Why??

These days, it seems like everybody wants to be a photographer.. and I'm not talking about the hobbyists who are content to stay hobbyists, shooting for fun with no aspirations of ever creating a commercial venture out of their DSLRs.
I'm talking about the hobbyists and newly bitten shutterbugs, who are diving headfirst into photography and are thinking that they may want to turn this newfound passion into a career.

I find it really unsettling.. and it got me to thinking, 'how many of these people have really sat down with themselves and asked themselves "Why"
Because this is what I did when I first decided that I wanted to make my living as a photographer..
I asked myself "Why?"

If you are unable to honestly answer that question, I'm afraid that you are headed down the wrong path. This lack of clear intention, and an understanding of that intention, will appear in your images and negatively reflect on your business.

So what are the reasons that many people are now desiring
to be photographers?
Let's look at some of the obvious reasons.

*Great Pay
*Working with beautiful girls and/or guys (whatever floats your boat)
*Being your own boss
*Setting your own schedule
*Playing with really cool gear
*Getting known around the world for your work
*The opportunity to travel to the the world's most amazing locales.

That's quite the list, and it may all seem pretty fine and dandy, and even great reasons for being a photographer. But these all have their pitfalls, and you must come to realize this if you are to move beyond these justifications and work for more honest reasons.

*The pay may be great, but it's not consistent (unless you're constantly working) and as Raymond Chou states in his post The $40 Roll of Kodachrome, your time spent working far exceeds the time that you actually spend shooting.
*You will have the opportunity to work with some beautiful people, and it is a blessing to be gifted with such wonderful subjects to shoot. But that's what we are doing, we are shooting them.. not touching them, not hitting on them, spending more time gawking at them than looking through the viewfinder... Please, if you are a wannabe Bruce Testones, do us serious photographers a favor and choose another hobby..
*Being your own boss takes a lot of time and dedication, and you must channel your inner boss to push your inner employee to actually do work. Simply printing business cards and calling yourself a photographer is not going to pay the bills. On top of this, you'll have to take care of your business's expenses, taxes, advertising, client relationship building/maintenance, editing. blogging.. etc.. in other words.. it's harder work than making coffee at Starbucks.
*Having the ability to set you own schedule has its benefits. You don't have to quit your job to attend your best friend's wedding, or miss out on things you like doing because you've been saddled with a shoddy schedule. But..our  schedule is also dictated by our clients. If they need something done on a certain day, you have to do it, even if that means rescheduling your dinner date with the hottie from the elevator.
*As for the other three....well OK, there's nothing really negative about them, but they still aren't good enough reasons for aspiring to become a photographer..

So WHY, WHY, WHY????

First and foremost, I do this for the love of photography. I've always enjoyed taking pictures (even when they were horrid, horrid frames), and I feel a sense of peace when it's just me and my camera out for a stroll, trying to see the world a little differently than most folks.
I love the challenge of photography: trying to solve a problem, be it exposure, or composition, or technique, or dealing with a subject. In my opinion, anything that is easy isn't worth it, we gain the greatest satisfaction in life by overcoming obstacles and bettering ourselves.
Because photography is a giant, never-ending classroom, I am always learning, which is something I enjoy immensely. I just love the feeling of learning something new and dying to implement the newfound knowledge. There's almost nothing better than one of those "eureka" moments when you
learn something and say to yourself "holy S**t!! I can do that!!??!!??"
Photography is something that I can teach to others. I have a passion for teaching that goes hand in hand with my love of learning. I gain a great deal of satisfaction from teaching others and watching them experience their own "eureka" moments. So I shoot with the hopes that one day I'll be lucky enough that a few people will come to me looking for answers.
Yet almost above all, it's the creation, and the sharing of that creation that pushes me to be a photographer. If I can create something that people will enjoy looking at, I'm happy.. and not because it's stroking my ego because people say "you're so good" but because they say, "that's amazing"..
makes me smile every time.

So sit down with yourself, take a deep look at what is motivating you to become a photographer, and let the resulting answers guide your next steps..

~AA