Details, Dealings, and Depression

No blog post yesterday. I did not get everything done I had wanted to. But that is OK. I really need to pace myself. I did manage to update my website with some new images, and changed the music. I think the whole thing fits a lot better now. Of course that could just be the mood I'm in today. that's a dangerous thing when contemplating website design.

Today has been filled with responding to some emails, checking leads from www.decidio.com , and checking on my Facebook ad performance. That is one thing new I did yesterday. I have actually booked one wedding from Facebook this year. I'm hoping for even better returns here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Facebook allows you to target specifically who (or what group) you want your ad to be displayed to. You really need to think about your demographics on this. I could just blanket everyone who is engaged, but that's not my target market. I'm looking for a more sophisticated client, who can afford my price point. Keep that in mind if you go the Facebook route.

So maybe the other thing I should talk about is depression. I was real hesitant to put this out there, but heck it's just me, you, and the internet that'll read this. I do suffer from depression. Not major, but I am on some medication for it. I bring this up because could I have possibly picked a worse vocation to take up then being a professional photographer? Heck take the normal self doubt and frustration any photographer feels and sprinkle in a mental illness...nice. Do you have self doubt, worry, are you scared? I watch this video repeatedly to tell myself I am not alone.



Anyways, I want to tell you about an experience that was completely unplanned, unrehearsed, and very profound that happened last week at the workshop I attended in Dobbs Ferry with Joe McNally (I promise a full write, I swear). Joe was showing us how to setup an environmental portrait in a really cool workshop of a bagpipe maker named Charlie Kron (You can see Joe's Blog post here ). So Joe was getting some gear in place, and the class was chatting with Charlie. Charlie was asked how he became one of the country's premier bagpipe makers. Charlie simply said, "I come to work everyday. I stay busy even when there was no work, and I do what I think a bagpipe maker does everyday and it just happened." WOW! Now here is a guy who as far as he knows is talking to a bunch of professional photographers. Joe had not prompted him to say that. Heck the workshop was about "going pro" or business or any of those topics. But Charlie hit the nail on the head. You see Charlie is a creative professional too. Charlie knows that you have to do the steps. Just do them that's all. One step, next step, next step,and before you know it you are at your destination. I want to be like Charlie, and with my depression kicking in today I have to think about Charlie, his bagpipes, his dream.

Oh, and when Joe said he almost cried while shooting Charlie.....he really did almost lose it. If you doubt the passion you must have to go down the road of being a photographer then spend some time with someone like Joe.