I've been a professional photographer for a year now. Man, has time flown by quickly. When I was layed off from my Creative Director at a now defunct sign company I jumped in with both feet. I've shot everything from youth sports, professional sports, World Cup events, family portraits, custom cabinets, models, athletes and weddings (lots and lots of weddings). Since it is now the slow season for weddings in Las Vegas I've been able to pla around a bit in the past few days.
On Friday I went to Nellis Air Base and hung out on the end of the runway with a bunch of Air Show photographers from around the nation. I even had time to do some post processing before I was off to shoot my kid's elementary school Fall Festival portraits that evening. A full day of shooting for fun (no profit).
On Saturday I shot only two weddings (I was scheduled for a third but the groom decided that he needed a last little fling and got caught the night before the big day). Oops!!!
I also have had the chance to go through my archives and play around with my new NIK software on a portrait of my oldest daughter (from back in January of February).
I have a ton to learn still and am amazed how good some of the photographers I see around are. Maybe someday I'll get it.
Some low points:
I've had a couple of missed opportunities (like the transvestite hooker that took a liking to a bride I was shooting last week at the chapel -- should have snuck a shot in) and I have to be more careful with my gear (I dropped my bag after the elementary school shoot and broke my Nikkor AFS 24-70 f/2.8). Blown lots of shots that I should have nailed. I had my SB900 die during a wedding and I didn't figure out what to do until a couple of hours after the wedding (luckily I got most of the emergency response correct and still got the shots I needed -- but I was worried).
Some high points:
Landed images in several magazines (editorial and advertising) this year. MTB Rider Magazine bought nearly half a dozen images for an article that I never got to see. I had an image used in an ad in Decline Magazine, got the cover of the of an issue of the Las Vegas Athletic Club Magazine, had an image used in an ad in Oxygen Magazine and was selected a finalist in the Digital Photo Pro Magazine Art of Photography contest (winners haven't been announced yet). I even won a Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 lens this summer.
Shot Ms Bikini Mexico, Fitness for Life Champion and one of the Olympia Bikini fitness Champions this year and made some money in the process.
Some future goals: Learn, learn learn!!!! There is nothing like doing something professionally to really humble oneself. I've learned a ton and still have several hundred tons learning to go before I feel comfortable in any situation behind a lens. I attended David Ziser's four and a half hour seminal the other day and was given a bunch of cool ideas that I really should follow up on.
That's all I have for now. It looks like I have a slow week next week to play around in photography. Maybe I'll do a head to head comparison between my D700 and my ew D300S. Should be fun!
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