{"id":28262,"date":"2024-11-17T00:28:02","date_gmt":"2024-11-17T08:28:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/randywells.com\/blog\/?p=28262"},"modified":"2024-12-04T12:22:05","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T20:22:05","slug":"28262","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/randywells.com\/blog\/?p=28262","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Every so often I get an inquiry from someone I know who has a friend who wants to be an automotive photographer. I like to help others when I can, so I usually start with something like this:<\/p>\n

Success means something different for everyone. For me it means being paid well for doing what I truly believe I was meant to do. <\/p>\n

As you know, I have been and continue to be very fortunate working non-stop in the automotive media business. That doesn’t mean I am any less compassionate to those starting out. Here\u2019s why. <\/p>\n

In 1984 I obtained my photography business license, yet even in those days when it was much easier to break into photography as a profession, it wasn\u2019t until 1992 that I could go full-time. That brings me back to success. Today, I am a much more experienced photographer\/filmmaker\/writer, yet I\u2019m earning only a fraction of what I was earning back then. <\/p>\n

This doesn\u2019t mean your friend can\u2019t do well. However, there are other factors to consider now: the Internet, cell phones, everyone\u2019s a photographer, etc. No to mention start up costs, overhead, insurance, etc. All of which have been impacted by recent inflation. <\/p>\n

Having a day job that pays well, being connected to wealth, being ok with rejection, not caring what others think, and never giving up all help. Just don\u2019t undermine those who are working in your chosen creative field by charging less than what you are worth. Sometimes it takes a while to figure out what that is! <\/p>\n

Please understand, I am very happy doing a desirable job for those few who value and compensate me for what they believe I can bring to the table. However, it is still hard for me to be optimistic when speaking with a young person who may not have money put aside to bankroll their desires. Fortunately, digital cameras and lenses are not all that expensive, and they allow one to shoot as many photos as you have batteries and cards for. That said, I would urge anyone who wants to pursue this seriously to slow down, do personal projects they really care about, and answer these questions for themselves often: <\/p>\n

What is the most important thing in my life?
\nAt what times do I feel most alive?
\nWhat is my personal definition of photography?
\nWhere would I like to be as a photographer?
\nWhat\u2019s keeping me from getting there?
\nWhat are my greatest strengths and weaknesses as a photographer?
\nWhat does my dream job look like?
\nIf I could make just one set of photographs, what would it be? <\/p>\n

And most importantly, what is it I am trying to say? <\/p>\n

I hope all this helps. It is not my intention to not help when I can honestly do so. Please ask your friend to call me when they have 200 images they think are as good as anything else out there, and we can set up a portfolio review. <\/p>\n

All the best, <\/p>\n

Randy <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE Every so often I get an inquiry from someone I know who has a friend who wants to be an automotive photographer. I like to help others when I can, so I usually start with something like this: Success means something different for everyone. For me it means being paid … Continue reading “”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"spay_email":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/randywells.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28262"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/randywells.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/randywells.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/randywells.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/randywells.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28262"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/randywells.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28262\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28398,"href":"https:\/\/randywells.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28262\/revisions\/28398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/randywells.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/randywells.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/randywells.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}