Red Deer Photographer – or am I?

Tonight while working on my website, I flipped over to Facebook to check my notifications and saw a few of my friends had posted a video about a man who lives in New York City who has been taking pictures for decades with a camera from the 1940’s.  He photographs people because he loves doing it and feels there is real value to handing someone an instant photograph that captures what he sees and feels in the moment he shoots it.  He is a pro for sure – showing off some of his most amazing instant double exposures as well as dragged shutter images.  His story was beautiful, inspirational and entertaining in how he goes about making a living with his unique trade.  It got me thinking though – if he is a photographer, am I?  Am I really a Red Deer Photographer?

What I mean by that is how can I compare myself to a photographer that has been doing work for decades that has photographed likely tens of thousands of people.  Am I a legitimate Red Deer Photographer or a ‘fauxtaugrapher’ as some other professionals like to coin newbies or photographers that are not very good at the art form.  I didn’t go to school to become a Red Deer photographer – in fact I have a degree in Social Work that I used for many years working in the fields of Child Welfare and Psychiatrics for around 10 years.  I helped many people with my skills and education that I got after being in University for five years, paid thousands of dollars for and have thousands of hours of practice time.  I always felt like a ‘professional social worker’ – mostly because I had a fancy degree on my wall with a gorgeous frame (yes…I mention the frame because it cost almost as much as the degree it holds).

The real truth about my skills as a Red Deer Photographer

I don’t really have any formal education in photography and am completely self taught – short of part of a course through the New York Institute of Photography (which I was just too busy being a Social Worker to focus on – the material was great) and a few books I have glanced at over the years.  Nothing really formal – nothing really except hard work and lots of time and effort in developing a style and getting good at taking at technical image.

I have struggled with calling myself a Red Deer Photographer for a long time – actually I still do.  I know I am a Red Deer Photographer – I create art for people in the Red Deer and Southern Alberta area including Calgary and they pay me, so I know there is a technical point taken care of.  Photography is just such an over saturated market – that is what kills me the most.  When you say you are a photographer some people are very interested, but most seem to look at me like I am a fraud – a newbie that doesn’t know what they are doing with their camera.  Granted they have never seen my work – or even met me really and that is OK, but the ol’ self esteem.  Oi.

I know I consider myself an award winning fine art photographer, and as time progresses and customers become more constant and fluid in my business I know that those feelings will likely dissipate.  It has been 10 years in “the biz” and the last four years have coined and defined my style as I learned a lot about photography based on how many personal pictures of my kids I have taken.  There is a huge benefit to having three children at one time…

While my goal is to be the busiest Red Deer Photographer in the area, I am for sure going to take the time and start working on my own sense of self worth as a photographer and believe that I am truly one of them – like the man in the video I shared the link to that inspired this post.  The time, craft and love define the photographer – not how busy they are or how much money they make.

Thanks for reading and please feel free to leave me a comment right on my blog.  It really helps with Google rankings if they feel my site is ‘legit’.

Suzie
XO

Suzanne Taylor Photography
PO Box 21, Bentley, AB T0C0J0
403-550-9965
www.suzannetaylorphotography.com
hello@suzannetaylorphotography.com

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