“Just Cuz”

By Chris Radcliffe
3.12.10

Downtown Richmond at Sunset

When photography is your J.O.B. it can be hard to convince yourself to make photos “just cuz.” This evening, I did. I’d been shooting a band in the studio and out in the rain for most of the day. I just got home… Natalie and Connor left… I went upstairs and crashed in the bed. I woke up a few minutes a later to an orange glow that fought its way through the curtains and into my bedroom. Against the wishes of my weary mind I flew out of bed, down the stairs and out the front door with camera in hand. A few snaps toward the sky later I decided I needed a more worthwhile scene. With few minutes before the sun was gone I parked my car at salon at the top of a hill on Main Street. I made about 10 or 12 exposures from the middle of the road but this was the first.

I’m not trying to pass this photo as a masterpiece. It is a reminder of the personal fulfillment that shooting for yourself can offer. No one paid me to take this photo. I’ll probably never see a dime for it. But, I felt like I had done something in those few minutes that revived my passion for my craft. It’s easy to get bogged down with assigned work. Too much of that and you can lose the inspiration and drive that makes you profitable as a professional. People pay my to be creative and innovative. If I don’t shoot for myself I can’t grow as a photographer.

Make photos because you want to and not only because you have to. If you have aspirations to make money in photography… you need to develop YOUR style. It will be a long (lifelong) and sometimes frustrating journey. The only way to find your photographic talent is to shoot… anything and everything.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 14th, 2010 at 3:40 pm. It is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.