I Quit My Job to Live Photography

The photos are a great symphony, alchemy, colors, inventions, different ways to contemplate the universe! Photographing and how to play the piano and let myself be carried away by notes, colors, sensations, seeing the wind blowing the clouds, the solar rays tinting our sky, which looks like a film from the mythological era, it reveals our self.

I am a construction engineer, and in 18 years of professional performance, I have built a consolidated career in terms of recognition, income, ability to do what I do.

But I confess that once in a while I caught myself wondering if I was really doing what I wanted to do with my life.

And among all these things photography always had a prominent place.

It's almost therapy...

You see the world with other eyes... registering the beauty that only you see...

It's something that has no price!

Besides, photography ends up becoming a pretext for a whole series of other things, like traveling... meeting people and experiencing the new... at last... you know what I am talking about!

But I had never allowed myself to exceed a certain limit.

I never dedicated myself exclusively. Why not?

Because of fear, right?

Because of the fear of not knowing if it will work? because of the fear of not knowing if it will be worth my while to exchange for an uncertainty what I had conquered with so much effort?

But looking well... ...how sure are we?

What are you doing with your life?

Are you waiting for retirement, only then to start living for real?

1. - What if you die first?
2. - What if you don't retire?
3. - What if retirement is not enough?
4. - What if you are not healthy?

Doesn't that count?

And the fear of getting there in the end, and finding out that the most important thing is left behind, and you can't go back?

It was precisely when this fear of mine (of finding out upfront that I wasted my life) became greater than the fear of failure, and the need to take that risk overcame the attachment to that sense of security, I prepared myself and decided that in 2018 I would quit my job, giving up my secure monthly income... guaranteed... to reinvent myself!

I will dedicate myself exclusively to photography...

To get there in the end... look back... and be proud of having done everything I knew had to be done.

To have no excuse, regardless of the result.

In practice, what is happening?

I'm studying... and putting into practice everything I'm learning...

I'm learning from mistakes... correcting mistakes... and trying again, always...

Until it works...

Although, the certainty that it will work, we don't have it.

But at least I'll know that I tried.

Why am I doing this?

First of all, because I already know myself...

Almost every year I make a New Year's resolution and I end up giving up in the middle, for not having told anyone.

So I'm telling you this now, in the hope that the public commitment will help me to maintain motivation and discipline when I'm getting discouraged.

In fact... I need to tell you that I feel even more comfortable talking about this with you than with many people I know here in the "real world".

Secondly, because I know that there are many people who also want to dedicate themselves to this, but they feel insecure because they have doubts if the business has a future or not (which is perfectly justifiable and understandable).

The idea then is to open the way for anyone who wants to follow along with me.

What I need most now are people rooting for me.

If you align yourself to this cause, come with me!

Tell me also your difficulties.

After all, it's only worth me exposing me like this if I'm helping you from

You Must Not Continue in Photography If You Do This

Do you have reasons to continue photographing? Is it really worth it? Is it not too much effort for little reward? These are just some of the questions I asked myself until not so long ago. In fact, some of them still resonate in my head. Maybe you should be asking those same questions whether or not you should continue in the picture.

It's very natural that we all start to feel uncomfortable when we are doing something in which we don't see immediate results. We are immediate, quick answer beings. We respond to stimuli quickly and therefore seek quick rewards in everything we do.

But in most things worthwhile, the result doesn't come very fast. This makes most of those who start selling photos over the internet give up on the first mistakes. And in fact, everything that is really worthwhile is not deserved by people who give up easily.

And there is no problem in giving up. It may be that you simply realize that this is not good for you and will do something else. Don't be afraid of this stimulus. This is your intuition, based on your experience, calling you to "get real" and go elsewhere.

You Have No Patience

It's no good. This is the long-term game and there is nothing you can do to change it. If you're a short-sighted person, you'll probably get annoyed fast with selling photos on the internet.

Your photos will be rejected all the time and when they are approved, the gain is very small. It's pennies. To earn real money, you will need to sell a lot. That means having a lot of photos, tens of thousands of photos approved for sale.

Soon, you will have to take hundreds of thousands of photos and send them to the image banks to try to get your approval in order to get a good income from this work.

So, if you don't have much patience and don't intend to exercise that side of you, move on. You have no problem with that.

You like Shortcuts

It is a problem very similar to the topic above. But the problem here is different. Some people like to cut paths. They don't like to follow the rules and do right by right. Many times I have to agree with them because the bureaucracy of some things irritates.

But at the end of the day, the shortcut is full of thorns. Or worse, it doesn't lead to the endpoint. And so it is with selling photos on the internet. There is no shortcut, and you must run away from whoever you say exists. This could be the great frustration you face when selling photos on the internet.

So, if you're one of those who doesn't want to follow the rules and learn from them, selling photos online is not for you. You definitely need to find something that will give you a faster turnaround.

You Have No Consistency

The secret of those who get a good income with online photo sales is the consistency they have. Much more than cool photos, they continue every day, every month, and every year. Without stopping... Not even on weekends...

Those who have achieved high earnings from selling photos to image banks have achieved this through a constant flow and a standardized routine of sending photos. This requires a lot of discipline. Often, we want to rest on the weekends. And for success, that is no excuse.

Unless you want mediocre results, you'll need to sacrifice some things in exchange for big gains in the future. Remember that. And if you're not willing, give up photography.

You Want to Do It All Alone

This is another common characteristic of people who cannot progress in photography. And in other areas of life too. If you are a perfectionist and like things "your way", it is better not to continue in photography. Give up while it's time.

If you want to sell a lot, you'll probably need more people supporting you. Either with more photos or with editing or with administrative support for other tasks. You'll need to delegate and accept that often things won't turn out the way you expect.

This is difficult for those who do not want to exercise this side in their daily life. And you may be that person. Once again, there is no problem with this. No problem at all. And so you can feel free to look for another activity to do from now on.

Do You Think It's Good Enough

I am not a professional photographer. That's why I know there's still a lot to be improved in my photography, technically speaking. There is a lot to be improved in editing as well. There is a lot to be improved in equipment. There is a lot to be improved in many parts of my photography.

This may not be your case anymore, you may have become a professional photographer. It may be that you have already reached the state of the art when it comes to taking photos. So you don't need to improve anymore. And that you can even teach.

So my tip is: give lessons. Give lectures and organize courses to teach new photographers. The chances are that you will not admit a rejection in an image bank. A judgment that is made by people who are often much less specialized than you.

Image banks are very demanding. And very subjective. It is not rare the cases where I am rejected with one photo on one day and approved with the same photo on the other. This can make you very angry and discouraged.

thanks for reading!