Spartans, What is your profession?

[zhaoqingMal]

Teaching English at a vocational college in China at the moment, but have also taught computer animation at a University. Photography is just a hobby for me, and I haven't developed GAS yet, since working in China doesn't pay that much!

 

[old-pr-pix]

Long retired head of advanced technology for major US company. Started photography addiction at age 10 with Kodak Brownie. Worked for several years as a public relations photographer at a local university where I did a lot of medium format stuff, infrared and 4x5 scientific photography. Consequently, I've had loads of boring photos published in newspapers and magazines across the county. However, I tired of always having nasty, chemical stained fingers and decided working as a photographer was a good way to screw-up a wonderful hobby so I pursued an engineering career instead. Still, I always found ways to incorporate photography into work assignments often assisting staff photographers with product photography, etc. Now I shoot a mix of fun stuff and "pro-bono" event & marketing work for non-profits.

 

[fugu82]

Retired from a 25-year career in the Fire Service. Attempting to control a nasty degree of GAS without notable success.

 

[distant.star]

As a note I like to point out that most accomplished leaders in technology were/are people claiming to listen to intuition and gut feelings beside numbers, formulas and statistics, just like Tim Cook stated only couple of weeks a go

Richard Feynman comes immediately to mind. And he knew how to have FUN!!

 

[distant.star]

No, name doesn't ring a bell.
I remember walking into Midge Farrally's shop to buy some surfboard materials late 1980, walking up the road I saw Simon Anderson's old brown ford parked there with a 3 fin surfboard sticking out the back window .. I asked Midge what's with Simon's board with 3 fins .. he brushed it off, saying Simon is "out There" and each to his own ... Simon won the Bells Beach surf comp Easter 81, one round was 12- 15" and the "thruster" ripped it apart, that was a huge change in surfing. I made plenty 3 fin boards from that day on. It was only ever a hobby for me.

Wayne had a board manufacturing operation in Hermosa Beach, CA and was a legendary surfer in the area. He was in the movie "The Endless Summer." The opening scene is Wayne surfing in Hawaii where he was born. Born in Hawaii of Japanese descent, they put him in the Japanese-American sports hall of fame. I was lucky to know him and work with him, in a manner of speaking, at one time. He was a guy who lived his life with the purpose of enjoying every minute. Because of that everyone who came in contact with him loved him. He is very much missed (died in 2005). Here's his shop site...

http://www.waynemiyata.com/

 

[Sunnystate]

LOL. being an artist is a condition, but in my case condition that I only brought on myself for various reasons mainly because it became source of my income in critical moment of my life.

Seems like everybody here do worry about future of Canon as a leader, and about quality of Canon products, but CR apparently represents only small group of consumers mostly from developed countries like USA. All I am saying is that you guys represent just that, rather small elite of pretty privileged people. The point is that you will not be able to sustain Canon if everybody else including store clerks abandon it.
I would like to believe that Canon has other venues of gathering information, and CR is NOT the way to gauge general photographers needs. Most vocal members here represent no more than 5% of consumers (maybe just 1% LOL)

I believe that we should tone down our opinions here a bit and stop speaking for others about what Canon should or should not do, or what the other users, SHOULD need/like or not, and the most ridiculous how much we should pay for particular Canon products or futures.

Hope one of the Canon big executives do have the soul of a genius artist and will go with gut feelings and will revolutionize DSLR market once again to the point that the store clerks will be compelled to use credit card and buy new Canon camera models, just like they did with the 5D classic.
And our beloved corporation named Canon will prosper so you will be able to buy top of the line products without paying ridiculous premiums as a result

Working as professional artist my entire life. In the niche and the region that I am active, relatively accomplished and respected.

I am amazed that majority of professions here are representing group of population using predominantly left side of the brain, and apparently pretty secure financially as well.
That probably explains why CR discussions in general seem to be detached with reality of the true market out there
Honestly, I was expecting more of an artists, poets, writers or musician to be in to photography than pilots, engineers, physicists or economists

Now it is clear to me why we don't have here enough posts (in my humble opinion) that are able to voice large group of users that beside the logic also follow intuition, gut feelings, emotions, or trends based on whatever (mode, looks, cool factor or social demands)

As a note I like to point out that most accomplished leaders in technology were/are people claiming to listen to intuition and gut feelings beside numbers, formulas and statistics, just like Tim Cook stated only couple of weeks a go

I would have to be surprised of you being surprised, and for a few reasons:
1- Photography is an expensive and technical 'art form'.
2- Liberal professionals are surely more likely to state their jobs and say that they enjoy photo as a hobby than people working at the grocery store as they have less chance of feeling shy about their work. (No offence meant to store clerks as there are no bad jobs), I'm sure everyone gets the point...
3- Engineers like to say they are engineers (by the way, did you know I'm an engineer?).
4- The amount of creativity required in scientific, academic and technical careers is much higher than is usually believed, although the expression of that creativity is different than than of those perceived as artistic.
5- CR is about photographic equipment.
6- I see a lot of very emotive posts about DR, crop vs ff, color spaces and evf vs off!
And so on.

However, I'm curious about you 'working as a professional artist'. I thought being an artist was a condition you were born with, not a form of employment... Ok, that's a bad joke of my part I guess...

 

[dslrdummy]

Have spent the last 7 years as a registrar in a Federal Australian court and before that was a lawyer in private practice for 25 years. Discovered photography about 10 years ago and ever since have wondered what might have been if I'd discovered it sooner. My consolation is that I can afford some nice gear - although it's never enough.

 

[Bennymiata]

My father was a very keen competition photographer and has fellowships with the Australian and European Photographic Societies and I was given a box brownie at age 4 + other cameras until I was given my first SLR, an Exacta Varex (fully manual, no light meter etc.).
I also helped my Dad in the darkroom, and we not only did our own colour prints, but also did things like you do in Photoshop like adding things or removing them, dodging and burning etc. under the enlarger.
I got my first brand new SLR in 1968, which was a Canon FT QL.

After high school, I studied engineering, but I didn't finish as I was also working part time and I preferred working than studying, and I ended up as owner of that business and built it up from 3 employees to over 600 people in 2 countries. This was in the leathergoods trade and I'm also a fully trained designer and pattern maker.
As I worked very long hours (averaging around 65 hours a week) I didn't get much time taking photos, and even employed people that I usually trained, to take my product shots for me.
I got into digital around 1990 and my first camera was a funny looking Polaroid made camera. This was used to allow us to easily put product photos onto our computer system. We also used the original version of Photoshop, hence why I know my way around it now.
I sold my business to one of my competitors 3 years ago, and decided that as I hadn't had a holiday for 15 years that I would retire.
And so I did, and I am now as busy as ever chauffeuring my wife around and doing some professional photography in products, weddings and events etc, and I am enjoying myself.

 

[jcarapet]

Never sold my photos, but a local band uses a picture I took as their Facebook wall or landing page (or whatever it is called). I AM proud of that!

I feel you on that. I don't sell a lot individually, but just about every friend I have has one of mine as a profile picture! Small victories.

 

[Omni Images]

No, name doesn't ring a bell.
I remember walking into Midge Farrally's shop to buy some surfboard materials late 1980, walking up the road I saw Simon Anderson's old brown ford parked there with a 3 fin surfboard sticking out the back window .. I asked Midge what's with Simon's board with 3 fins .. he brushed it off, saying Simon is "out There" and each to his own ... Simon won the Bells Beach surf comp Easter 81, one round was 12- 15" and the "thruster" ripped it apart, that was a huge change in surfing. I made plenty 3 fin boards from that day on. It was only ever a hobby for me.

Wayne had a board manufacturing operation in Hermosa Beach, CA and was a legendary surfer in the area. He was in the movie "The Endless Summer." The opening scene is Wayne surfing in Hawaii where he was born. Born in Hawaii of Japanese descent, they put him in the Japanese-American sports hall of fame. I was lucky to know him and work with him, in a manner of speaking, at one time. He was a guy who lived his life with the purpose of enjoying every minute. Because of that everyone who came in contact with him loved him. He is very much missed (died in 2005). Here's his shop site...

http://www.waynemiyata.com/

I grew up in Sydney, Australia Distant Star, I just checked out his web site and watched the video, he was way before my time, longboards etc, certainly a legend. I came in the scene just when boards were going short, but still single fins, mid 70's.

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi Bennymiata.
So sorry to hear you didn't actually retire when you intended to! ;D
But seriously, all that matters is that you are happy, and possibly more important not under your wife's feet all day, I've heard that gets on their nerves in short order! ;D

Cheers, Graham.

as I hadn't had a holiday for 15 years that I would retire.
And so I did, and I am now as busy as ever chauffeuring my wife around and doing some professional photography in products, weddings and events etc, and I am enjoying myself.

 

[justaCanonuser]

This is really a nice thread to read, full of interesting bios inspiring me to add mine. I physicist, editor of a German physics magazine, and a freelance science writer working for some major newspapers and journals in Germany and Switzerland. Photography and drawing are my hobbies - well, the latter is a bit more serious because I privatly studied arts besides my work. I mainly draw portraits and do a lot of "street shooting" with my pencil (also with my camera/smartphone, of course), and I work as science cartoonist since many years, too. Sometimes I sell a photo in addition to an article I wrote for a newspaper. I shoot more with the eye of a draughtsman, so often very subtle things catch my attention. This may be the reason why my German artist friends frequently ask me to shoot their events and exhibitions for their catalogues.

My first camera was a vintage Kodak Retina III, then my wife made me a wonderful gift with a Nikon FM-2 (I still have both cameras). The FM-2 was my school for many years. I'd really recommend anyone to shoot with such a full mechanical film camera for a while, it really teaches the basics of photography. When I went digital, I changed from Nikon to Canon. At that time, there simply was no real alternative to Canon. Fortunately for us users, this has changed so we all can profit from a tough competition driving technology.

I am lazy with posting images online (due to lack of time), but here's a little gallery I sometimes feed:
http://www.dpreview.com/galleries/6385346624/photos/2464553/frankfurt-hopper-style

 

[justaCanonuser]

Seems like everybody here do worry about future of Canon as a leader, and about quality of Canon products, but CR apparently represents only small group of consumers mostly from developed countries like USA. All I am saying is that you guys represent just that, rather small elite of pretty privileged people. The point is that you will not be able to sustain Canon if everybody else including store clerks abandon it.
I would like to believe that Canon has other venues of gathering information, and CR is NOT the way to gauge general photographers needs. Most vocal members here represent no more than 5% of consumers (maybe just 1% LOL)

I believe that we should tone down our opinions here a bit and stop speaking for others about what Canon should or should not do, or what the other users, SHOULD need/like or not, and the most ridiculous how much we should pay for particular Canon products or futures.

+ 10. I think you hit it. CR may provide some interesting user profiles for Canon's design of high-end cameras, but definitely not for their mass products generating most of their revenue.

 

[justaCanonuser]

As a note I like to point out that most accomplished leaders in technology were/are people claiming to listen to intuition and gut feelings beside numbers, formulas and statistics, just like Tim Cook stated only couple of weeks a go

Richard Feynman comes immediately to mind. And he knew how to have FUN!!

+10!

 

[lholmes549]

I am a student of Physics so Photography is definitely just a hobby at the minute, with no plans to make it my profession, but who knows!
I don't have a lot of funds with being a student and everything, so GAS is kept pretty well at bay by necessity but my gear is everything and more than my skill level currently requires.

 

[Spectrum]

I am a full-time college professor with a Ph.D. who teaches science at a two-year school in the northeast US. I am also a photo correspondent for the local daily newspaper and several weekly newspapers. I spend more time with that than I am in the classroom. Photography is almost 40% of my total income, so teaching pays for my GAS.

 

[Lawliet]

Lets see - studied electrical engineering.
-started working in CGI, generalist at first, focused mostly on procedurals, simulation and lighting in the long run, plus writing custom tools as needed.
-which got me involved with the effects departments, blending life action and rendered footage, keeping everything in sync and meshing as intended.
-Why don't you fill the DoP's position...make use of the timeslots inbetween, do some commercial& and related stuff?
-We want stylistically matching stills
- A bit of genre shifting here, some net-& paperwork there. Way to much of the latter, guess there's always a price to pay.

.
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.

"Cares more about the results then the politics" - carries similar ambiguity. 8)

 

[Zv]

I work full time as a performance supervisor for an English teaching company in Japan. I manage 16 English instructors.

I got into photography about 4 years ago. I've made a little bit of money doing some paid jobs including a wedding and one corporate shoot that went into a magazine. My most recent paid job was a fashion shoot for a small startup business (just two guys selling dresses) looking for a cheap photographer.

I make enough money from my main job to pay for my GAS but it's nice to know I can earn a bit of money from the gear I buy to justify it!

 

[OscarBjarna]

Graphic designer and part time photographer.
I mostly design logos (or at least try).

 

[beckstoy]

I'm a Full Time Forensic Scientist.

Photography is fun, and I'm now starting to get paid well for it. I doubt I'd want to do it primarily, however.