Just kidding.

No, I understand that we need to be careful about losing ourselves in pursuit of the almighty dollar. I think sometimes we idealize “Photography” and in striving to keep it “pure” we neglect the idea that we can be journeymen /women and artists. Is it a hard balance – Sure. Will it take time away from pursuing your vision – Perhaps. My comment about Ansel wasn’t derogatory in the least, simply practical.

Alain Briot talks about his early work in photography as a time when he took very commercial images of iconic places to sell to tourists. He even has some, ‘shutter’, montages that he made into posters. It was a means to an end. He now seems to be much more focused on the artistic side of his photography and developing his vision. He never forgot what he wanted to achieve nor did he stop making images he loved personally. Those years shooting commerically viable landscapes directed his vision and helped it develop.

I agree, don’t be forced from your passion by the market. But I imagine most people here aren’t market driven to begin with – most artists aren’t.

Hard making your way with one specialty? You betcha. The reward when the payoff comes and you’ve not completely sold out to the man? Priceless. Sure there’s going to be compromise. And some people shoot weddings to subsidize their true passion. But don’t change how you shoot what you love, or change what you shoot to begin with, just to earn a buck. Find a better way. Be a zoologist ( I know, crazy example, right Alex?) if that’s what it takes to allow you to create the images you want. Do it entirely for the market and the money and it’ll suck you dry and you’ll be just another creator of kitsch, propaganda, or just crap.

Luckily I’ve got a job I love that doesn’t involve photography (at least not 100%) that pays the bills. It allows me to take a shotgun approach to my photography business at the moment while I see what I truly can’t live without shooting. Sure it hamstrings me as far as having a dilute red X (a faded, pink, lowercase x at the moment) but it is fun and exciting and I don’t have the morgage riding on it.

I also think that it can be hard making your way with one speciality if you’re not well know for it. It seems to be a double edged sword – shoot one thing and do it well but what if no one wants to buy your one thing? It seems like the market might drive our endevors somewhat – is that the practical side of being an artist in any medium.

Don’t forget – Ansel Adams shot catalogue images to support his landscape work.

As a slight aside, I never really thought of you alongside Al Jourgensen but now you mention it….

But long term it’s better to have a job shooting what you love than a job not shooting what you love. And I’d take no job in photography at all over taking one just to pay the bills. That’s why I didn’t go into photography straight out of college. For that matter it’s why I didn’t go into “the ministry” straight out of theology school. Unless it’s right, doing something merely for a paycheck isn’t much of a life, just a living. Assuming I’m eating and paying my bills, money isn’t as important to me as my vision and my craft.

Jeffrey, I love your 4am concept. “What’s your 4am shot?” – brilliant!