Bakotopia

All > Discussions
Apiring Photography
Topics: Photography, Flickr
Posted by Mystrish Tue Nov 30, 1999 00:00:00 PST
Viewed 187 times
0 responses 3 comments

As an aspiring photographer I have made my way from only reading about the excitement to joining in the fun. I have taken portraits of my children, friends, and done a few promotion banners for my brother's music web page, simply entitled J. I have also photographed and wrote a blog about From The Beginning, a band who I remain friends with today. But, what started it all was a Google search on photography that led me to Flickr.com. I uploaded a few cell phone shots and bam, I had a list of 52 contacts commenting on my "photography". What a way to build confidence.

I found that Kodak and Snapfish would allow me to use their services to print and deliver to buyers.  For a small fee, they would also offer me gallery options to display my professional art work.  Imagekind would allow me to display my photography in a gallery setting for free, with a profile page and the ability to gain a friends list of fans. Their printing services are available with canvas and customized framing options. But of course, the prints come in sizes that require custom framing.

Finding an outlet to display my photography was a tedious task. Is it not discouraging enough taking inspiring photos of quality imagery with a 35mm automatic camera?  Or, with a cell phone. I had made it possible with a layman's easy Canon Power Shot, but one cannot be a presentable Professional Photographer without a Canon 5D, Nikon D300, or other single-lens reflex (SLR) camera. Not to mention a number of accessories.  When it comes to editing photos, there is Photo Shop. A must have in the aspiring photography world. The cost ranges from six hundred to over a thousand dollars for such software. Without proper funds I opted for a free download of Paint.net I found on the web, which seemed to work well enough.

What it comes down to, as in almost every aspect of life, is that you need money to make money. Or, in the artists explanation, you need money to make anything worth someone’s time to acknowledge your work. Being friendly and taking the time to know your editors and peers helps, too. I suppose, the latter has a stronger effect when paired with an excellent artist of god given talent. It is true in any case, you must put the time and effort into that of which you wish to be successful. Sometimes, the rewards are greater than finance.

Send to a Friend

Report a Violation

Comment From: twinkie

I LOVE that swing picture. It's soooo cool. Peaceful. Of course there's no kids on it. ha. No but really. It's great work! Comment From: JRod

Great pic., seems that life arises from different areas and inspiration follows that create views that sometimes we forget to appreciate, these pic.'s demostrated some of life's beauty Comment From: gbriano

Really dig this post. Technology has made it easier for those with photographic talent to be seen. I hear from some fellow photographers who've been around a while complain about the noobies coming in with their point and shoots ruining the pricing structure. You know what though? A few of them are better then those who've been established for awhile. Don't get discouraged and please avoid being like every other person who buys a "prosumer" camera and thinks that's it, "I'm a photographer". Learn your craft. Love it. You'll do fine.