I have the best job in the world.
Somehow I have been blessed with a life where I get paid to be photograph the things that I love most in this world: girls and guitars.
…and kids.
Only in my craziest dreams would I have imagined that this is what my life would look like, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. There have been many strange little twists and turns along the way that have led to this. I’m so grateful for the lifestyle I currently have. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to several key friends that encouraged me to keep going when I was on the verge of quitting.
A few months ago, I got this idea that doing boudoir photography was impeding my dating life. I became very self conscious that women might find it hard to be close to me because I’m around scarcely dressed / naked beautiful women quite a bit in my work. I really do want a companion in life. I love to love a woman. I don’t WANT to be single for the rest of my life (though I’m willing to remain so if I don’t meet the right person). Anyway, I was about to throw in the towell on boudoir photography so that I could be more “datable”. Yeah. All you suckas that think getting a camera and becoming a “photographer” is a great way to get girls? Well, I was ready to put mine down so that I COULD get girls. A few friends, Amber Dawn Powell in particular, encouraged me to stay the course. She reminded me that if I’m really in this for the craft, I will meet someone that understands my work and will love me. Despite a less than encouraging phone conversation with Alison Rosen and Lynette Carolla (Adam Carolla’s wife), I decided to stick with it. I’m grateful that I did – serving boudoir clients has kept food on my table during this early spring season.
Every now and then I have an experience that reminds me of how much I still have to learn in my craft. Such was the case this month… Much gratitude goes to my dear friend Sara Ann. She hooked me up with an interview that led to my biggest commercial client yet: Naartjie Kids. I’ve done commercial work before, but I’ve never done a full catalog shoot on location like this. Naartjie is a big company, too: they have stores all around the world. I was so nervous, I only slept 1 hour the night before the shoot. I rented extra gear, I bought tons of extra memory cards, batteries, props to make the kids smile. I even hired an assistant (first time I’ve actually HIRED an assistant for a shoot), and she was amazing. From what I can tell, the shoot went well, though there were some glitches in post production. My computer took 13 hours JUST TO IMPORT the photos into my editing software. Once editing was completed, my computer took a full 24 hours to export the job and upload it to the client. This is what working on a shoestring looks like. I’m hoping to upgrade my computer this month so that I can be more efficient. I learned several important lessons about my gear, about post production, and about location shooting while doing this job for Naartjie. Though it was nerve racking, it felt good to be forced to learn some new things.
I’ve been working with PartyUtah for almost 3 years now. My relationship with PartyUtah has been fortuitous: it helped me learn a lot of social skills that I totally missed out on during my 20’s, as I was a married man with kids from the time I was 21. I had never set foot into a night club, and scarcely been in a bar. I have a decent understanding of how those kinds of things work now. Last year, Party Utah started working with The Complex, a fantastic concert venue in SLC. I live 1 block away from The Complex… about once a week, I walk over and get paid to attend a concert with my camera. Sometimes I don’t really care for the band, sometimes I discover new music that I absolutely love. Either way, I’m grateful for the opportunity to make money listening to live music, shooting musicians, having a few drinks, and making a few new friends every week.
LIFE IS GOOD.
