I Am A Photographer
The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that the average worker changes employers about every 4 years. Although it’s unclear whether they also change careers/industries, let’s just say that I’m long overdue. For me, this would be Career #2.
Today I decided that my new career is being a photographer. So what type of photography will I be doing? The most gratifying type of photography to me is of people. Men, women, children – doesn’t matter. I believe there’s something beautiful about capturing a moment in time in someone’s life. Taking a snapshot where they could look back years from now and remember. After all, at the end of the day all we have left are our memories – something that nobody could ever take away from us.
So how did I come up with that idea? I’ve always loved photography and wanted to get into it as a hobby. But about a month ago, I was killing time on Facebook when my friend Ximena posted a link on her profile of her boudoir photoshoot. When I looked at that, my first reaction was, “Oh shit! Who the hell is that?!?” I’ve always seen Ximena in the work environment and she never came to the office in lingerie, so I was amazed at the pictures! I always knew Ximena was a stunning woman, but the way Christa Meola, the photographer, brought this amazing beauty out of her knocked my socks off.
That was about a month ago. And today, I just got off the phone with Christa and you could say that she was the straw that broke the camel’s back – in a good way. Her enthusiasm and love for photography inspired me to stop sitting on my ass and make a decision about what I want to do with my life. So I decided. That may sound insignificant, but don’t underestimate the tremendous power in simply making a decision. Being a self-improvement junkie, here’s some quotes for ya:
“Every day, in every moment, you get to exercise choices that will determine whether or not you will become a great person, living a great life. Greatness is not something predetermined, predestined or carved into your fate by forces beyond your control. Greatness is always in the moment of the decision.” – Jeff Olson
“Every great leap forward in your life comes after you have made a clear decision of some kind.” – Brian Tracy
“It’s in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.” — Anthony Robbins
I’ve been an IT guy for pretty much all my life. But today at the age of 29, I decided to make photography my new profession. So what does that mean? It means that photography is going to consume the majority of my time “working” and will be my primary source of income. Sure I can wait until I’m completely out of debt to start a new business. Sure I can make it a hobby first and see if I’m any good at it. But then again, where’s the fun in that? What better time than now to start something new since the timing will never be perfect anyways. Yeah it’s a little scary to do something completely new and I’m sure there are going to be many bumps in the road, but enthusiasm and determination will go a long way.
Is it possible that in 6 months I’ll want to be something totally different? – Absolutely. Is it possible that photography might not be the final destination and is just a stepping stone to something bigger and better? – Highly possible. The point is, I’ll never find out unless I take this first step.
So what is the first step? Well…I gotta get a camera. But before I do that, let’s get some demand and find some prospects and clients. But even before that, I leave you with this question:
What would YOU do if you knew you couldn’t fail?
If I knew I couldn’t fail, I’d probably be an actress and a musician. It’s difficult to put yourself in the spotlight when you’re worried about failing.
if i knew i couldnt fail i would do the most difficult task of all.
Tell me about it! Rejection is tough. I’m a sensitive guy and it hurts sometimes!
I’ve done improv before, but never acting so I decided to join an acting workshop on Meetup.com just for fun. And it’s been a blast! It’s OK to “mess up” there because it’s a safe environment to practice when you’re with peers who are also looking to get better!
And music! I tried playing the piano one time, but never really stuck with it. What instrument(s) do you play?
If I knew I couldn’t fail, I would not be as cautious in life. I would go full throttle into my online business as an affiliate marketer and quit my regular 9-5 job. I wouldn’t need the safety net of the 9-5, as I would know that I wouldn’t fail.
Internet marketing, the ultimate business! You get to work at home (or nearly anywhere on the planet) and be your own boss! It definitely beats a 9-5 job.
Have you heard about the 30 Day Challenge? I heard it’s a good step-by-step guide for people who want to get into internet marketing.
If i knew I couldn’t fail, i will sure make my name as a poet. There are so many famous poets, that make me think that i will not succeed in this field.
Poetry! What a beautiful choice!
It’s amazing how some people can weave together words like that.
I tried it in my About Me section of my Facebook profile. As you can see, I suck. But it was fun trying!
My favorite poet though as a kid (and of all time) is Shel Silverstein. Who’s your favorite poet? In elementary school when it was time for English, we had to recite poems in front of class and my favorite was “Homework You Stink.”
If I knew I couldn’t fail, I would become an archaeologist. I’ve always wanted to travel the world, uncover ancient civilizations, and make new discoveries. I’m always looking for a constant influx of information and the excitement would keep me feeling alive.
Archaeologist! You mean kinda like Indiana Jones?
I never even thought about that as a profession. Sounds like it would be super exciting! To roam the globe and unearth some of the greatest treasures. That would make for some amazing stories to tell the kids some day!
If someone wants to be an archaeologist, how does someone even start? Is there a school for that?!
I would have a big family, several kids. I am afraid to have more than one or two children because I don’t want to be a bad mother. If I knew I couldn’t fail I would have more kids. I love to teach them and help them learn but it is a tough job.
Awwww. That’s super sweet Paige! :0) Thank you SOOOO much for sharing. That took a lot of guts to say something like that. In a way, it’s a good thing that you even think like that because there are unfortunately many mothers out there on this planet that aren’t as concerned about being the best mom they could be. So to me, it sounds like you got the first step down!
I don’t have any kids of my own, but I am an uncle and just babysitting is tough! I can’t imagine what parenthood is like!
If I knew I couldn’t fail, I would build the most awesome miniature golf course ever. Everybody likes miniature golf because you can just have fun and play along with toddlers and grandma, or you can be seriously competitive with it if you want. Everybody is having fun when they’re playing putt putt. But it can only be open in the summer, nobody goes when it’s raining or too hot, blah blah blah. If I won the lottery and money was no object, and therefore “failure” was not possible, I would definitely open a putt putt place and not worry about whether it was profitable.
Miniature golf course designer – that’s a freakin’ creative answer! I bet that would be a super fun project. I want to be the Head of R&D in your company, which means I have to go mini golfing all around the world and report back
When you build your golf course, you gotta at least have a BYOB night! I’m currently living in Austin, TX and they have one of those here called Peter Pan Mini Golf. Once I think about it, they have pretty much BYOB everything here! LOL!
I bet you can probably put together something pretty neat using Google SketchUp!
I would open a no-kill shelter for stray cats & dogs. i live someplace where the humane society only holds onto strays for so long and then turn them over to the county animal shelter. The shelter only holds onto them for 3 days and then exterminates them. every cat & dog deserves a decent life.
Sierra – that’s incredibly sweet and unselfish of you!
Yeah it’s sooooo sad that the animals get put down if no one adopts them
My very first pet was our family dog, Ebony. She was a German Shepherd that we got at the shelter. We fell in love with her the moment we walked in and saw her. 
Since I grew up with a dog, I guess you can say I’m a dog person. Which one are you? The funny thing is I’m here at this very moment watching my friends’ two cats while they’re traveling. These two girls are amazingly adorable and they’re kinda starting to grow on me
If I knew I would not fail, I would be a talk show host like Oprah or work in a newscasting station. I am a nurse now and I find it fulfilling but I’d definitely want to fulfill my childhood dream.
If I felt that I would not fail. then I would go out and try and get a good job. Non retail. Maybe as a salesman or something along those lines.
If I knew I could not fail then I would throw myself 100% into anything that I was doing. Since I would no longer have the fear of failure.
If I knew I could not fail I would never hesitate.
Hey Derek! Thanks for the post. Yeah, hesitation’s a bitch, huh? I hate it when there’s something I know I need to or should do, but don’t or wait forever to because of fear typically. I gotta (re-)build that take-action impulse muscle every day!
Btw, love the Face Book poem!
If I knew I could not fail, I would open a small restaurant. Nothing fancy, no aspirations for a Michelin star or anything like that, just good solid honest cooking at a fair price. No brought-in frozen crap, no packaged sauces.
If I knew that I couldn’t fail I would do exactly what I am doing right now. Everything is as it should be. Live my passion and transform the world one person at a time through it.
If I knew I couldn’t fail I might wish that I could fail so that life wouldn’t be boring.
Great post C-Dub
Wow, I’ve been reading through all the comments, but this one really struck me. Everyone is writing about what they would do and you’re the first who is just on his path and 100% satisfied with it. May I ask what it is that you’re doing?
If I knew I couldn’t fail, I’d go on a rampage of things I wanted to do..win the lottery, travel, get my degree, open a few businesses. But after a while, I think it would be terribly boring to have a life unchallenged.
If I knew I couldn’t fail, I would have to say photography too! I bought this wonderful camera about 4 years ago, invested a lot of money in it and a great lens, even took a few classes. I really got into it for a little while, but never pursued it career wise. That passion has since tapered off a little with work and cost to invest in pursuing it more. So yes, if I could never fail and had the money to pursue it, I would definitely become a photographer. C-dub, I completely agree with people being some of the best subjects and your article and this question is great!
I would become a traveling musician, the kind that plays guitar in bars for change. If I couldn’t fail, I would know I’d always make enough to survive, I guess.
If I knew I could not fail, I would take over the world.
This isn’t a facetious answer. I mean, without the threat of failure, why not go big? The world is messed up, inconsistent, and generally idiotic. The least I could do is attempt to give it a shot at harmony.
If I could not fail, I would become a full time musician. I used to be in a local band 15+ years ago, and often think about the fun and creativity involved. Husband and kids have since taken the front burner, but the desire is still there.
If I couldn’t fail? I can’t even think of the possibility. I’m making my transition to snowboarding as a career, and I know that any number of things could cause me to fail. If I couldn’t fail… professional snowboarder. Then after that is done — humanitarian.
Wow, great post Cary! I wholeheartedly agree with your approach to being a pro photographer and beginning a new profession. can’t wait to participate in the development of your new career and believe me, you are going to be catapulted forward from our workshop weekend
Since I am an avid sports fan, I would start up my own version of tickemaster or ticket brokerage to get the best tickets for sporting events. Access to the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, the World Series, BCS Title Games, NCAA Final Four and everything else would be at my fingertips….
Wow, C-Dub! thank you so much for the inspiring post. I give you a lot of respect for taking action and changing directions. Most people are so conditioned to strive for safety, educated by school to be good subordinates and folloiw orders. It’s designed that way by those in power, because they are not interested in people going their own ways.
I’m 23 and founded my company half a year ago, right after receiving my Bachelor’s degree. I will grow this business to be independent from money until this summer. Afterwards I will be travelling a lot and focussing on meeting people and working on my social skills.
I appreciate it a lot that you give so much back to all the people leaving a comment here, C-Dub. Most people wouldn’t take the time, but you care. Thanks so much for being such a great role-model.