!!!! Sorry, i am all over the place!
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08/19/2004 05:55:33 PM · #33 |
Right now my only goal is to use such photographic skills as I have to raise money for the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation. Please forgive my shameless promotion and have a look at my prints. Please consider buying one if you find one you like .
100% of the profits (mine and DPC's) are being donated to DSWF. All those marked DSWF are part of this project and I'm currently running it at least until end of 2004.
I have travelled to Africa a few times and am a fervent believer that humanity is shooting itself in the foot by failing to stop the extinction of species after species and believe that even the smallest steps to help are steps in the right direction.
Please help me use photography to save our planet's wildlife.
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08/19/2004 05:59:42 PM · #34 |
Average photographer according to department of labor earns about $28k per year :) the top 10% earns about $50k. Contrast that with other profession......
Wedding photography are not necessarily lucrative -- it's only lucrative if you do on the side job. If you factor in the time, business expenses, etc. it's easily a low paying gig. One pro i know gross about $120k but after all expenses, only take home $30k.
Originally posted by Gordon:
Originally posted by thatcloudthere:
Goals, in chronological order:
Take a course.
Win a dpc ribbon.
Improve my photography and win some other contests to boost my ego.
Convince my wife to let me buy a digital SLR.
Compile a portfolio. |
I guess I've gotten about this far too.
Not quite sure what direction I want to go.
It would be nice to earn money to pay for gear.
I'd like to be able to sell my photography at some point.
I've shot weddings and while it is very lucrative, I'm not too sure I'm interested in the hassles.
Sports/ event photography is certainly interesting but probably not that much money in it.
Exhibitions and being published is nice but pretty time intensive after a while.
Maybe I'll write a book... |
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08/19/2004 07:39:27 PM · #35 |
Originally posted by paganini:
Average photographer according to department of labor earns about $28k per year :) the top 10% earns about $50k. Contrast that with other profession...... |
Who wants to be average...
but like I think I said, or meant to, I have not intention of doing photography full time. Earning money to pay for cameras would be good.
Nor would I wish wedding photography on anyone.
Message edited by author 2004-08-19 19:42:46.
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08/20/2004 01:48:42 PM · #36 |
Originally posted by paganini:
Average photographer according to department of labor earns about $28k per year :) the top 10% earns about $50k. Contrast that with other profession...... |
I equate that to the trade-off people make in occupations like being a Golf Pro - most of them don't make a whole lot of money either, but the trade-off is that they get to do what they love.
I don't necessarily love what I do for a living, but I don't hate it either, and the salary makes my hobbies possible.
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08/20/2004 01:58:32 PM · #37 |
| My goal in photography is to always try to capture emotion on people faces! I am currently a wedding photographer and enjoying what I love most! My goal is to go National! |
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08/20/2004 02:07:50 PM · #38 |
I would drop my decent-paying-job-with-future-opportunities in 8 seconds if I could get paid $28K/year to do photography full-time!
...ever have that creepy feeling that you're boss is standing behind you as you type?? |
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08/20/2004 02:15:22 PM · #39 |
My aim as of now is to be a great BW Photography and a great Portrait Photographer. May be eventually only doing natural light portraits only
Two of my Portraits
Portrait 1
Portrait 2 |
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08/20/2004 02:18:19 PM · #40 |
My goal is for others to get the same enjoyment out of my pictures as I have.I feel I am improving all the time,or getting more critical of myself! In any case this site has helped me immensely.
I will I hope win a ribbon,and finally maybe sell a few prints,it must be a great buzz to know your pictures are adorning somebody's wall somewhere.
At the moment I know of only one, and I thank him.
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08/20/2004 02:20:42 PM · #41 |
I have reached some of my goals in photography which are getting a job where I can use my art skills, design skills and love for photography in a job. My current job I am a creative art director for a book publishing company where I use my all my skills and my love for photography. I get to take photos and have them put into the books I design. I am happy with my goals so far I get to travel take photos and have them in publications, but my other goals is to get into a bigger company have have a chance to travel more.
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08/20/2004 02:34:08 PM · #42 |
This thread just reminded me that my local library has a gallery. I've been meaning to call, so I just did. Basically, all local artists (photographers) can display and sell prints there as long as your stuff is "good enough" (he made it seem like the bar is pretty low). Problem is, there's a 3 to 4 year waiting list.
doh!
You could contact Starbuck's as well. They always have local photography on display and for sale. It would be a good way to get your name known locally. |
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08/20/2004 04:02:51 PM · #43 |
My goals in photography are to continue to enjoy taking photos.
To enter challenges on DPC regardless of final scores, and to listen to comments.
To praise others for the effort they put into their photos.
And to have fun, moan alot, sulk and stamp my feet when I don't do well and to bore everyone about photography. |
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08/20/2004 10:34:35 PM · #44 |
Originally posted by Gordon:
I think getting good at anything takes commitment. In a lot of ways dpc is contrary to that. Yes it encourages you to take pictures each week but with the constantly changing subject there is a tendancy to flit from subject to subject without getting good at anything.
This is great to start with. You learn how to use a camera, you get exposed to lots of new aspects of photography and no doubt have a lot of fun in the process. But there comes a time when you have to commit to 'a subject' or 'a style' to get good at it. One week isn't enough. One month isn't enough. One year might be starting to be long enough time to get mediocre at a style/subject within the broad brush of 'photography' A lifetime is probably a good start for most people.
There are a few areas of photography I'm at least beginning to specialise in, that I am interested in. I've come back to them again and again over a couple of years and now feel I'm starting to get the hang of it and producing some interesting work. In the first week of shooting those subjects I thought I had really interesting results. But with time and with study the really good pictures start to emerge.
So for me, goals are often reasonably long term projects that I try to take on. I'll attempt to define it up front, spec out what I want to achieve. Is it a set of 6 pictures, or one to hang on the wall, or a show in a gallery ? I'll spec out a subject - is it something I'll have to travel for, or something that would take several years to achieve, or just a long weekend. Then I'll probably spend some time researching and understanding the subject. Round about then it might be worth taking a couple of pictures, looking at the results and more than likely throwing them away (metaphorically) and shooting them again.
In otherwords, I think to get better you have to put some more effort in. Find something you want to make some pictures of. Commit to it. Write it down if that helps. Make it happen. Go all the way through from beginning to end. (I usually try to define an 'end' result as well - matted prints on a wall, that kind of thing) I think working through the whole process to making a great final print really is educational. The pain of any small imperfections in an image are magnified over and over, the larger you print it or the harder you try to really get the print right. Not just okay, but right. Re printing, re working, re editing, re shooting.
Or you could be happy with what you shoot on any given week for a challenge theme that you think about for a couple of days then move on. Nothing wrong with that either. |
I concur, 100%!!! |
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