cgardner
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 p.2 #6 · Flame post - to all boards | |
I can't recall ever seeing your work, but just the fact you are still in the photography business after 28 years probably speaks more to your skills as a businessman and entrepreneurial zeal to be your own boss than as a photographer. Both are no doubt excellent.
But time spent behind the plow does not make one a better farmer. What makes a person a better farmer is understanding what plants need to grow and how to run a farm as a business. There are many different ways to do that, some take longer than others.
When I was starting out I worked for less than two years for one of the best in the business, both photographically and business-wise. I learned more in that short span than I ever would have walking in the furrow of my own trial and error. I'd venture to say that after 18 months I'd probably learned more than someone self-taught and trying to figure out the photography and how to run business part might learn in 20 years on their own. When you work for someone who has already made all the mistakes the learning curve is faster. The most valuable lesson I learned was that I didn't have any burning desire to run my own business. It was clear that even at the top of the heap the hours sucked and the remuneration while comfortable wasn't making my boss wealthy. So I got out of the business early. I stopped taking photos for hire, but worked in related fields of the graphic arts. I never stopped learning how the photographic process works on a technical and perceptual level.
Time spent behind the plow does not make one a better farmer, it just gives them a red neck. 
Edited by cgardner on Apr 03, 2008 at 10:56 PM GMT
Edited on Apr 03, 2008 at 05:56 PM
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