I’ve been doing this a long time, and I think I am pretty damn good at what I do. I never think I am so good that there is nothing left to learn. I am always looking for opportunities  to take classes or have my portfolio reviewed by other people in the industry. Having your work looked at and critiqued is one of the best ways to improve your vision. When I say having your work looked at I am not talking about showing it to your friends or mom and dad. Having your friends sing the praises of your work can be fun, and its certainly an ego boost, but does it help you grow? I take advantage of every chance I get to have my work looked at. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes its brutal, but its always beneficial. Well, almost always. The worst portfolio review I’ve ever had, was one most people would think was the best. I sat down at an unnamed school and spent my entire time hearing how great my work was and answering the reviewers questions on how I managed to get the look I got. I know I’m good, thats why I do this, but I was looking for insight on how to get better! Approach every review with an open mind, you may not agree with everything the reviewer says, but think of why they are saying what they are. Always keep learning and growing!!!

         I’m a photographer, I do many different things with my photography, but I derive a lot of my income from the music industry, or whats left of it. I work with a lot of small local bands in the NYC area, and its interesting to see who grows and what doesn’t. I listen to a lot of really bad music in my search for new bands to work with. When I think music is dead and American Midol has taken over I am surprised and delighted to find a real band or a real musician singing real music. I had a crazy week shooting a lot of back to back nights of mediocre music (a guy has to eat) when I was surprised by one of the bands on the bill.  You can tell instantly when a band is playing music that means something to them and not just trying to be the flavor of the week. I like to believe people still appreciate “real” music, and not whats forced down their throats by Simon Codpiece and his cronies. 

         Its the same with photography, in this iPhone “its good enough” age I still like to believe people can appreciate “real” photography. People can tell if you’re just in it for a paycheck or photography is your real passion. 

From time to time people ask me “how do you keep interested in photography after doing it for so long?” There are many answers to that question, but I’ll touch on a few of them here. The first is, I truly love doing it. I’ve had a camera of one sort or another since I was 10. There is always something new, or something else to learn. I’ve never gotten to the point were I was done learning or trying something different. Sure there are times when I don’t feel like picking up a camera, or when the assignment I am on is less than creatively stimulating, but thats when I go to my bag of tricks. One thing I’ll do is strip things down to the basics, leave everything at home except one camera and one lens. That forces me to look at things differently and try something new. Sometimes I’ll pick up the old film body and shoot a roll of black and white film. One thing I’ve been doing lately is following this web site: http://project52.org/ . His idea is to help young and emerging photographers, but I find it stimulating as well. I have no affiliation with that web site, just found it interesting and thought I’d pass it along.