Celebrating 10 Years as a Professional Photographer

The Things I've Seen, Experienced & Learned

So I got a notification that yesterday marked the 10th year I officially opened up business as a professional photographer. I honestly forgot and wasn't planning on posting anything, but wanted to take this time to reflect and remember what was I doing 10 years ago. And maybe, impart some of the wisdom I've gathered along the way.

View of the sunrise from my parents' house in the West End community of Winnipeg.

I briefly moved out of my parents' house then moved back in, was a year out from graduating from PrairieView, turned 22, and was jumping job to job, ending the year as a pizza delivery driver with a car that always smelled of ???? grease.

March For Our Lives Protest in Washington, DC on March 24, 2018. One of the largest student-led protests in the US since the Vietnam War.

Yesterday was also the 2nd anniversary of March for Our Lives, which I drove off to Washington, DC by myself to attend. It took a total of 48 hours of driving there and back, over 5 days, and I made it back in time for my office job. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I'd do all over again in a heartbeat. I could have easily attended a march closer to home, but it felt like the right thing to do to stand beside those kids and support their stance on US gun reform.

For the last 10 years, whether I have been full-time or part-time employed, I have always been self-employed. I've chased after the idea of being a professional photographer, but more importantly, the idea that my photos could somehow make a difference and contribute to positive change.

My image of the St. Boniface Cathedral that ranked Top 10 in Canada for the Wiki Loves Monuments Photo Competition.

I've been blessed with a lot of special moments and exceptional people, clients who trust me to capture valuable, unique moments. I've also been fortunate to place Top 10 in Canada at a national level for an international photo contest, being the only person to represent Manitoba.

Top photo: Health Sciences Centre. Bottom photo:Green Hill.

Oh, and you know, sunsets.

I don't count on luck to get me far in life, and though opportunity can be a chance blessing, my work ethic and technical skills have to be there to guarantee me even having a shot. I've learned a lot through the ups and downs, and earned my 500,000+ shutter count.

My Dad didn't really get a chance to see a lot of this happen, but he was around when I started my business. He was happy to pass his film camera to me (and then watch me drop it in front of him) and I know he's been with me on this journey, in spirit. Thanks Dad for your support and I hope that wherever you are, you can say you're proud.

So what's this wisdom I want to impart on you, the reader, that I'm suppose to have accumulated in a decade?

Looking to get into photography and want some advice? Honestly, what I've learned is that you have to keep shooting. It takes a while to get a handle of what your shooting style is, and it's easy to get caught up with how your peers shoot. You can easily identify a good photo or say "hey, that's a great photo," but do you want to shoot like that?

Ice Castles display at The Forks, facing the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

Get a grasp of what you like shooting. Do you like shooting portraits, events, landscapes, fine art, or a little bit of everything? What do you get excited about photographing? When you figure that out, you get a better idea of your shooting style.

And when you figure that out, find people who exemplify the shooting style you're going for.

Trees covered in hoar frost, standing at the St. Boniface Cathedral.

Do you like shooting with natural light or in a controlled environment with studio light? I personally tend more to natural light and give my hats of to those who have a deeper understanding of how to manipulate light to mimic certain settings and moods. It's normal to thrive at one over the other, but you can also be balanced between both. Both call for different approaches, so you'll learn which workflow meshes well with you and your style.

Be prepared for the moment. Whether your're capturing the expression of someone's face or off chasing a sunset, you need to be prepared. It only takes a fraction of a second to miss the shot, so always have your gear ready, your settings set, and your finger ready to press the shutter button.

Rainy evening in Downtown Winnipeg, MB.

This is the most important thing I can tell anyone looking to get into photography, but have the key fundamentals down. You can leave your camera in auto and it can tout a bunch of features, but auto mode doesn't see what you see. Take classes, ask peers questions, learn online; do whatever you can to absorb as much information as possible.

Technique is everything, equipment is secondary. I liken it to an artist and their tools. Be it pencils, paints or brushes, the best tools don't work if you don't know how to draw. You want to have purpose behind every shot, and close the gap between how many shots were taken between your last and next great shot.

Do your research and find a camera that suits your needs. It's easy to want to get the latest and greatest technology, but you want to find something catered to how you shoot. Do you need something with a fast shutter speed for sports or events, superior ISO performance for low-light situations, or something with great video features? There's a lot of things to take into consideration, and that all depends on what you foresee yourself shooting in the long run. You climb up the ladder, not start from the top down.

Late night view of the aurora borealis at Chalet Beach, MB.

Everyone shoots differently. With that said, you can always learn a thing or two if you're open to asking peers how and why they shoot they way that they do.

Lastly, keep trying, make mistakes, and make adjustments. That's the beauty of growing in any industry, and if you' feel like you've learned everything you can, then it's onto the next big skill for you to own.