It’s been a very long time since I wrote a blog. Not since August 2020 if the dates on previous posts are to be believed (I guess I can believe them?). Maybe writing more blog posts should be my new year resolution…that I carefully abandon after a little more than two weeks of effort. Or alternatively, maybe I should just not commit to stuff and do things as and when I feel like it. Which sounds much more liberating and a lot less like doing something just because. I guess already it is beginning to show that I really haven’t written a blog post in a long time…look at the state of this opening paragraph.
Anyway… (three sets of ellipsis already - maybe I’ve got back into the swing of things quicker than I thought)
The real reason for this long overdue blog post (or, blog post), is that something has been swirling around in my mind for a while now, something I have been trying to figure out about where I’m at, and where I want to be. In terms of my photography. Well, this is a photography blog after all.
I’ve been working hard on my photography for some time now. It’s something that gives me pleasure and, importantly, gives me a bit of time and space on my own (something I have always very much cherished). Over time, I’ve kinda taken it more and more seriously (hence a website dedicated to my photography I guess). So seriously, I’ve periodically pondered whether I may get to the stage at some point where I want to give everything up and just make photography my main source of income. But do I ever really want to do that? I’m not sure.
Something that I’ve been reflecting on a lot recently, is a tweet that was posted towards the end of last year:
Now, I’ve had some lovely, encouraging words over the past couple of years about my photography. Usually prompted by me pondering out loud whether or not to more seriously try to sell my work (nothing like seeking out a bit of reassurance to boost the old ego periodically). And I have periodically seriously considered whether I make more of an effort, have some kind of shop element to this website, and start to more actively sell my work, but…
I think in many ways I kinda like things as they are now. I go out, take photographs, if someone is interested in buying one, I’m open to doing so and will take the steps necessary to professionally print and deliver my work. I’ve even been approached (twice) to have my work in publications. I like this way of working. It’s less about using my work to make money, and more about going out and enjoying the art. I am not putting pressure on myself to get “bangers” I can sell. I’m just enjoying getting out there and learning and developing the craft. I don’t have a professional quality printer at home (because £££s) and so I have to rely on a print service. Which is fine. But I can’t help but think it will be kinda stressful if I start dealing with an increased number of orders (not that I’m expecting hundreds obvs) and having to liaise with a print service and then organise the posting of the work (the costs and the logistics of it all make my head spin).
Listening to professionals talk about their life also puts me off a little. You think being a professional landscape photographer (for example) would mean freedom to go out whenever and be out there all the time, just taking photographs. The reality is quite different. Sure, it looks like a cool existence on their various YouTube channels. Driving off to some Epic Location for some Epic Light and capturing some Epic Photos. But I know that’s not the reality of their lives. There’s paperwork, emails, the ever dissolving line that divides work and personal…I dunno. Is it really “better”? Or is it “better” to just go out and enjoy my photography, produce work that I am proud of without pressures, without a profit motive, and sell work on the basis of enquiries from people interested in buying something? Is it better to be reactive or proactive in selling my work?
I appreciate there are good counter-arguments to this line of thinking. By selling your work you can invest more in your equipment and produce work that one might feel is better. It can be an investment into getting more out of your hobby, rather than a pure profit-making exercise. But is that a good enough reason? If I am happy with the work I produce, why should I worry about getting better cameras/lenses/gear? Shouldn’t I just make the most of what I’ve got?
Ultimately, it’s a hobby. It’s something that gives me time, space and peace amidst all the chaos enveloping all of our lives. It’s something that’s distinct from my work life, it isn’t about earning a living, it’s about enjoying the living. It’s time, once or twice a week, where I can just be. I could make money off this, but do I really want to? I don’t know. I really don’t. I’m not opposed to the idea entirely, but I’m equally not “sold” (pardon the pun) on it being something I should do. It’s something I’m sure I will continue to weigh up and debate internally for some time yet.
Of course, if I put a shop on this website by the end of the year, you’ll know I’ve come down on “fuck it…SHOW ME THE MONEY! I DON’T CARE ANYMORE.” Hell, just give me the Thomas Heaton life without the paperwork, emails and fuzzy lines between work and family life please.