August 19th, 2008
Debates on the demise of film, photojournalism and careers in (editorial or…) photography erupt fairly frequently in the photoblogoshpere. Just recently over at aphotoeditor: CAN EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHERS MAKE A LIVING ANYMORE?
I’ve read some great stuff on this question by John Loomis and Robert Wright.
Robert’s point of view; “don’t get on the plane. Don’t take any jobs with significant expenses,” was pretty shocking to me as that’s what I do 90% of the time for work. (My carbon footprint has started to bother me.)
I started taking photographs to travel and when my supporting mercenary design opportunities collapsed I moved to Bangkok to travel and photograph. Partly because I had decided I wanted to live abroad, but equally, I did not want to struggle, be miserable, be beaten down in New York. Some of that pre-vision of life as a photographer in NYC was colored by having done it once as a graphic designer (which should be an infinitely easier way to “make it.”) I wanted to photograph more on my terms and in my time, to try and keep my motivation, if not my vision (yet to be defined) pure. Another bad memory from design years was taking any old job just to keep cash flowing and rent paid.
Bangkok gave the space for me to be more pure. I also realized that it was a life I liked. The strange, new, amazing places I could go on my own or assigned to — out of the blue — like spinning the globe and pointing to the next spot. I was able to combine work with personal photography projects/explorations that made me feel challenged and fulfilled in a way my making a living as a graphic designer never did. My position out here has its drawbacks to be sure. The photo desk wonders, “is he in Taiwan?” Or the New York/LA prestige lofts someone to shoot in my backyard, with arguably “just OK” results. At the same time for certain magazines I’ve become their Asian photographer and have collaborated with a writer friend on some wonderful stories that might not have happened if I lived elsewhere.
So I have made a life as an editorial photographer. It is a unit where work and life — travel, exploring, questioning, eating, conversing — merge in a way that feels right. I may not be saving enough for my house by the beach or an assistant to scan all my negs for stock, but for now that is OK.
An example: My wife and I decided to take a vacation in France this September for a belated honeymoon — Paris and Provence. I’ll check out Visa Pour L’Image for a few days then we drive into the countryside. I let a few magazines know of this currency imbalanced trip and 2 jobs surfaced. Shooting restaurants in Provence and Paris — how convenient! And for me it does not feel like work intruding. Eat at 8 tasty restaurants I never knew. Meet the chefs. Banter with the waiters. Take photographs.
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