Bold Decisions...

Starting out, I never considered myself a “photographer.” In fact, taking photographs was purely incidental. Vacations, birthdays, get-togethers. They all had to be remembered. And I snapped what I could. The camera made everyone uneasy, but it was simply what you were supposed to do. I didn’t put much thought into it. And I sure didn’t think of myself as a “photographer.” But the images weren’t too bad.

Fast-forward to my college days. Over a period of five years I traveled to eleven countries outside the US doing mission work. Most trips were between two and five weeks in length, always with a camera in hand. Again, there was no real purpose to the photos other than the memories. However, at some point, that began to change. I experienced many incredible things overseas. So many so, I can’t even begin to recount them here. But the images . . .the images began to contain some real meaning. So much more than simply remembering where I was, these images began to speak to something deeper. Every frame was a part of something bigger, something spectacular. I began to see the incredible power of the photograph. Susan Sontag in her book “On Photography” said something to the effect of “narrative can adequately recount an event or situation. But a photograph does something different – it haunts us” (paraphrase). My photographs began to speak of the people and places I had been to in way my words never could. Photography stopped being merely incidental. I began actively seeking out my shots, visualizing the frames. For the first time, my photography had a purpose. I wanted to do much more than simply remember the people I was with. I want to expose their very being.

For the next several years, I couldn’t shake it. I loved taking photographs. In my technical ignorance, the only way I knew how to improve my photographs was to shoot more. I was chasing good images, not knowing how to get them. My camera was 100% automatic. No bells, no whistles. I was armed only with my eye. Over time I developed my eye to see better shots. I honed my vision. I got better. I wanted to shoot more and more.

Soon, my day job became less and less appealing. By this time in my life I thought I was doomed to a life of working in a job I loathed. And every other job out there seemed even worse. So it began to swell – could it be that I could actually make a living doing something I loved? I wanted to shoot. But how do you do that? How do you make money pushing a shutter button? I still couldn’t shake it. Everything in me screamed, “This is your thing. This makes you happy. This you must do. This makes you alive!” And so the struggle raged inside me. It was a struggle because a career in photography meant major change. If I were going to do this, it would be with my whole heart. It meant learning everything I could. For me, school was the best fit. It involved my wife and I moving out of state. It meant moving away from close friends, and a community of people we loved so dearly. It meant changing our entire life. It meant a huge, life-altering decision. It meant being . . . BOLD. Would it be worth it?

There aren’t many things in life worth having that don’t require sacrifice.

Well, here I am four years later. My wife and I moved. I went to school. My skills and vision have increased and continue to increase. I’m working a part-time job at a camera store, but I am building a career as a photographer. But, I’m on my way. I’m doing my thing. I love what I do. I am doing what I must do. Am I where I want to be as a photographer? Not even close. But, I fully embrace my place in the industry. I am working at it with my whole heart. I am moving forward. But most of all, I am . . . ALIVE.

So what happened? Why am I no longer stuck in a job I loath? What brought me to a better place in life? Put simply: I changed what needed to be changed. For years I wasn’t happy with the situation I was in. Well, if we continue doing what we are doing, we will always be doing what we’re doing. Don’t like it? Do something about it. Don’t be passive. Be active. Be Bold. You can do this thing called Photography. You can even make a living at it. That’s the path I’m on. And I want you to succeed at it as well. David duChemin wrote: “Whatever the next step for you is, take it boldly. These are not times for the timid; there’s no reward in tiptoeing through life only to make it safely to death.” That’s what I did for so many years. Tiptoeing around, but no real movement, no real direction. And I was unhappy doing what I was doing. Something had to change. It was time to stop tiptoeing and start taking very decisive steps towards something better. Has our move been easy? Not at all. Has the transition been smooth? Hardly. Has it been worth it? Absolutely.

So, what’s your next step? Maybe you take photos as a hobby and you want to up your game a little. Perhaps you want to make a difference in someone’s life like the guys over at Help-Portrait. Or like me, maybe you want to turn photography into a career, because nothing else will do. Maybe your next step isn’t all that clear, foggy at best. Few decisions in life are clear. But you must decide something. No matter how big or small, do something about it. Be active. And whatever the next step is for you, take it BOLDLY!

Now, go out and shoot something!