The moment is seared into my memory, the morning I strategically placed that note on the boss\u2019 desk. It took me months to screw up the courage to even entertain the thought, countless conversations with Sharon weighing all the pros and cons of my decision. It was a life altering decision I\u2019d come to and not one to be taken lightly. We had two sons that weren\u2019t even in preschool yet, how would we make it? That night I printed out a hundred copies of the note, trying to keep the message and sentiment short, sweet and to the point. Each iteration that came out of the printer just a little tighter, each one leaving less wiggle room for me and the boss. I changed the paper, I switched to the card, not sure who I was trying to convince this was the way to go, the boss or me. Then came that morning, I carefully placed the note on the boss\u2019 desk and went to my desk to wait. A couple of times I thought of taking it back, it was a mistake, the time wasn\u2019t right. I didn\u2019t and when the boss came in, he read the note and went on as if nothing had happened. It was time for me to move on.
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\nIt was one of the scarcest things I\u2019d done in my life, at age 22 deciding that I could on my own, make it as a photographer. It was a few months prior to the Gulf War and if we\u2019d a crystal ball, we\u2019d probably never have decided to take the path we did. But there are no crystal balls, there are no sure bets in life. So as we have always done, Sharon & I ventured out on our own, following the path we were creating in a direction we thought was right. We\u2019re still following that path, the journey has been so far one helluva ride!
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\nHas the thought ever crossed your mind, \u201cI could make it in photography.\u201d You had a spouse, friend or parent say something to the effect, \u201cYour photography is so good, you should turn pro!\u201d You\u2019ve won an award, you\u2019ve found some acclaim on the web, the folks at the photo club all look up to you, you pang to always be behind the camera? Everything is pointing and pushing you towards being a professional photographer (a term that no longer has the same credibility). The question is, do you take the leap?
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\nYou\u2019ve probably read in some magazine or on some website something to the effect, \u201cIt\u2019s too competitive to make it, the times are bad, the web is killing business, folks are giving away their images killing the industry, magazines are dead.\u201d All of that is true, all of that is bullshit! Which is it you ask? Well, as far as I am concerned, both can be true. The difference between the two is YOU!
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\nUnlike your basic 9-5, 40hr a week job, there is NO guaranteed paycheck on Friday in this job. There is absolutely NO security in it. As my good friend Wayne Lynch says, \u201cThis is the only profession where you\u2019re looking for a new job every day.\u201d And that\u2019s so true. And with that piece of sound advice and honest observation, I\u2019m here to tell you, you can do it! And YOU is the key to all of this!
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\nDoes your 40hr a week job seem like a cranker, you can barely make it through you week? I\u2019m here to tell you, it\u2019s nothing compared to being a photographer. Are you tired of someone dictating your time, your life for 40hr of each week? That\u2019s nothing compared to how you\u2019ll drive yourself, at least if you\u2019re one of the successful ones. No matter how you look at the pros and cons, there are incredibly great pros and tremendously scary cons to sway you either way, to make the job or not. But here\u2019s the thing I think, logic has nothing to do with your success or not! There are no numbers, no personal advice, nothing that can make it happen or not happen except one thing, and that\u2019s inside of you.
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\n[swf]http:\/\/www.moosepeterson.com\/swf_imgs\/GtrPrairieChicken1852.swf, 585, 444 [\/swf]
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\nThe only true answer to whether you should or should not turn \u201cpro\u201d is locked up one place and one place only, in your heart. The same place where the great images are born is where the business succeeds. Successful photographers, those who make it past the seventh inning stretch are those with the passion to push through the hard times and relish the good times. Because I\u2019m here to tell you from first hand experience, you experience plenty of both your entire career. But pushing is everything. Selling a lens to pay the bills, missing a shoot because you just don\u2019t have gas money, that huge check for the use of just one image, that repeat contract bringing in a nice check every year, it all comes and so much more down the road at you. And in the good times and the bad, if you have the passion to be in the business, if you should even be in the business, is answered by what\u2019s always in your hand. A camera!
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\nI am a firm believer that if you want to succeed in wildlife photography, make a living from it, that even in these times you can do it! Where\u2019s my proof? Ever open a magazine, seen some half assed exposed, fuzzy photograph and say to yourself, \u201cI\u2019ve got better.\u201d There\u2019s proof. Look at the guy who\u2019s blog you\u2019ve visited to read this. Totally self made and still in the making process and totally happy, rewarded. Is it for everyone? Not even! Is it easy? Hell no! To repeat myself, if you have a passion for making images, for being behind the camera, in thick or thin, better or worse, because it is a marriage between your vision and reality, then you too can succeed in this industry. I passed along this piece of wisdom I was presented as a great gift when I started out. \u201cYou\u2019re only as good as your last photograph.\u201d That means then You are your ONLY competition!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The moment is seared into my memory, the morning I strategically placed that note on the boss\u2019 desk. It took me months to screw up the courage to even entertain […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[79],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-13655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-whats-new"],"episode_featured_image":false,"episode_player_image":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.moosepeterson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Podcast.jpg?fit=1500%2C1500&quality=100&ssl=1","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"amazon":{"key":"amazon","url":"https:\/\/www.audible.com\/pd\/Podcast\/B08JJQC1GR?ref=a_pd_item-n_c0_bc&pf_rd_p=1da7ab30-c785-4a0e-a160-4a7e7077b353&pf_rd_r=EEDMYHQM3DZ05FPRTHMJ","label":"Amazon","class":"amazon","icon":"amazon.png"},"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"rss":{"key":"rss","url":"","label":"RSS","class":"rss","icon":"rss.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/2fRA9VaVfSdQMKf1ipxr0tipxr0t","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"itunes":{"key":"itunes","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/moose-podcast\/id1107405746","label":"iTunes","class":"itunes","icon":"itunes.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/www.moosepeterson.com\/blog\/feed\/podcast\/moose-podcast","embedCode":"
You ARE your ONLY Competition!<\/a><\/blockquote>