So, I tend to avoid negative things people say about photography and photographers and the market we are in and how good or bad someone is doing. For one, part of me thinks it is all how you look at it and how you create it for yourself. As a photographer you are self employed so you can draw your own picture of what your career will look like, to an extent. I also think that negative blogs and down market forecasts have  over saturated the internet and I really don't think any of us (even those of us who are not photographers) need to hear how awful everything is. Is it really? I'd say we have it pretty good, we aren't plowing fields with oxen, we are sitting in offices browsing the internet... just my perspective. 


On the other hand, there is reality. I shot an ad job this past week and the rate was great. I didn't have to haggle or ask for usage and explain what it is. I had a great team of people to work with, and most importantly, I got to do what I love to do. That great rate was rare and as with any ad job, the expenses were high and not to forget, we spend more than the shoot time on these photographs. There is pre and post production, retouchers ( or hours in lightroom, photoshop...), assistants, rentals, insurance... Crunching the numbers last night made me think about how I would probably make more as a shop girl and have more free time.  For anyone thinking of being a photographer or those of you that are photographers and those of you that hire photographers, I think that this post "First Get a Million Dollars" by  Photographer Kenneth Jarecke on his blog "Mostly True." is very on point. He says, "The number of successful people working as freelance photographers in America today, is less than the number of guys playing in the NBA.

... and there isn't any pension." 

That made me think, would I have had a better shot at making money as the professional surfer I dreamed of being when I was 15 than at this? Maybe.

  read the entire post here: 
http://kennethjarecke.typepad.com/mostly_true/2010/05/first-get-a-million-dollars.html

One of my favorite aspects of being a photographer is the opportunity to speak to and learn from other photographers. There are so many people that have taught and inspired me over the past few years and the list continues to grow. On the top of my inspiration list is the New York based fashion photographer Lane Coder. To my delight I was given the opportunity to speak with Lane about his  photos, his plans, and the source of his own inspiration for the Portland based "Too Much Chocolate" blog. To see more of Lane's work and learn a few of his secrets, check out our interview in the Interviews section of Too Much Chocolate. I have to thank Lane for taking the time to chat with me and share so much and to Jake Stangel the mastermind behind the Too Much Chocolate Blog for giving me the opportunity to speak to one of my favorite photographers about what makes him tick. Ohh, and last but certainly not least thank you to my lovely friend Daniel Abratte for introducing me to Lane's work.  

Sarah Maingot is one of the photographers that lives at the top of my list.  Her understated beauty, her extremely concentrated use of color, the modern twist she brings to her vintage inspired photos, the way that the mundane becomes beautiful through her lens is truly inspiring.

Whenever I am up early enough I turn on NPR to see if I can catch their "All Things Considered" show.   I was either a little too early or too late one morning when I heard Partick Watson playing a live version of his song "Beijing" using a piano, a guitar and pots ( you know the ones you boil spaghetti in).  A little later the interviewer pulled random items out ( I remember a cereal box, a coffee tin and a vase) and asked Partick and his band to create a song using these household items. It was something about a nurse... and that was it for me. If someone can make me stop what I'm doing, sit down and listen to them on the radio using a cereal box and a coffee tin to make music, then they have to be considered "wildly inspiring."  It was not that they were making sounds like they do in "stomp" they were making music. Music that makes your heart beat and makes you think of places you've been or places they have been or parts of a dream. It is music for the sake of music with no computers no synthesizer, no musical equivalent to "photoshop." I downloaded the album the same day and have not stopped listening to it since. I have sent it to my friends as gifts and if you have a birthday coming up, don't be surprised if you get the itunes download from me. Patrick's voice is magic to listen to. Here is some live footage from NPR.