Where my heart meets my pocketbook
I was talking to an old photographer one day, one whose work I prize. I had been frustrated with my lack of sales on my images (I also sell stock photography). “Is there ever a place,” I asked him, “where your heart meets your pocketbook?”
A one word answer, “Rarely.”
I have come to realize that few of us will become rich doing what we love. At least if your currency is cash. Not everyone can be as popular as Ansel Adams. But the emotional payoffs are big when you get that one shot that captures your breath. This work makes us rich emotionally.
Another time I was talking to my Mother about a piece of equipment I was nervous to buy. What if I was not even a good enough photographer to make the purchase worth it, throwing my money to the wind? “Sarah, you need that equipment for the same reason that I bought a piano. I will never be a concert pianist. I don’t make money from my playing. But when I play it, it does something for me. Sometimes we do things because they improve our quality of life”.
So although I am still looking for ways to peddle my images, I realize that the most I make off of them will be the emotional payouts, no matter how much or little money I make. And in questioning myself I also found that I would keep shooting if I never made a single cent.
Jan Piller
yup – good for the soul!!
Tim Denny
I have always believed that you buy what you can afford and that being said I found that if I buy the middle of the intermiediate I have never been sorry. If (in time) I could afford better then that was good. I started taking slides when I was a early teenage and my camera was a old Brownie Star Mite. I knew insiode that a SLR was the best way to go, but my pocket book like you say was very shallow. Ove those years I did upgrade cameras still taking slides and in time advanced to my first 35mm camera a Yashica Electro 35, still that was not a SLR, but it was a 35mm and it took a lot better photo. Over the coruse of the years I did adance to SLR it was a Canon AE-1 Program I believe the name was. Wow! finally I got my first SLR in time it was a Canon T-90 and later a Canon A2E and in time I added my firs digital a Sony Cyber shot with AP & SP to kind of match my A2E. I got very good results and a few years ago went full bore digital with the Canon Eos Rebel, but had to loose some features of the A2E I was not happy to loose. Today I have the Canon Eos 30-D and am very pleased, will I ever go better, don’t think so, this is all the camera I need. Have been in camera stores far too many times as I stood and watched people being talked into way to much of a camera then they really need as the sales person raddled on. The Eos 30-D at 8mega pixels will give me 16×20 easy which is way more then I need when I only go as big as 8×10. Have a few 16×20s that I matted and framed, but they are very large when matted & framed, so I have stopped at 8×10s. I also learned that the pro lens are the best, but if my pocket book was too shallow then they must wait also and hope one day I can do that also, which that day came afte I bought the 30-D, now have three pro lens and my photos keep on improving. The most imporvment comes when you practiice, practice, practice. No matter how good your equipment if you don’t know ho w to use it then that is the results of your photos. Ansel Adams I am not, but I have greatly improved. Today here at Red Bubble I have several of my photos favorited by people. NOPE! I don’t make money on them , but if they are favorited by others then my photos are around the world in peoples homes, and to me that alone is a honor, a great honor. If they miss use them and steal my image that is their problem and they will answer in the end, how they answer is another subject, but they will answer. In the mean time I just keep on trying to get better and I am because of practice, practice, practice.
Sarah, what ever you equipment use it to the best of your ability and give the rest to God, He will take care of that no matter how deep or shallow you pocket book, liten to Him not others and He will give you peace when it is time to advance. Until we meet again keep on keeping on and practice, practice, practice.
Farmncamera
Princess, you have always been wise beyond your years. There are some people who value your work….weather they can purchase it or not. But when they value YOU…there is NO price tag on you! I am SO proud of you and what you have accomplished. No, we won’t get rich, but God has given us a lot of internal joy…just to be able to create…..for most times…..”ourselves”. How much can you measure that? Money is not everything. The gifts that God has given….are worth everything. You do have gift’s….more than one. Keep on using your gift’s…. What a shame if those gift’s is not used. As bringing “joy” to others through YOUR eyes, is priceless. There is one old lady out here, that YOU have brought much joy to…over your life time. Now, I start to cry, if I don’t stop. I love what you have written. What joy you bring to me!.. :) <><
Paul Morley
Nice sentiments. I find that whatever is happening in my life, if I put my camera over my shoulder and take a walk to find something to photograph then then for a few hours in time, I’m transported to another place.
In this place, nothing else exists except for what I see but I see more than exists. I see moments, I see emotion, I see simplicity and complexity but most of all I simply see.
Sometimes I will try to photograph what I see even though I know it doesn’t record onto physical media like film or CCD but that doesn’t matter because I saw it and it stays with me anyway.
Sarah Cates
Great! I love all these comments. I agree with you, Paul. Sometimes we can’t record just what we see, but we try, and our minds remember the moment.
Looking back, I hope no one thinks I am recommending you go broke to buy camera equipment! Everything I buy is paid for, with photography, before I buy it. But I’m sure everyone got the idea of what I was saying. Keep shooting everyone, then post ‘em here on the bubble! I love it when you take my breath away :)