Ted Orland said the most common response to him stating he was a photographer was (and probably still is), “Oh, you’re a photographer. Do you do weddings?” I sympathize with his plight.
I am a photographic artiste, you know. I photograph scenes of uncommon beauty and emotional depth. I have a web site, a blog, a multi-page CV, magazine credits and a bunch of prize winning photographs (I even have blue ribbons!). So, when you get asked to be one of the official team photographers for the big annual conference, the only thing you can possibly do is to enthusiastically raise your hand, say, “You bet I will be the photographer,” and then go out and try to make the absolute best photographs of that event that have ever been made.
Making the photographs you want to make when you want to make them is an absolute privilege. Making the photographs others need when they say they have to be made is a responsibility. That’s a much more difficult thing to do and a challenge that should be welcomed. It’s one thing to create a great photograph. It’s quite another create a great photograph when you have to do it. Having to deliver great photographs is the motivation to produce the best work you can when you are not in your comfort zone. It’s a challenge to you to see differently for a change and produce something new and exciting.
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