From Being a Photographer to being Human Again

[Chris Lim]

Hi Chris,

Your sharing is interesting but I can't figure out where your general thought is heading. Hope you don't mind I list them down here:

1. You started by spewing out the problems you faced by choosing to be a wedding photographer (which incidentally has been lamented to death here before by many wed photogs). But the part where you said you forgot what it felt like "to love a shot the moment the shutter clicked" seemed abruptly introduced and irrelevant to the general discussion before it.

I believed i did mention that this is a problem that is present not only to me but also other photographers as well. Photographers who are personal friends too. And since this issue has been lamented to death, so i guess it wont be an issue for me to share my personal experiences now would it? "to love a shot the moment the shutter clicked" was how i used to feel when i started photography in general before making it a business, and how the by making a passion into a business, it can wear u down to the point when you forgot how it feels to take photos that translate how you feel inside.

Anyway, you also did not elaborate how that realization of the "human aspect of the craft" changed the way you behaved or reacted to your profession. Does it mean this "realization" makes you take better pictures? Or does it make you less weary than before? What do you mean by the "human aspect of the craft" is also not well-defined. Could it mean that in the past, you were blindly taking pictures, but now you make a more conscious effort of it??

How my relization of the human aspect of the craft had changed the way i see things is a very personal opinion and perspective. I'm sure if this article does hit a cord in some other photographer, they would have their own relization of how things can work for them too.
If i would further define "the human aspect of the craft" based on my personal opinion. Wouldnt that open another can of worms for you to gun down my personal opinions further? So when you said "Could it mean that in the past, you were blindly taking pictures", would probably mean that the statement i made "I forgot what it felt like to love a shot the moment the shutter clicked. And all these was because i was just so caught up on making the business work out that i forgot the initial reason to why i even chose the path to be a photographer." fell on a wrong footing for you to guess that i never felt passionate about my work right from the start.

You then stated: "It means the moment when your eyes see something that triggers a reaction in your mind and more importantly in your heart, you push the button to capture it on film."

Isn't this stating the obvious? If photographers don't do that, what are they photographing or how are they going to capture good images in the first place??

They can capture good images in alot of ways. for one the entire set up could be done up by an art director and all u do is to turn up to direct the lights and click the shutter The image can be good, but the feeling translated may be absent. So how many times have you been trigger happy just to capture the shot so you have sth to deliver innthat part of the wedding? Rather then capture the shot and know you love it on top of just wanting sth to deliver? Because i am pretty sure that alot of people have felt that they shoot for the need to deliver.

2. The last but one paragraph on asking wannabe full-time photographers to think through long and hard is totally off tangent from your earlier discussion. It seems you have presented 2 conflicting points. I can understand if the general trend of discussion has been that you are feeling down in the trade and want to quit cos it's tough. And so this post is to discourage other fellow photographers from taking what seems to be a popular path.

Well if it is off my tangent in your opinion then wouldnt it be better for the "wannabe" to decide if this post is discouraging them or encouraging them to perservere as it is gonna be a tough and bumpy road?

Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be congruent with the paragraph where you mentioned you have found meaning to the phrase "the moment it clicks". So I wonder: Are you still interested in the trade, or still discouraged by it? (Your last paragraph suggests you are still in it, as expected.)

"your last paragraph suggests you are still in it, as expected." doesnt seem to be congruent with the part that you mentioned "So i wonder: Are you still interested in the trade, or discouraged by it?" Because if you figured that my last statement was enough to tell you that im still in the trade as a result of "For now, all i know is, i love my work, i love my new found friends" would probably also mean that you know i am still interested thus i am still shooting isnt it?

Rather than discouraging other photographers, what good advice can you offer to help them sustain themselves in the trade? Perhaps you could share your own personal experiences here. It will be helpful to many out there. ?

What good advise can i give other then by reading this sharing in a positive light? Because other then that, we have vetrans like Stephen sharing his insights with us. And surely i doubt im a cold hard guy where if anyone came to me for "advise" i would turn them away.

Using your own words and question of "What now?", so after all the stress tiring you and the difficulties you have faced running the business, "WHAT is it NOW" for you?

"For now, all i know is, i love my work, i love my new found friends (who are mostly my couples these days) and i love everything about the moment the shutter clicks. So in my own little simple words, “to be agressive you first need passion, to have passion you need to have heart and to have heart you need to learn to refocus yourself”, only then you might learn to be not just a great photographer, but also a great human being. =)"



Thanks for taking the time to read my sharing Kiwi2. I'm glad that it at least triggered an opposite side of how people can relate to it and feel the negativity of my post.

 

[Chris Lim]

Anyway , thanks for the encouragments and comments from everyone who read my little sharing.

It was really interesting to see the different advices given as well as thoughts shared about the issue i had faced. But then i realised that perhaps since it is meant to be a sharing rather then a "comment on my thoughts" piece. It might be a better idea to just lock this thread.


For those who would like to speak to me or share your own thoughts and experiences. Please do not hesitate to drop me a PM or msn Address so we could keep in touch ya?

Once again. Thanks for reading.


Warmest regards,
Chris Lim