I chose the wrong job

[pernod]

I've been following a car journalists daily photo journal for a while... ever get the impression you choose the wrong career path?

Le Mans
Salt mine test drive
Aural porn

[Welshname]

I've been trying to use blipfoto as an excuse to get my camera back out. Will subscribe to that journal.

[davidd]

I've subbed to that one for a while. She get's to do a lot of cool stuff.

D

pernod said:

I've been following a car journalists daily photo journal for a while... ever get the impression you choose the wrong career path?

Le Mans
Salt mine test drive
Aural porn

[Mr Snap]

pernod said:

I've been following a car journalists daily photo journal for a while... ever get the impression you choose the wrong career path?

Le Mans
Salt mine test drive
Aural porn

Honestly, it's not always as good as it's cracked up to be. Like most things, photography's a job. Some people enjoy what they shoot, some don't. I know pro photographers who have precisely the kind of job you dream of doing and they hate it. Believe me, you can spend a week shooting girls in their knickers and hate every second of it...

A lot of the PR type stuff you're looking at entails being treated like poo; standing around for hours whilst 'creative directors' et al decide what they want you to do, without consulting you about whether it's possible; and giving you a hard time because you didn't take the - practically impossible - pictures they've got inside their heads. Often, stuff goes on in font of you and you shoot it, but you're concentrating so much on what you have to do that you don't really have time to appreciate what it is you're seeing.

Worst of all, if anything goes wrong, it's the photographers fault because he's the one from outside and who is, therefore, the easiest to blame.

[anonymous-user]

Mr Snap said:

Honestly, it's not always as good as it's cracked up to be. Like most things, photography's a job. Some people enjoy what they shoot, some don't. I know pro photographers who have precisely the kind of job you dream of doing and they hate it. Believe me, you can spend a week shooting girls in their knickers and hate every second of it...

A lot of the PR type stuff you're looking at entails being treated like poo; standing around for hours whilst 'creative directors' et al decide what they want you to do, without consulting you about whether it's possible; and giving you a hard time because you didn't take the - practically impossible - pictures they've got inside their heads. Often, stuff goes on in font of you and you shoot it, but you're concentrating so much on what you have to do that you don't really have time to appreciate what it is you're seeing.

Worst of all, if anything goes wrong, it's the photographers fault because he's the one from outside and who is, therefore, the easiest to blame.

+1

I know a guy who is a (good) professional Automotive Photographer and he often has weeks that make him want to smash up all his camera gear and climb into a nice warm bath with an electric heater.

[Rogue86]

Mr Snap said:

A lot of the PR type stuff you're looking at entails being treated like poo; standing around for hours whilst 'creative directors' et al decide what they want you to do, without consulting you about whether it's possible; and giving you a hard time because you didn't take the - practically impossible - pictures they've got inside their heads. Often, stuff goes on in font of you and you shoot it, but you're concentrating so much on what you have to do that you don't really have time to appreciate what it is you're seeing.

+2

You'd be surprised at how stupid people can be, regardless of how high up in a company they might be.

[Simpo Two]

Rogue86 said:

You'd be surprised at how stupid people can be, regardless of how high up in a company they might be.

I don't do much commercial photography but I once did a shoot with a local engineering company. The job was organised by the MD but he couldn't be there, so he got the marketing assistant to be 'client'. We spent a day working on various set-ups around the factory and I came away with a nice set of photos that were exactly what she wanted.

And then the boss got back and said he didn't like any of them and some parts were out of focus (no, that's shallow DOF) and he'd wanted them just like the previous tog had done back in 1970-whatever. My reply was something to the effect that if he'd wanted them done a certain way he should have made sure either he was there to attend the shoot, or at least brief his assistant. He may have had the creativity of a stone, but he was logical, and I got paid, but it was a needless fiasco and I didn't go back.

[Rogue86]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg

This video basically sums up my commercial career. I love my job and appreciate I'm in a very fortunate position, but Christ it can be frustrating.

[Bacardi]

Mr Snap said:

...you can spend a week shooting girls in their knickers and hate every second of it...

Must be awfully uncomfortable, I bet they're tight and cut in a lot...

[GlenMH]

^^^^

[pernod]

I've done enough wedding shoots to know to keep photography as a sideline for me.

All jokes aside I love my current job, and it's clear she does as well, I think that's the key to any job.