for 15 years I was a Crime Scene Investigator - the evidence I collected and processed took their personal freedom away and even sent several to the death chair, to me that was serious stuff, something which I made sure every step and every action was for a purpose.
Today I am just a photographer and honestly I find WAY too many people feel being a photographer is a serious life changing job. While I am full time and employ other photographers in my business, I enjoy people talking both good and bad about me personal and my business, cause I feel I can learn from the situation, but more importantly I can learn from the people making those statements and posts in my threads.
I find it interesting that I come on to a new board, instead of making the common "hello my name is Mike Fulton, I am a full time photographer here in Texas, USA I truly hope to get to know you better" thread, I choose to put out our work in full view of others to get feedback. Just because I am a professional please do not think I am not able to create art. And yes we do make cookie cutter images many times cause the client pays us, and very well I might add, and as a professional it is my job to make them happy.
I enjoy the feedback on this thread and with only four images posted it seems I am already labeled a non-artists which I find funny since I don't consider professional photography much of an art in the digital era, but more of a business just as selling anything else. While I get enjoyment out of creating photos those are for me, as a professional photographer I choose to run a business and make sure my daughter has her college paid for and my family has a roof over their head. Simply stated thats more important to me than being called orig. or creative or an artist. I firmly believe in the 20 years of doing this, ANYONE today can be a photographer and be called an artist, but very few can run a successful business, making enough money to support more than one individual in the photography field.
I have all the awards and misc. crap I'll ever need, today my job is to make sure others who are wanting to be professionals can take care of themselves and win their award and their dreams come true.
So again give me all you got, honestly I have had worst I promise, its always fun to see what others think about our work and talk about it. Its always better than the Hello Im new thread in my book.
Looking forward to great professional conversation full of insight and photos included in the future. Now I am off to Kansas to teach their state school so I will be gone for a bit but please keep this thread and any other going. I will answer it as soon as I can.