Some photographers seem to have careers that appear to have started at the very top of the industry’s ladder. For others, the early days of their photography careers are something they try to hide from. How has your photography evolved over the years?
Editing And Post Processing. Less Is More.
My post processing workflow has changed entirely. One of the biggest mistakes I feel that I made when I first began shooting professionally wasn’t made on set, it was made after I got back home and uploaded the images to my computer. To put it lightly, my post processing skills needed some serious attention. I fell into the same trap many budding photographers fall into – the Lightroom preset trap. I downloaded a set of presets for the first time and fell in love with the trendy film-like colors and the way they made my images look. Instead of learning about color correction and basic adjustments (about all that I rely on these days), I counted on these presets to do the work most of the time. One day, my computer crashed and those presets were among the files that I lost. It was after I loaded an updated version of Lightroom without my beloved presets to the new computer that I realized how dependent I had become on them and I needed to do something about it.
From Racing To NSFW To Family Photography In 5 Years
Not everyone stays in the same wheelhouse their entire career and that’s okay. I know I didn’t. I began photographing desert races and race teams in the U.S Southwest. The competition to sell images among other freelancers in this genre was vicious and clients tended to hire the lowest priced photographer – not exactly the way I wanted to generate income.
Once the dust settled from my off-road racing days, I found myself photographing tattooed models for various tattoo publications, more for the opportunity to be published in a magazine than the additional income. While I didn’t make much money shooting this genre, I learned a lot about portrait photography and dealing with people on set, which eventually led to the formation of the company I own and operate today.
The majority of my work these days is portrait and commercial photography. It’s in this corner of the of the market that I feel most comfortable and have been able to carve my name in while generating the type of income that I want.
Family portraits and product photos are a long way from the NSFW content I used to create but I don’t regret any of the energy I invested into other genres. After all, it’s our experiences that build our character and gives each of us a unique perspective.
How has your photography changed over the years? Are you proud of your early work, or is it something you’ve tried to burry in internet’s cobwebs? Share one of your earliest images in the comments below.