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It was easy. I am comfortable here. Everyone can do it, but not everyone does. I complain that photography is a lot of work when I am getting paid because I don't want it to be my job. The older I get the more time is worth to me and that is part of my complaint. Yet I have made work out of photography to help me pay for my equipment. It was a grind just to sustain the equipment pull and the insurance in the beginning, and it is still a grind to generate revenue to stay up to date. I can only imagine the stress if I needed to make a living and support a family with it. I am spoiled. I know.
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When I first started in photography, I had an attitude that was more of a learning desperation. Of course the types of photos I was taking were much less glamorous. It was about the experience with limited resources. Now, yes of course, I could dedicate a portion of my disposable income towards photography equipment and call it a hobby. The path I began on has evolved through focusing on acquiring professional equipment and achieving a professional image. This path has been rewarding, and has led me to a much more glamorous sides of photography. Professional work and opportunities created by sharing my aspirations with others have helped me to achieve that photography allure.
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As I age, my time becomes more valuable. I enjoy my free-time and don't push myself as hard as I did when I was younger. I have relaxed. That is not to say I don't work hard. I have just focused more on enjoying my free time and developing better relationships than sacrificing that free time to achieve something different through working. I still appreciate the value of investing time and consider that all good things require time to grow and nurture into great things. I respect sacrifice. I understand the weight of where I spend my time means that I will not be spending my time on something else. Now as I get married and begin to focus on our home I realize the pull of things and time required increases with age. The plans and the dreams expand and I am reminded to keep my perspective on the push and pull of these things. I choose now not to allow them to run my life or my marriage.
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While this post and the pictures do not match from a visual perspective, the accomplishment of setting up a studio and providing the equipment to make these shots possible has been a labor of love. It represents to me a step of progression in my photography and a freedom that I have pursued outside of the grind. Its a small step, but it is a journey and not a race. I have chosen to walk this path aware of my time with balance and sacrifice in mind, but not at the cost of losing valuable relationships. I hope that if you have followed me on my journey that you can enjoy the photos that have come from it.
