PHOTOGRAPH BY JAKE STANGLE
Jake Stangle has this to say about the inevitability of working as a photographer… or not. It is tough to hear for many, but it is indeed the cold, hard, definitely solid truth. Telling ourselves that there is no work out there is denial writ large. Look at Barnes and Noble magazine racks… they look puny to you? How about all the damn websites with compelling photography. And books. And cookbooks, hobby books, “Windows of New Mexico” books and technical books…
Sure, it may be great fun to blame the world around us for our failures, but in reality – somewhere deep inside of us we know the truth… our shit ain’t cuttin’ it no mo.
Whether a seasoned pro or a rankasswannabeewithabigassdream… you need to read this again and again and again. (FROM THE BLOG: THA BLOG IS HOT)
“You need to approach a photo editor with a preexisting body of work that does not speculate on the fact that you might take really good photographs if you were hired. Your portfolio needs to prove this. It can be 100% personal work. You just need to demonstrate that you can shoot. Your portfolio and website need to be a vehicle that high fives photo editors and wraps its arms around their shoulder and softly whispers in their ear, “hey girl, hop in my Hyundai Sonata, let’s do this, I got you”.
Simplest sentence ever #1: If you’re not getting calls (or even meetings), your work isn’t there yet. You need to get your work there. You are the only one that can do this. Money won’t help. It could take a couple months, it could take years. When the work is there, the calls will start to come along. But not until you, and only you, get it there. This is a universal truth.
Simplest sentence ever #2: Any time you’re in a rut, you need to know and remind yourself and understand the ONLY way to get out of this rut is by making more work, pushing harder, did I say work harder? Nothing is gonna happen when you slump down. Just lost time and wasted days. So get your ass up and keep hammering, working hard infinitely. Behind every photographer is a really haggard guy or girl with a bad back.
Simplest sentence ever #3: The longer you bitch, the more you complain, the more inactive you are in getting to where you want to go, the longer, bitchier, harder, and more unpleasant it will be. This is the devastating truth. So sack up (disclaimer: I am a feminist), get in your F150, and get r’ done.”
Oh… HELL YEAH!