So, anyway what I was saying is the Art Institute didn't exactly work out for me but I think a photojournalism program would be a lot different, especially at one of the better schools like Kentucky or Florida (I hear amazing things about the PJ program Kentucky has) or even something like the Brooks Institute (although I have a feeling those would be more "dangerous waters"). Another thing I didn't like about the Art Institute is that everyone was all bunched together for the entire first half of the program (which would be like 1 1/2 years). It wasn't until after the first half that the tracks split & you had to choose Art photography, Commercial photography or Photojournalism so even though I find the artsy types with the black beret's & scarf's extremely interesting to speak with & hang out with, I don't see how it makes sense to teach us together. Enough of that though. I think my original point is that I'm self-taught & a self-taught photographer without any "real" experience has a hell of a time trying to find a job. Experience is like money, you need to have it to make it. So nobody wants to hire me at a newspaper or magazine unless I've already worked at a newspaper or magazine. That blows but I'll get past it somehow.
Let's step backwards a bit though. So how did all this madness even start? Now THAT is a good question & one that every photographer gets asked, I imagine. Well, I am one of those folks that was always into it, when I was younger (maybe starting around 11 or 12) I would always have a few disposable Kodak camera's. No matter where my friends & I went, no matter what we did, I always documented it with my little disposable. At that time I didn't realize this is what I was doing though, all I knew is that I liked taking pictures of us & the places we went. Looking back now though I can see I was basically doing the same thing I love to do now, I was documenting the life & times. What's kind of cool too is that on the backs of all those pictures (the best ones at least) I have written short little paragraph's explaining who is in the picture, what we were doing, where & when it was & usually how it ended up. What does a photojournalist have to do with all of their pictures today? CAPTION! So I was basically already practicing my craft without even knowing it. [I told you this stuff was in my blood]. It all really began though when my Dad let me use his awesome Pentax ME 35mm SLR. To me, this things was like a god & photography was like my religion. I took it everywhere he would let me (this was before even the disposable days so I wasn't allowed to go too far without my parent's) and took pictures of everyone we met along the way. This is probably the bug that bit me, so to speak. I was never quite the same after seeing what could be done with a camera in my hands. It probably only took one really good picture (which I likely took by accident) and I was stuck. I was in love photography & it would never end.
I didn't actually take the idea of being a "professional" seriously until many years later though. I was done with High School & working full-time at a job I didn't particularly enjoy (roofing, if you're wondering) while trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do with my life. The plan of becoming a cop got nixed very early when I became the lucky winner of a criminal record. I loved to teach people things but that would never turn into anything, I was really into electronics & computers but you couldn't get a job doing that without going to college (which I couldn't afford) but, ya know, I really did love taking pictures & I was pretty good at it too (at least for having zero knowledge of technique or rules or anything like that). So I wandered aimlessly for a bit & then one day it kind of hit me. I was walking my dogs in South Park, PA when I saw a photographer shooting a newly married couple over by the duck pond. it was just a teeny, tiny little nib of a thought but it stuck deep in the back of my brain as I walked by but that little fraction of a thought kept growing & growing & moving up towards the front of my mind. Eventually what started as an itch was the idea equivalent of a jackhammer pounding at my brain! I started looking things up on the internet about both starting & running your own business & of course the subject of photography. I realized that I would need more than just a crappy Kodak & this was the time when digital was really starting to take off, Canon's first "Digital Rebel" was introduced & although I never bought it, the idea was nagging at me non-stop until the release of the new & improved "Rebel XT". This was it, I had been building up my portfolio & shooting with beloved Canon Elan 7n and a few crappy lenses, all the while keeping a close eye on the progression of digital technology & listening to what everyone else thought about it but I knew this was the time. It was affordable, it produced good quality & was on "the cutting edge" at the time. So that's how I went digital. It was soon after that I came up with Magik X Imaging & started building a website & a brand, although the "company" wouldn't go online for awhile due to a mix of problems & laziness.
Today I have a website, represent myself on numerous different photo sites, I have some steady work with more coming in, I'm trying to expand my abilities & shoot more genres. I'm working on things like a logo & brand identity & am pretty much filling my days with the advancement of my photographic career. I'm not quite there yet but I am at least getting to the top of the hill & someday, hopefully soon, I'll reach the top & start sliding quickly down the other side, gaining momentum as I go.
I do plan on keeping this blog very up-to-date. I should be writing new entries with every step I take & every job I get. I will be writing my own personal reviews on every piece of gear I own & each new toy I acquire. I'll be talking about the industry & sharing what I think about trends & industry news and we'll probably be doing some other fun stuff too so keep an eye out for new posts & let me know what you think. Definitely write & comment too if you have the time, any artist can use as much C&C as they can get. Cool? Cool.
Ya, a quickie, huh? Sorry...
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