The time has come to talk about why I absolutely love being a photographer. I already shared some of the negative sides of this profession, but there are plenty of reasons to love this field of work. Let’s dive right in.

The way you look tonight

You’ve surely heard the phrase, “I wish you could see yourself through my eyes.”, or some variation of this, often cheesy, line. As a photographer, you can actually show people how they look through your eyes. That’s actually, kinda the point. You get to share your view on everything with the entire world. As photographers, we see things differently, especially light. We notice things like the contrast a shadow casts on an old monument, or the hue created by a setting sun, reflected from a local shop’s front window. Taking in the world’s beauty is a whole new experience when you’re a photographer.

Freedom

You probably could have guessed that many photographers don’t work a traditional 9-5. The better you get at your craft, the more flexible your hours can be. Having the freedom to go have lunch with friends, surprise your kid with an afternoon picnic or just catch a matinee at the local theatre, makes a huge difference in your quality of life. If you’re not a morning person, start your day at 11. If you’re an early-riser, book some shoots with a fishing or agriculture company and head out with the rising sun to capture your moments. You can tailor this life any way you desire.

gearhead

When we begin down the rabbit hole of photography, we often don’t get obsessed with gear right away, due to the fact it costs an arm and a leg. However, you will develop a taste for the finer pieces of gear; those must-have camera bag essentials. If being a photographer is how you make your living, you can get away with buying gear, guilt-free(probably still don’t tell your spouse what you paid for it).

dopamine overload

Rarely will a person contact you to capture negative memories. Working as a professional photographer will be like a daily shot of dopamine, as you are invited to see people living their special moments. You’ll, in some way, be a part of those moments. It’s a very special feeling to be able to preserve a moment or memory in time and give that to another person. Think of the pleasure you get when you watch someone open a present you bought them, only the gift of photographer already has feelings invested to that present; it’s really, very special.

ticket for adventure

This one is probably my favorite of them all. Before I started photography, I would get out and explore, maybe see some shows, here and there. I was the type to have to justify having fun(I should probably see a shrink). My camera gave me this justification. I was now exploring to create. I was exploring to share all of the things that I saw through my lens and it felt absolutely wonderful.

More than this, my camera was a literal ticket to new experiences. When you’re in your early 20’s, no one is tossing you the keys to a supercar, or telling you to go bury a pickup in mud for the shot. When you put a camera in your hand, people are eager for these things. People want to see what you can create with their product or service. Front row tickets? Your camera gets you those too. Now, remember that none of this is to be taken for granted. You earned every bit of these free-passes with your years of finetuning your craft.

wake up

If you’re standing in your mirror asking yourself if you should buy that first camera, the answer is yes. If you’re on this blog post because you Googled, “Is photography a good job?”. The answer is yes. You’ve all got a story inside of you, start snapping and tell it.

-Canadian James

I’ve got a free ticket