The journal entry I read by Brenda Boyd was an inspiring piece to me and has helped me understand the powerful roles a photographer plays. Boyd writes about 5 different characteristics it helps to have as a photographer; while comparing myself to this writing I did notice I share these characteristics but I also lack some that I now know I could work on to become a stronger photographer. Reading this gave me not only confidence but Boyd uses a lot of different examples of famous or not so famous photographers, this helps me to comprehend just how magnificent it is to capture memories because the people she listed are truly heroic for capturing the moment they have. The one photographer that stood out the most to me was Joe Rosenthal, took the iconic Iwo Jima photo, because he was quoted saying “if your pictures aren’t good enough, you are aren’t close enough and getting close comes with risk”. This stood out to me because it stands true and Rosenhall took a great risk while taking this photo and he showed so much leadership and courage to step closer to get an image that would never be recreated and would remain powerful to an audience for years. Like I said, there are characteristics that Boyd stated that I’m confident about and I feel I show. Boyd states that “the ability to of the photographer to understand how to work with others is an important piece of the formula to great leadership”. I feel that I have grown over the past 4 years as a leader through being on my school’s yearbook staff where we are encouraged to take ownership in pages, interviewing and photography. Being an editor for 2 years has also made me a stronger leader because now I am working on my own pages but also I’m leading and helping others to take on pages of their own. When applying this to my photography, I am able to share my ideas and get my vision across to other people. Also when I am at a photoshoot I can communicate with my client on how to stand/ pose so it looks good on camera. When taking photos though I also have a plan or vision and to Boyd this is another great characteristic to have; to have a plan and be planned. It takes more than getting to your photoshoot and having your equipment ready, you also have to have an idea and a path of what you or your client want so I always think about poses or props days before I go to a shoot. This piece also made me recognize a few characteristics or skills that I lack or need to work on such as timing. I have yearbook as a class every day and to create a great yearbook you need to capture those moments that will date the year and that the student body will want to remember. I always take photos at pep rallies and at planned school functions but reading this made me think twice about how it’s the little moments that aren’t planned that go unforgotten but truly shouldn’t. This thought made me realize that to be a great photographer with great photos, I have to be ready at every moment because “the moment separates snapshots from memorable moments” and being able to beautiful pictures is one thing but to take a beautiful picture of a moment that could never be recreated is a total different level. It also takes risks to get phenomenal pictures and I admit to playing it safe in photography. When taking pictures I tend to get the pictures that I know will turn out good but if I took more risks and played around more with my photos I could get some unique photos but it takes a risk of getting bad photos to get a good one. Boyd wrote in this journal entry that “risks mean either getting close to get the shot or missing it completely,” and I agree with this as well as so much of the writing she published in this one article. I’m glad I came across her work and I know that I will remember and use what she wrote as a learning point. BOYD, BRENDA L. "Six Leadership Lessons From Photography." The Journal Of Applied Christian Leadership 9.2 (2015): 80-90. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 Nov. 2016.
In this article by Joel Lee the subject is about 5 different career opportunities a photographer has. The 5 that he chose to write about are fashion, product, sports, portrait and wedding photography. He did a great job at comparing these jobs by listing both the pros and the cons that come with them. The main purpose of the article was to inform the reader and to hopefully help them decide whether any of these career pathways would be a good fit for them or not. I thought Lee did a good job of clarifying the struggles that each job comes with but also at giving advice about photography overall. He stated in his conclusion that “the only constant is that every path can net a lot of money, or none at all. So, my advice? Choose the one that inspires the most passion in you.” The job that Lee wrote about that interested me the most was wedding photography. I wouldn’t want to strictly do just weddings but I would like to shoot some as part of my career. I’m not set on whether I would like to be a freelance photographer, have my own business that I work on all the time, or if I would like to have a job such as a marketing director for a business and then use my skills of photography within it. With that option I could also work weekends; still weddings would be of interest to me then. Lee describes wedding photographies as having a “level of glamour and prestige” but for me I see the opportunity to tell and capture someone’s story. This idea is what compels me to take on photography throughout my life, I love being able to capture moments and emotions that someone will look back on and cherish. But he also writes about the downfalls of this career which is that the competition is very high. There are tons of people that are in this field, this is a major drawback and I have put a lot of thought into how much self promotion it would take if I was to work for myself and by myself. This is the very reason why I have considered a field that uses photography, such as marketing and advertisement, but overall has a less competitive side. This article has given me more insight when it comes to picking my field. I have really started thinking about the pros and cons of the 2 jobs I have took interest in, my biggest worry is choosing the job that I won’t enjoy because I would love to wake up and look forward to going to work everyday. I still have a lot to learn and research about when it comes to either option but I do feel like I have a stronger understanding of what the risks are for a business of my own. Joel Lee wrote “the more you put in, the more you’ll get out of it” about being freelance photographer, This showed me a new perspective to look at. If I truly love my job ,as my own boss, I would put more effort into it and I believe he is correct to say that the more joy you have about something then you will try harder and it will show through to clients by your quality of work. So from this article I have got out of it that I need to enjoy whatever job I choose and the risks will be outweighed as long as I am having fun because when I am having fun I will be more motivated to work harder and longer so that I reach my goals. In the end it will also show through to clients and community that I love what I do and therefore will have a positive impact on my amount and quality of business. Lee, Joel. "5 Most Lucrative Careers as a Budding Photographer." MUO. Make Use of, May-June 2015. Web.
In this article written by Seema Dosanjh, she explains why she chose marketing and advertising as her career and what aspects she felt she liked the most. There are 5 characteristics that she talks about in this article and they are the following: She had a natural liking for commercials and design , Not only does she like the creative side of advertisement but she likes the logical side too, She loves the team work, The field is always changing and then she has a love and passion towards her job. Overall this piece just showed the inside perspective of working in advertising and for the reader it gave a view that maybe wasn’t known before and therefore could be used to guide the decision between taking on this career path or not. One of the points that was stated that really stuck out to me was the point of this job is not only about creativity but there is a lot of logical decisions that are thought of as well. “This industry requires one to be very logical and structured as well” as Dosanjh said. The biggest reason I became interested in this field is because I could use my love for photography but until reading this I never thought about how when designing an ad you do have to think logically about what will attract someone to look at it or how to word your information so that it is clearly expressed to the reader. “If there is one thing that is guaranteed, it is this: you are constantly interacting and working with others,” this is the second point that jumped out. For me, I love working in groups and having input on projects or ideas. An environment where I am constantly working with people though is opposite of having and running my own photography business though. So yet again I now have more knowledge to compare a marketing/ advertising career to a self-run photography business. This article has given me plenty of insight on the ins and outs of a career based on marketing and advertisement design. I feel like after reading it I have a better understanding and therefore can compare my options better and hopefully I can decide in the near future on which career is best for me. I’m going to decide whether I want a career that is driven by team decision making which means my ideas could be shot down, or do I want a career that is solely based on what I decide but means there will be times when I need a hand but will have to learn to make independent decisions. This is just one of the many points that I will have to decide on but from reading this I have a better knowledge. Seema Dosanjh. "Why Choose Marketing and Advertising as a Career?" Linkedin. N.p., 18 Apr. 2015. Web.