Spartans, What is your profession?

[RobertG.]

I work in clinical research, currently as a fulltime clinical research coordinator in a large medical practice. Beforehand I worked in contract reseach organizations and pharma companies. Photography is just one of too many hobbies.

 

[agierke]

just a pro photographer here. though over the years that has included assisting, lab tech, college professor, studio manager, digital tech and pretty much anything else that will get me on a set.

 

[unfocused]

Retired in November from managing a press and communications staff for a state legislative caucus.

Now working as a subcontractor for a (formerly) one-man PR firm, doing communications strategy, writing, photography and possibly soon some video. Actually finding myself doing more photography for paying clients than I anticipated.

 

[wsmith96]

I'm a data center network engineer for HP and I love it. The environment is constantly changing there and I get to take all of our new products and learn how to implement and optimize them so we can showcase to our customers. Photography is my hobby and I also teach photography to kids in our local 4-H club.

 

[xps]

Hobby photographer, now retired due to an nearly fatal accident at work. I worked as an pilot and intensivist. Since childhood interested in photography. My "SSD" got reformatted and has still a lot of damaged clusters. But trying to learn a lot of my favourite hobby again.

 

[Coldhands]

I am a design engineer working for a major auto maker. My current project is a future small-displacement, turbocharged petrol engine.

I consider myself strictly an amateur photographer, although in the past some work I did earned me compensation in the form of a meal at a nice restaurant.

 

[Random Orbits]

Aerospace engineer working in the helicopter industry. Used to play with my dad's film Pentaxes back in the day, and my first SLR was a Pentax. Loved Canon's lens selection, so switched to Canon with the 20D.

 

[jcarapet]

If any photographer lives in the NY area, feel free to send me your contact info as I do turn down all requests for wedding, portrait and event work! I'd love to pass that work on to the community here. All my people are mostly designers.

That is great of you to offer, +5 internets for you. And i feel you on the work aspect. I love taking photos, but if I was pressured to do it as my only source of income I would lose a lot of love for it. For now it just helps pay for my other hobby, trying new craft beers ;D

There is a large trend of Engineers on this list, but still pretty diverse. I am just happy we are all united in our love of photography.

I like how I'm not the only one who writes off my G.A.S. as a business expense as well. I use it to record my companies blog videos and some presentations in town. Do I really need a 5d3 and a 70-200 to capture that? Yes, yes i do...

 

[AlanF]

Spartan? My hero is Odysseus from Ithaca, not those thugs from Sparta.

 

[DavidA]

Retired (2013) technology and operations executive. I spent the last 17 years working with a broad range of industries. One of my favorite responsibilities was as operating chair for our acquisition of the Kodak image sensor business.

I am 62 and have been into photography since my college days. I put it aside as my career evolved but jumped back in 2000 as digital picked up steam. I have always used photography as a way to relax and didn't want to spoil my fun by making it a business. I have always been able to afford the equipment and shoot what I enjoy. I get a lot of requests for my nature and wildlife photos and finally setup a business entity and Photoshelter site.

Retirement has given me the opportunity to travel for fun and shoot in unique locations. I like to shoot everything from studio to wildlife. I recently got hooked on airshows and plan to attend 3-4 this year.

 

[RLPhoto]

A full time photographer, mostly commercial portraiture or other forms of portraits. I've also been working slowly into real estate and a stock portfolio adds additional income. Occasional weddings and being hired as a second shooter also has given extra stability to my income. Overall I'm varied in my experience as a photographer and it's mostly due to freelancing this long.

 

[beforeEos Camaras]

I am a lab rat but it pays the bills

 

[Deleted member 91053]

I am an ex banker. No not one of the rich ones!
I was just a clerk and was made redundant in Sept 2013 at 53 years old. However as I was on the "Old" pension scheme this was the best career move I ever made!
I now have lots of time to pursue my numerous hobbies, especially photography, but am now having to be careful with GAS! I do need to get my priorities sorted out as on Monday I am getting a newer car and it is going to cost MORE than my long lens! I must be ill spending silly money on transport when there are lovely big white lenses out there!

 

[Freddie]

Semi-retired Graphic Artist and Photographer

I retired from a major advertising agency where I was doing digital imaging retouch work at the end. We worked mostly from film scans at that point although some digital files were trickling in. I hadn't done any commercial photography for about ten years and one day in early 2002 I was looking at the images Canon put up online from the D60 digital camera. Wow, I thought, they've finally got something worth trying! I immediately sold all my Canon film bodies and bought a D60. Over the next few months, I upgraded all my lenses to L-series as the G.A.S. hit me hard. It's been a carnival ride ever since. Six camera bodies and 12 different lenses later here I am. Since I had already set up a business entity in the late 80s, I simply resumed shooting anything and everything I could but mostly, nature, wildlife, and landscape. I did HDR real estate for a while in order to develop further skills in that direction. I make enough income from various avenues now to allow upgrading every few years and we travel a lot for photography sites. I switched from Nikon to Canon in 1978 because Canon gear was simply cheaper at the time. I have no bias against any camera platform. I've always felt that unless you can afford the Stradivarius camera equivalent you may as well play on with whatever you have and do the best you can. Buying a Nikon, Sony, etc. system is not going to make me any better at photography.

 

[Mr Bean]

Currently, I'm a (little jaded) IT person, working in database design, sometimes support role. While I've been working in the IT field for 20 years now, I'm at that tipping point of wanting to move on to a new career. In 2011, I was out of work for 12+ months, which certainly brings focus to what is important in life. Getting back to work in the past 3-4 years has certainly been financially rewarding, allowing me to pretty much get the gear I wanted. Photography has always been a release of the mind for me. Landscape, macro, birding, etc, have not only brought creative elements to my photography, but also the technical challenges. Prior to IT I was in the hospital equipment business for 15 years, and before that, optics and optical design.

Great thread by the way

 

[mdmphoto]

A career public employee; Federal (Officer), State (Drone), County (originally a helper-Bee public servant, finally a drone)-from which I retired, in Chicago, Il and now City/County of Honolulu, Hi (YAY!!!) and once again Blessed to be a Servant to the Public. My long-time hobby and avocation has earned me some dollars shooting events, travel, landscape, wildlife Fine-Art, commercial, head shots, and even a few weddings, and teaching Lightroom and photo editing in a classroom and individually.
NOTE: Ditto on weddings- I am very uncomfortable with the responsibility as anything other than an assistant or 2nd camera.
I shoot what I like, and try to find something interesting in it, or what others like and what they find interesting about it...

 

[The Bad Duck]

Full time farmer, part time photographer (about 20% of income) and "journalist" (I´m writing for a magazine but I have no journalistic education).

Used to work with SCCM, MSI-packaging, Virtualization (app-v) and user support on the Swedish Agricultural University, but where is the challenge in that and how does that make the world a better place?

 

[distant.star]

.
I'm not exactly an employer's dream. My all-time favorite line from an employee performance review said: "Bill does not compromise easily." I consider that a positive thing; they did not. Various iterations of my "career" have included:

Paid killer for the U.S. government (Vietnam)

Loan company collection manager

Truck driver

Wedding photographer

Magazine writer/editor/photographer/reporter

National trade assn exec

Community activist

Non-profit founder & ceo

Web publisher for major software company (tax & financial mngt)

Counselor -- state corrections dept.

Public safety dispatcher, state police dept.

 

[Chisox2335]

I work in finance at an aerospace company. I do photography strictly as a hobby and as a way to relax. I prefer landscapes, nightscapes and wildlife. No one to let down = no pressure = much more enjoyable experience.

 

[silverfox9142]

I'm a retired commercial general contractor. Mainly larger stuff - hospitals, water treatment and waste water treatment plants, bridges - that sort of stuff. I've been retired for about 15 years.

I took up primarily to take pics of our 11 grandkids. So now I'm hooked and am amazed at the quality of incredible images taken by all of you. I have so much to learn but am blessed to have the time to spend on photography.