Let’s be honest, you have no idea what is going to happen whenever you are starting something. I mean, yes, you can read a book and theatrically plan for “what’s to come”, but reality hits hard once you step out the door and start hoping for the best. In 2017, I started to feel like I wanted to be a photographer, and around 2018 I was making some money. I mean we are talking a couple of hundred dollars a year, but who needs money when you are 24 years old? All I cared about at the time was making my way to living on the road!
As the years would pass, I would work odd jobs to sustain myself. All the while, I would shoot as often as I could, hoping to create a good image or two. One year passed and I still had gotten… well nowhere. Don’t get me wrong, I had taken photos for at least 150 days, but by no means were they good!
“2019 was going to be my year,” I thought. I would make money and hit the road. And, this did happen! In 2019 I spent 5 months traveling around on my savings, hoping to pick up odd photo gigs here and there. I was getting to shoot a $500 job about once a month. Yes, this is not much, but it paid the bills I had coming in. Until my transmission blew on my van and I had to fork over $3k to fix it. Draining my bank account, I went back to work as a substitute teacher.
While I taught, I caught up on editing and started writing a bit more. At some point, I felt confident submitting a couple of pieces that I had written. One of them, plus 12 other photos, became my first magazine feature. I had worked for 5 months on the road for this opportunity. For most, this would not be worth it. For me, this was the dream. This was the start.
Updated reflection from January 2023:
This trip I talk about was one of the first times I spent everyday seeking out a photograph. Looking back now, there were a couple of gems, but mostly the images were not good, but it was a learning lesson for myself.
I learned how to trust my instincts, I learned how to shop a concept by pitching it to brands, and I learned that licensing images after a trip can become a profitable business model if you are willing to put in the work.
A perfect example of this was my first licensed image to Patagonia for $300. At the time, that was the most I had ever made from a single image, my mind was blown. At this point, there are a few images from this trip that have yielded well over what it cost me to make this trip.
If you are reading this, I would encourage you to take the risk and pursue your passion, remain dedicated, and push. This path is not easy and it takes a long time, but you can do it. After almost seven years of relentless pursuit, I now make an above average income creating content and no longer feel obligated to accept every job offered to me.
