Goals for My Photography Journey and How I’m Working Toward Them

What are my goals?

1) I definitely want to become an event photographer. I really like the pictures that come from street photography, but when you’re doing it, at least for myself, it feels like you’re doing something wrong without permission, nor do I currently have the skillset to back it up. Event photography is like a perfect blend because it’s very fulfilling for myself to capture emotional, candid moments, and reinforced with the comfortable feeling that I have permission from others to take their picture (plus, it doesn’t hurt that that’s what you’re getting paid to do). There’s a lot of elements that are shared between event photography and street photography, so I still get a similar thrill but in a safe space. Studio photography and still-life is also cool, but the former is expensive and I currently don’t have the creative eye to create something aesthetic for the former. With event photography, I don’t have to pose anyone and I don’t have to creatively stage a scene; my job would be capture the moment as it’s happening, and luckily I have an eye for anticipating for when those moments happen.

2) I definitely want to

3) I need to understand the business components that are integral to running a successful photography business: licensing, insurance, potential office space

How am I working to achieve those goals?

Event photography requires several skills that I still need to acquire. Sometimes you’re in a dimly lit setting, so you may need a flash. So, I’ve got to learn how to use a flash and how it interacts with an environment. If someone is a chatterbox, you’ve got to know how to politely exit a conversation. It doesn’t hurt to have a second camera, so you would need to know how to easily go from one lens to the other. You’ve got to know how you want to compose a scene quickly so that a moment is not disturbed.