I should start by saying that I love the idea of newspapers. Of documenting the community. Of witnessing history and recording it. Of informing. Of challenging.
But recently I've been a little disappointed with the reality of them.
Maybe this happens in other professions, too. But I notice it more in the one I'm deeply entrenched in. But lately, there seems to be a shift towards quantity over quality. A question about keeping up with the Joneses the youtubes the TV stations. A certain satisfaction in settling for mediocrity.
Sometimes I wonder about life after newspapers. The great what if. The scariest being: What if being a newspaper photographer has done irrevocable damage to my spirit and stunted my growth as a photojournalist?
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I think it's just like a plant starved of water. start getting water again, you bloom.
ReplyDeleteWhat if being a newspaper photographer has done irrevocable damage to my spirit and stunted my growth as a photojournalist?
ReplyDeleteIf you're thinking this, then it's probably already started to happen. It happened to me and it happened to too many of my friends.
Sometimes I wonder about life after newspapers.
The good news is that life after newspapers can be even more rewarding. I've been able to build a business that allows me to document people's lives - ...documenting the community. Of witnessing history and recording it. - It's different from newspapers, I am now witnessing family history and preserving it for future generations.
I am able push myself as far as I want. No one is telling me I can't do something. Nothing is holding me back except my own vision and ambition. My photographs are not seen by millions of people, but the people who do see them value them.
m,
ReplyDeleteI just returned from breaking free of the newspaper, but it only took me about 6 months to realize that I lost touch with the photo community not to mention the community I live in and document - that, my friend, was much harder to stomach than any building mug or business portrait.
Enjoy your life...your work...what you've created with apad.
Doing what we do is worth it.
Chip