JWilsonphoto
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On
|
Hi Jason,
Thank you! I think you'll understand this more than many, there is no earthly reason for me to be where I am, doing what I'm doing. The odds of me succeeding in a transition from marketing at Caterpillar to commercial photographer are so miniscule that I can only attribute the whole process to God's plan for me. I literally walk out the door every morning and say "thank You!" because the whole thing is so unlikely.
There's lot's in between that I won't take up space here with, but I left an 11 year position at Caterpillar about 26 years ago and have never missed a day of work since. When I started my business I had one camera, a couple of lenses and lots to learn. I didn't realize it then but I'd been preparing for this career most of my life. There has been a camera in my hand since grade school and it never entered my mind to attempt to make a living with it.
Like I said the testimony goes on and on. I'll give you one example. I'm sitting at my desk lamenting the state of affairs my position at Cat had me in when a gentleman walks in asking for Jim Wilson. I owned up to being him and he proceeded to introduce himself and explain that he worked in the truck engine division of Cat. He went on to say that someone in the company mentioned me and my passion for photography. He then looked me in the eye and asked if I had any use at all for a case full of Hasselblad gear. I told him I'd walk barefoot across ten miles of crushed glass to own a Blad, but I didn't have the money to buy the lens caps. He proceeded to tell me he had worked his way through college with this equipment and now it just sits in the case, he felt badly about that and thought someone should be putting it to good use. Once again I said thank you but I was pretty much worrying about paying the rent at the moment. Once again, he looked me in the eye and said, "I'm going to get it out of the car, I think you should have it. Pay me in six months, pay me in five years, don't pay me ever, I think you should have this gear." He brought the case in gave it to me, smiled and walked out. I put that camera to good use on weekends and evenings and paid him for it in about two months, a couple of months later I quit Cat.
I could pull up dozens of similar happenings over the next 26 years, but you get the idea. I'm doing this because I'm supposed to. Hopefully this will continue to be the Plan for me and I'll never have to get a real job again! I knocked on a lot of doors for the first five years, I knew how to do that and that helped tremendously. You can see from my website that I shoot a wide variety of subjects and I love them all. The mixture keeps me fresh and the myriad of experiences allows me to be better in all the markets I serve. For instance, I can shoot an F-16 air to air, step out and do annual report portrait of Lockheed's CEO, or shoot interiors of their facility that look like they're headed to the pages of Architecture magazine. The skills I've acquired help me to be very versatile. I don't want any of my clients to need another photographer for anything, unless it's their daughter's wedding.
Equipment wise, my wife would say "you've had a really good month shooting, unfortunately, your camera supplier has had a better month". I don't rent, I figure out a way to buy what I need to do the best possible job. I've gone out on a limb so many times in the last two decades, it's scares me if I'm not out there. My plan has worked though, quality equipment, the right tool whether it's a lens or lighting. You'll never have another opportunity to WOW that client for the first time. If you don't, or can't because your skill level or equipment isn't there yet, don't take the job. The money isn't worth losing that client forever, you can go after them when you have the equipment and skills.
My first assignments were an hour here and a half day there. If I got hired for a whole day it was a real occasion to celebrate! I have always enjoyed selling an assignment, in the early years I'd be so excited about getting booked for a shoot. Then my stomach would begin to churn wondering whether I could actually do what I just sold. That didn't last long, in fact I think I'm getting over it (ho! ho!). I found that I could turn that anxiety into energy and lesssen it's effects by being extremely well prepared for the upcoming task.
I'll be honest with you, I don't work at all like most photographers. The quality of my product is foremost, but the relationships are right up there. I still have many of the clients that I was blessed with 26 years ago. Most of them have become friends, they know my grandchildren, and I know theirs. I take them flying, they have my landscapes hanging in their homes and offices, we are a part of each other's lives outside of business, that's important to me. I'm not a heavy handed evangelist, but they know where I stand as a Christian and what my values are, they know why I do what I do and Who I do it for.
Well, I have an early wake up call, and it's getting earlier as we speak. I hope this has helped. Good luck on your journey. Let me know if I can help.
Sincerely,
Jim
|
