Yesterday was quite an event for me and it could be one of many things that may affect my life. As you know I have a shiny camera and with my mother’s wedding coming very close, I ended up being the camera man, well for the random stuff, not pro. Having nothing planned yesterday, I tagged along to the pre-wedding photo shoot to do some of my own photos, and my mum asked me to. But there was also a professional photographer who is a friend of my soon to be stepfather. So I seized the opportunity to talk to him and learn a few techniques in photography.
So going around to many places of Sydney that I have never been to, it was pretty awesome. I saw many places that gave me ideas for figure photography and even for regular photographs. All this making me curse that i live so faraway from the city. Below are a few locations I went to.
Watson’s Bay, which is east of the Sydney CBD.
Harbour Bridge from Observatory Hill.
Set of stairs near Observatory Hill.
The Opera House from The Rocks.
Well they aren’t exactly spectacular photos since these are more of snapshots. I took some really awesome photos of the wedding couple, but the pro photographer had a go at my camera and took even WAY better ones than I did. It really goes to show the difference in experience and it’s not always the equipment. He himself has the Canon 350D, which is the model lower than me, but he has really good equipment. Even lent me the 430EX Speedlite to try out, which taught me a bit about Speedlites.
Though this is not the main reason of this post. What I wanted to rant about is what the photographer was talking to me about at the end of the day. Pretty much throughout the day he was asking me many things about myself and so forth, and me asking many questions relating to photography. So at the end he told me that if I wanted to, I could become his assistant, teaching me many more things about photography and get paid for it.
Now this was really surprising to me. As some of you know, I’m currently looking for a full time job, since I graduated from uni. Ever since yesterday this has got me thinking not just about my current situation, but also my future. The many paths that I can take from this point onwards could change my life forever. If I do decide to take up this offer, it defeats the purpose of me studying at uni. But with my current luck of finding a job within the IT industry hasn’t been exactly great (but I guess being Christmas and all doesn’t help either). Now that the 2nd semester has also finished, I will be competing against new graduates entering the job hunt.
But that isn’t all. With my recent trip to Autosalon earlier this month, I came across a recruitment company as well as a games development training school. Though if I decide to go take this path it would require me to move to Melbourne as the campus is based in Melbourne and Canberra. Frankly, I’ll prefer Melbourne over Canberra any day. So thus I’m torn between 3 decisions that could change my life forever. Take up photography as a job, continue the hunt for a Web Development or Software Development job, or go to the Games Development school which requires moving to Melbourne?
Each have there pros and cons to them and honestly, I have no idea on which option to choose. But lets focus on the photography part. Photography to me is a hobby that simply spawned from another hobby, and that is buying figures. Much like the same reason how Moe Moe Rabu came about. Now I didn’t exactly tell the photographer that I photograph figures, I mainly told him that I do a variety of photos but mainly of macro photos of toys and flowers, though I’ll probably mention it more next time I see him. But yes, photography to me I see as a hobby and nothing else. But how something that started from a hobby and has grown to a lifetime opportunity is surely something surprising. But is it really something I want to take further? Like I can see the benefits of being an assistant and learning the tricks of photography, but is it something that can excel me to greater opportunities? But I guess this applies to the other two options, but not as heavily.
So the choices of life are laid before me, but as to what path I should take I am unsure at this point. For the photography job I have till next week to give him my contact details. As for the Games Development school, they are accepting applications for next year already, so it seems I’m running out of time for such things. Oh how time is short these days.
Some nice photos over there! Improvements can be made though
Think you can turn up the exposure for Watson’s Bay picture.
I ever did though of going into photography as a career (freelance though). It’s a job I’d like to take (I don’t really like mundane deskbound work ) I’m sure in Sydney there are lots of places to take good shots of. Should try taking pictures of people in the future
Go for the Photography job, and still try to find an IT job here
This is interesting. Guess what, I’m in a similar situation. I mean, the only photos I take are of figures and more recently cosplayers. Wait, if you choose to become the assistant, then your pictures will soon pwn everyone else’s.
ButI really hate these life-changing choices. The thing is, many of these choices are either really earth-shaking or just irrelevant in the end, but you’ll never know.
In my senior year of university, I spent a couple of months assisting a New York fashion photographer. For financial reasons, I couldn’t afford to pay my dues and build a career in high fashion photography, which is the toughest part of the industry to get into, but most photography fields are tough. Even the guys who take photos of fried chicken and cabbage are cutthroat competitive. It can be an ugly business and it’s all about connections and paying your dues to earn those connections, the payments are often vomit inducing. So I wound up falling back on my degree and getting a “real” job and didn’t touch a camera for five years.
What kind of photography career do you want?
If you want to get into advertising photography, you need to be an assistant to an advertising photographer. To do this, you need an awesome portfolio, a second job to pay the bills, or parents willing to bankroll you for a while. Unless this photographer you’re going to assist does more than just weddings and family portraits, it won’t further your photography career in anything other than wedding photography and family portraits. It can be a stepping stone to learning more about photography and a shot here and there for the portfolio. It depends on this photographer’s clients as to how much depth he can offer as a career path. In the world of professional photography, the wedding photographer is the bottom of the food chain.
I mean this as no disrespect to your photographer (he may have solid in roads to other fields). It’s just if you’re weighing this as a career option, you should probably know that.
How long have you been making photographs as if they were art (commercial or fine)?
Depending on how much time you have, I’d assist this photographer for a little while to acquire some skills, but would look at your other two paths as career choices. See where the assisting might lead to before ruling out your other two paths. Both of which I believe are things are unforgiving of a prolonged absense. Photography’s door is more forgiving upon return.
It sounds more like you’re toying with the idea than it running as a poison through your veins. This is a relatively safe way to toy with the idea of a photo career to see if it is indeed the path you should pursue.
Photography can be a rewarding hobby as I’m discovering all over again this past year.
I hope this rambling mess makes some sense.
Not much time eh, I learned to take advantage of any opportunity given to me. Take up of the photography offer while looking for a full-time career. Like you said, photography is more of a hobby to you, but it’s more what you enjoy doing as a career, photography or software dev? University degrees do not always reflect the line of work the person is doing.
My advice is to take up on the photography offer, apply to the games dev school, but find out more about what they do and how the working environment is to see if they suit you. If it doesn’t suit your taste then you can always refuse and withdraw your application, but it’s a good idea to keep as many doors open as possible.
Try it out. You might have the one-in-million chance to actually make your hobby your career. Be aware that it in no way guarantees anything. You could assist this photographer and get paid for it and at the end of it take much better photos, and then continue on with your life with one more entry in your resume. What you are facing is an opportunity, not a cross-road.
Windbell: Mundane deskwork doesn’t seem that bad to me. Especially having worked for a well known supermarket food chain for nearly 4 years, I just want to get the hell out of there.
Michael: That is an option I can take as well.
tj han: Indeed my photography skills would become more awesome. Not only that, I’ll get to play around with all sorts of photography equipment.
super rats: You just opened up quite a large perspective that I would never have thought of. At this point I’m not really too sure on what type of photography I would like to head into since I really don’t know a lot about the industry itself. I’m sure the photographer does more than just wedding photos and portraits as he was asking quite a bit about what kind of photos I take and such, but I’ll have to clarify with him on the type of work he does.
Hijiko: I would like to try out the games dev path, but the main problem I have, like many others, is my financial stability to support me through it. That’s probably the only thing holding me back on that decision.
icie: You’re probably right. I am most likely thinking too deeply into this as a career and I should probably take up the offer. Anything to get me out of my current work. Though, it would be awesome if I could turn my hobby into a career.
i like your work