Shoot from the heart. Know yourself. Shoot for yourself.
Sounds simple. This needs a lot of discipline, focus, determination, courage, perseverance and strength to discover and go your own way.
Around mid-February this year, I flew to Melbourne and attended the 3-day art and the heart workshop at the Dear Patti Smith Gallery. It helped me work through some things I have been having conflicts with, things I always wanted to do but just couldn’t justify it - mainly, to shoot for myself.
The Workshop was my best investment so far*. I learned quite a lot about being an artist and not just a photographer, as well as wedding photography business advice that I could transfer to my pet photography business.
Also met some fabulous photographers (many are world-class) whom I am now proud to call friends. They supported me throughout my 3-day journey, encouraged me to do better, and have kept in touch.
The most awesome part (yes, ‘awesome’ is now a word I use!) was to be able to learn from Dan O’Day and Samm Blake. My mentor from a previous workshop, Christine Pobke, made a special appearance (and effort) to manage the place and keep us watered and fed.
So this year, I am booking less sessions and investing time to shoot for myself.
For you wedding photographers out there, rest assured, I’m not switching genre. But if you are looking for a second shooter or are signing up a couple with pets, you know to call me!
More on my personal blog for those who are interested.
*(in case you haven’t figured it out, part of being a professional photographer and running a photography business requires a lot of investment - it’s not just time but the money. We don’t just hang out, shoot and then party)
