Of Being a Photographer: a conversation with a different generation.
This is a conversation that I had with an older gentleman from my church the other day:
him: Bethany, how old are you?
me: Twenty-four.
him: And you're a photographer, right?
me: Yep!
him: And you don't have a 9 to 5, regular 'ol desk job?
me: Nope. (smiling)
him: You just do photography?
me: Yes sir. (still smiling)
him: But what do you do all day?
me: If I don't have a photoshoot? Well, if I have photos to edit, I do that, I plan shoots, I research, get ideas and inspiration. And then whatever I want to do, I guess. (still smiling, although a little bit sheepishly)
him: Don't you get lazy?
me: Well, I guess I could. But I usually have plenty to do, so no.
him: But you don't have a JOB?
me: No. I'm a photographer. (big 'ol smile)
Some people just don't get it. They don't understand not having a "regular job". It's called being self-employed people! And this isn't my job. It's not a 9 to 5 thing. This is my passion. This is who I am. It's a 24/7 thing. I don't clock in and clock out. I don't take off a uniform and be done with it till the next day. I AM a photographer. All the time. The other day, as I was posing my boyfriend while we were standing together in the grocery store, telling him "Oh, this would be such a sweet shot!", he laughed and said, "You see life in photographs don't you." YES. Why, yes, I do. I see in light and shadows, poses and composition, colors, textures, styling and still frames. That's my eye, that's how I see life. Sometimes, I get paid for it. But it's not my job. It's my calling, it is simply what I am designed to do. And I'm so thankful that I can make a living by it... even if some people don't understand how.
This is me, turning my nose up at conventional jobs. :) Photo by: Kiefer
him: Bethany, how old are you?
me: Twenty-four.
him: And you're a photographer, right?
me: Yep!
him: And you don't have a 9 to 5, regular 'ol desk job?
me: Nope. (smiling)
him: You just do photography?
me: Yes sir. (still smiling)
him: But what do you do all day?
me: If I don't have a photoshoot? Well, if I have photos to edit, I do that, I plan shoots, I research, get ideas and inspiration. And then whatever I want to do, I guess. (still smiling, although a little bit sheepishly)
him: Don't you get lazy?
me: Well, I guess I could. But I usually have plenty to do, so no.
him: But you don't have a JOB?
me: No. I'm a photographer. (big 'ol smile)
Some people just don't get it. They don't understand not having a "regular job". It's called being self-employed people! And this isn't my job. It's not a 9 to 5 thing. This is my passion. This is who I am. It's a 24/7 thing. I don't clock in and clock out. I don't take off a uniform and be done with it till the next day. I AM a photographer. All the time. The other day, as I was posing my boyfriend while we were standing together in the grocery store, telling him "Oh, this would be such a sweet shot!", he laughed and said, "You see life in photographs don't you." YES. Why, yes, I do. I see in light and shadows, poses and composition, colors, textures, styling and still frames. That's my eye, that's how I see life. Sometimes, I get paid for it. But it's not my job. It's my calling, it is simply what I am designed to do. And I'm so thankful that I can make a living by it... even if some people don't understand how.
This is me, turning my nose up at conventional jobs. :) Photo by: Kiefer
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