The process of becoming a photographer takes many forms. Some begin in school and some are self-taught, while others are able to turn a hobby into a thriving photography business. As varied as our modes of becoming a photographer are our expectations for the future.
My journey began in college, carried me into the newspaper business and eventually to my current place in the butt-clenching world of freelance. Am I happy? Yes. Was this the path I envisioned during my intro to photography class way back in college? No.
Did I ever think that one day I would be shooting weddings? Hell no, I’m a “damn photojournalist.” How about baby or maternity photos? Not even close. And the epitome of mockery among myself and my classmates … the Santa photos. Ha, not in the furthest reaches of my mind could I have pictured myself wrangling screaming kids into the lap of a fake Santa, dangling candy canes and wishes in front of hopeful children. Read more…
I recently watched a profile of National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore called “At Close Range,” which had been sitting in my Netflix queue for months. I’m always interested in watching stories about how other photographers operate, and this one was pretty good (I think I gave it a 3-star ‘Kevin Liked It’ rating).
This was a PBS Home Video release, and pretty heavy on the National-Geographic-is-awesome theme (which I totally subscribe to), but I really enjoyed it. It’s not often that you get to connect a photographer’s face to the images that he/she makes, but I think that connection gives the images more meaning. Or maybe just a bit more humanity. Read more…
Holy self examination, Batman! It’s been the better part of a year since I’ve posted on my blog and I’m feeling like I’ve let … ummm … NO ONE DOWN. No one aside from myself.
I have officially been a freelance photographer for a year now, and I’m realizing that I’ve done things all backwards. You know… just a little ‘Kenneth Parcell.’ Now, maybe I didn’t live every week like it’s shark week, but I went to college, sure, then went to work for a newspaper full time without realizing the wonderfully frustrating world of freelance photography. I am a freelancer now and I love it, but I should have done this a long time ago. I’ll explain …
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