Jump to content

"Looking" professional and how important is it?


newfoundmass
 Share

Recommended Posts

I think putting the handles and matte box is as far as I'm going to go when it comes to trying to spiffy the camera up for clients. I'll add a monitor for functionality when I need it. To me, I want a compact, simple set up. I see "rig build" videos on YouTube and 90% of them are just way too much for me. 5 years ago I'd of had a totally different opinion, because I'd have been impressed and slightly jealous, but honestly the last thing I wanna do these days is spend more than 5 minutes setting up my camera rig and then have to lug this big thing around for a simple sit down talking head shoot or my friend blowing glass.

LUMIX S5 + cage + Panasonic XLR helmet + Azden SGM-250CX + SmallRig HSR2511 right grip with record trigger + NiceyRig left grip with Arri Rosette + Mini Matte Box Lite = enough!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

EOSHD Pro Color 5 for Sony cameras EOSHD Z LOG for Nikon CamerasEOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs
19 hours ago, webrunner5 said:

Pro trip, if you are fucking good enough you hardly ever have time for new clients, and even if one leaves plenty standing by to have you. If you can't get to that point in a few years find a different way to make a buck.  You sleep a lot better when you are good at something. You can charge more and not have to kiss ass to get it.

I suggest changing professions every once in a while anyway. Life gets boring as shit doing the same stuff over and over. Not really a challenge after awhile either.

I'm not sure that this applies for wedding videographers.... 🙂 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, kye said:

I'm not sure that this applies for wedding videographers.... 🙂 

Well, you have a point LOL. 😃 But wedding photogs have nervous breakdowns and get divorced from working every weekend. I did it for 6, 7 years, look what it did to me.  😬 Didn't get divorced but missed a hell of a lot of what my kids did I can tell you that. I do not recommend doing it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, webrunner5 said:

Well, you have a point LOL. 😃 But wedding photogs have nervous breakdowns and get divorced from working every weekend. I did it for 6, 7 years, look what it did to me.  😬 Didn't get divorced but missed a hell of a lot of what my kids did I can tell you that. I do not recommend doing it.

Yeah, I've seen glimpses of that life and it doesn't look easy by any stretch of the imagination!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/30/2022 at 9:13 PM, webrunner5 said:

Pro trip, if you are fucking good enough you hardly ever have time for new clients, and even if one leaves plenty standing by to have you. If you can't get to that point in a few years find a different way to make a buck.  You sleep a lot better when you are good at something. You can charge more and not have to kiss ass to get it.

I suggest changing professions every once in a while anyway. Life gets boring as shit doing the same stuff over and over. Not really a challenge after awhile either.

Damn. I’m in trouble!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, webrunner5 said:

Well, you have a point LOL. 😃 But wedding photogs have nervous breakdowns and get divorced from working every weekend. I did it for 6, 7 years, look what it did to me.  😬 Didn't get divorced but missed a hell of a lot of what my kids did I can tell you that. I do not recommend doing it.

22 years…and counting.

Not even close to a breakdown or divorce.

There is no other option/future for me anyway, so maybe I compensate for that 😜

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, MrSMW said:

22 years…and counting.

Not even close to a breakdown or divorce.

There is no other option/future for me anyway, so maybe I compensate for that 😜

I'm guessing you have found people that you can socialise with during the week?

I sometimes have breaks between contracts and found that basically everyone I knew was busy working Monday to Friday before 6pm, and were tired after that.  I always suspected there was a parallel world of people who worked evenings and nights and weekends and they all just hung out with each other while the business-hours folks were all at work..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Probably true, but very few I would imagine. Working weekends is not a normal thing to do in society. You do miss out on all kinds of activities, both with family and friends. 

At my age I can look back at it, and other people I have known look back at also, and there is really very little time in your life anymore to enjoy it. But the biggest loss is not spending time with your family. When your kids get older they don't want to spend time with you anyways, so you have a short window to see them in. Time flies I can tell you that. My life is at the end and it seems like I was 50 two weeks ago. Don't piss away you time on stuff that really doesn't matter in the scheme of life. When you get old and regret it it is WAY too late to make it up. Not counting it is hard on your wife doing all the rearing 7 days a week. She will under her breath hate you whether you realize it or not. It is not fair to her or your children.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, kye said:

a parallel world of people who worked evenings and nights and weekends and they all just hung out with each other

Yeah, that’s what I did. Was a small player in a silly bar band as a hobby outside of the gigs. It was nice.
 

I knew punching a clock 9-5 wasn’t going to be a future I’d be comfortable with, so I walked away from that in my twenties and went freelance.  
 

Feast or famine ain’t for everybody with employment, but as a single guy with always a little bit of savings it wasn’t too hard to manage.

Also, I had some exciting clients that really enriched my life… the places on this planet I’ve been is kind of bananas. No regrets in that regard. 

At this point I’m an old dog and the new tricks of modern media creation are simply mediocre expectations rather than the “gee-wiz that’s cool” impressions that I could deliver in the past. 
 

Sure is interesting to see an entire profession move beyond one’s capabilities. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, kye said:

I'm guessing you have found people that you can socialise with during the week?

Socialise? Nah, I’m that guy could live on a desert island quite happily.

Which in a way is a bit weird being a ‘social’ photographer…

If the black sheep and the lone wolf had a child, that would be me.

I do have friends. Well one anyway. He’s not in the industry but has the same outlook as me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, kye said:

I'm guessing you have found people that you can socialise with during the week?

I sometimes have breaks between contracts and found that basically everyone I knew was busy working Monday to Friday before 6pm, and were tired after that.  I always suspected there was a parallel world of people who worked evenings and nights and weekends and they all just hung out with each other while the business-hours folks were all at work..

Yeah you can often find the hospo folks have their own night outs on say a Tuesday evening. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, newfoundmass said:

For me this life style is as much about protecting my mental health than anything. There has to be more to life than work, and your work should be something that you enjoy.

Indeed and that is partly why I DO shoot weddings full-time.

The combo of reward vs effort etc, I haven’t been able to find with anything else, including other genres of photo and video.

I guess I am just suited to it whereas most folks probably are not…

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • EOSHD Pro Color 5 for All Sony cameras
    EOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs
    EOSHD Dynamic Range Enhancer for H.264/H.265
×
×
  • Create New...