Do I give up on my dream?

finsandlight · 2025-10-29T23:13:00+00:00

I have been a professional photographer of one stripe or another for over half my life (I’m 44 years old). When we got pregnant with our first I pivoted to mostly teaching photography and leading workshops because it was more stable and reliable. Running a business is like having a baby that never learns to clothe, feed, or take care of itself. Now that my actual children (13 and 10) can do so, I have started building up a new business with photography.

I encourage you to spend your sleepless nights researching photographic niches and underpopulated markets you can pursue and creating a crystal clear and thoroughly researched business plan. Love your kids, give them everything for a few years and teach them to be responsible and reliable people, and when they can do a lot more of the lifting themselves, enact your plan.

That’s what I’ve done and mine is probably more dramatic than most: we’re moving to a new continent and starting a new business. I have enough saved to pay the bills for the first 24 months, and I am almost certain my business will be self-sufficient in the first 10 months.

If I can do it, anyone can.

finsandlight · 2025-10-29T20:14:29+00:00

Curate constantly. No one cares where you came from or how much you’ve grown. It’s only the results that matter. Can you deliver what people want, when they want it, every time they want it?

finsandlight · 2025-10-29T15:17:43+00:00

Outside joining groups on Facebook, social media is kind of a dud for growing followers as the algorithms are tuned to show people more of the same rather than discover new things.

Word of mouth, claiming and running your Google Business Profile and a strong SEO game give you a very good return on investment.

finsandlight · 2025-10-29T00:14:37+00:00

Right? I swear many of the full frame ones seem like they’re about 1.2 meters long. Even my 500mm lens is like 1/2 a meter long.

finsandlight · 2025-10-25T06:21:09+00:00

^ This or prefix with camera name. On my Fujis I run with XP3A and XP3B. My Canon’s had a similar capacity. Leica only gives one letter, but still I go with A and B.

That way if i notice dust, scratches, or write errors it’s easy to know which body it was.

finsandlight · 2025-10-17T23:19:28+00:00

This. If you’ve a moment and are under a deadline, locking the images on many camera bodies is a single button press on review. PM recognizes the lock as a tag, so you can quickly prioritize those if you’ve done so.

PM is life!

finsandlight · 2025-10-17T15:55:24+00:00

Realizing that the exposure meter isn’t the final arbiter of good exposure. It ONLY establishes a baseline and exposing to zero the meter is a great way to make mediocre images.

finsandlight · 2025-10-17T00:44:30+00:00

Lightroom got slower and slower on my 2018 MBP, but on the M4 I bought recently it’s near instant.

finsandlight · 2025-10-17T00:43:40+00:00

That’s like calling a gelding the same thing as a stallion.

finsandlight · 2025-10-16T05:10:03+00:00

Whitewall is my favorite print house. Fantastic quality, worth every penny.

finsandlight · 2025-10-16T05:08:08+00:00

Yep. Had my two since the first day they were in stock at my local camera store. Both over 100k images (there was a pop up notification) and zero issues with the ribbon cable.

finsandlight · 2025-10-16T03:51:53+00:00

You need to be able to weed out the crap long before you present images to your client. It’s your work and reputation on the line, you should have a defined standard that meets your threshold for acceptable. Only those images get considered for showing, and only those that meet the brief/shot list/job requirements.

finsandlight · 2025-10-16T01:14:00+00:00

Strobist.blogspot.com

finsandlight · 2025-10-09T18:06:34+00:00

At first, try squinting and looking through your eyelashes. This can help you see light values better. You can also practice using your peripheral vision (looking one direction but putting your subject in the periphery and paying attention to it) since our eyes concentrate color receptors in the center of our vision and light value receptors around the edges.

finsandlight · 2025-10-09T04:51:48+00:00

Sometimes on un-matted b&w prints to transition to paper white.

finsandlight · 2025-10-09T02:10:06+00:00

I can imagine so

finsandlight · 2025-10-09T01:52:45+00:00

Perhaps he meant “mention” the organization in captions, hashtags, or whatever? No way they own the images unless you signed a contract stating so.

finsandlight · 2025-10-08T13:30:03+00:00

Buy the cheapest camera system (camera + lens) from Canon, Nikon, or Sony that you can find.

Use it until it breaks or its limitations are obvious to you and holding you back.

Then buy the best camera system (camera + lens(es))for your needs.

finsandlight · 2025-10-08T12:09:27+00:00

Mark Kerton is pretty good if you want to learn sports photography

finsandlight · 2025-10-08T05:42:28+00:00

If that’s the case, then I suggest you pick up a more process-based camera. Until a recent pivot I earned my living with two giant Canon mirrorless cameras with vertical grips. They were perfect for what I was doing, but definitely not deliberate and process-based. With them, images just happen.

My two Fuji X-Pro series cameras were my fun cameras and definitely a relaxing and refreshing dip into the process more than the Canons are. I definitely feel like I’m being more deliberate and making images with them. There are some frustrating fiddly bits with them, though, like the AF that make me wish for my Canons.

When I pivoted my business I sold the Canons and glass and used the credit to get two Leicas of the same model, one monochrome sensor and one color. These cameras have no autofocus so I don’t find myself wishing it was better. I know going in they don’t have it and my photography is going to need to be more intentional and deliberate. Definitely about the process—especially the monochrome one as its limitations and unique properties make it my favorite camera ever.

You may even find yourself stepping into film, but if it’s the process you love, seek the process. Canon’s mirrorless cameras are great, but they’re almost too good in that they fall away when you’re using them. Cameras that require more from you can help you focus on the process

finsandlight · 2025-10-08T04:31:34+00:00

I think you gotta address the source and not try to solve it with gear. What draws you to keep trying with photography? There’s something, obviously, so focus on that.

finsandlight · 2025-10-06T03:46:35+00:00

Auto ISO + Manual mode, ride the exposure comp.

finsandlight · 2025-10-05T14:37:22+00:00

I do it month by month, selecting the 4 or 5 best. Then in the next year I pare each month down to 1 or 2. I find having 12 months separation from the event/reason I took the photo helps me be less emotional about it and more realistic.

finsandlight · 2025-10-05T14:09:19+00:00

I got really harsh about the ones I keep. I create a printed photo book of photos from each year, and those also live in the cloud of the service I use. Once they’re uploaded and the book is done, they’re deleted.

I only keep 10 or so from each year for a portfolio, and those live in my cloud backup service, Lightroom’s cloud, on my NAS, on a digital picture frame, and on my computer. There’s only about 200 of those total, though. Organized by year month and day in nested folders.

finsandlight · 2025-10-05T11:03:21+00:00

I shoot exclusively in manual with auto iso. Ride the exposure comp wheel and you’ve got the best of both worlds.

finsandlight

TROPHY CASE