Don’t give up?
Written by David White“Don’t give up”
The above is advice often given to aspiring photographers. Especially in that colour. In fact, it has been given on this blog as part of a comment today.
It’s good advice, isn’t it?
Hang on a second though. Maybe you should give up. Maybe I should give up. Just because you want something doesn’t mean you’re going to get it, deserve to get it, or are even able to.
There’s probably better ways you can spend your time, more worthwhile jobs. Definitely easier ways to earn money. Jobs which you could be better suited to, but have not yet found. Maybe. You’ll never know unless you try, as my old Gran said as she passed me the dutchie on the left hand side. ( Her cooking pot…blimey).
If you’re a crap photographer, and you don’t give up, what’s going to happen? You’ll stress yourself to death. And your partner too, if you can find one to stay with you through poverty, insecurity and self flagellation. If you’re a good photographer, and you don’t give up, you might just about earn a living. Your partner will have to find their own. There might still be a bit of flagellation, and definitely the odd honk of insecurity. If you’re an awesome photographer, you -should- get by just fine. Just don’t spend any money. However, there are few of the latter. Few. I’ve only ever seen one, and he was dead. I took his picture.
I don’t mean this post to be negative, just realistic. And a bit of a joke. However I must admit to having seen a lot of work that is so below Parr that I honestly could not recommend the authors pursue a career in photography. I could see the hell. (And it’s not like Clifton). It’s not my job to tell them that though, unless they ask. Which they don’t. Ask yourself.
Chin up , the chip shop’s hiring, and you might even get to see Elvis. I hope you’ve got your camera. 🙂
Discussion (4 Comments)
Love that colour, Dave 🙂 Here’s a little video to keep you going http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT4Fu-XDygw
Thought you’d like that 🙂
Hey David, don’t tell anyone else about the chip shop!
I need the job….
This is the unspoken but critical question any business should ask itself: should I keep at it or close up shop?
Unfortunately, most “cost of doing business” calculators (like NPPA’s) only get you 80% of the way there. They are billed as helping you calculate “what you should charge.” In any market, though, you don’t just get to demand that people pay you a certain rate. What if the market won’t pay that much, or won’t do so frequently enough? What if you’re not good enough to command those fees? NPPA won’t tell you the answer, but your article did: you should find some other way to earn a living. This might be another type of photography, or something else altogether.
Alas, the vast majority of people can’t even answer the basic question of whether they’re actually in the black or in the red.