Don’t Ask.

Caddy Scrapyard, 2020

I always encourage students and youngsters to contact photographers they admire and obtain firsthand information. It was a big deal back when I was at college as you had to either write a letter or get them on the phone pre-cellular. What always surprised me was that I always got a reply. In fact, two of the photographers are still on my mailing list, and over the years, I have kept up communications with them, which was particularly helpful once I began lecturing and teaching. But the one thing I learned was that you could never just ask a photographer, how do I get a job? Or how do I make money from photography? Maybe it's because a photography career is not as straightforward as other jobs, as there are many routes into the profession, but it's still money in and money out.

I remember asking a photographer how they achieved such a dramatic effect in their lighting, to which they replied, "Why would I tell you in ten minutes what has taken me ten years to perfect." This response may seem odd in an online digital age where everyone's a photographer and has a YouTube channel. But twenty years ago, you had to invest time with a photographer before asking such things. One must also realize that many photographers want to stand out. To do so, you cannot throw your tried and tested methods around for others to use willy-nilly.

It is true, particularly in a student environment, that you will always get asked a 'how to' question. Having been on both sides of the fence, I always refer to the day I asked my favorite landscape photographer, "What advice do you have for a photographer trying to break into the market?" His response was to "open a candy shop." Since then, I have never asked the question, but would probably give a similar response.