Newsletter - The photographic identity crisis...

Hey,

You can be so many different things and call yourself a photographer. A portrait photographer, an art photographer, an event photographer, sports photographer, wildlife photographer, nature photographer, studio photographer, newborn photographer, family photographer the list is endless. You can be anything photographer. 

I'm a photojournalist. This label took me a long time to accept. I know a lot of the Magnum photographers just call themselves "photographer," and for a while that's all I wanted to be so I used that label too. Also, the term photojournalist, it has long been synonymous with paparazzi, especially in the US, because they see us at events elbowing each other to get closest to the politician or whoever. They think that because we do that, we must be paparazzi, who do the same with celebrities. 

But that is not what photojournalist means to me. I went to school for journalism, and the story has always been central to how I do my work. Through the years it's become clear to me what I like to look at. I love details. I love centre composition. I love complex composition. I love photographing people when they don't necessarily know I am doing it, even though they know I'm there. I love people living side by side with nature and tradition. The quiet in the loud. These things are special to me, and when I pull off an image where people can understand that, I feel good. It's not all the time, but those far and few in-between photos are well worth the work it took to get them.

Photography can get depressing though.

It's is not an easy business. So many times I've pulled my hair out because an editor hasn't paid me on time, or I haven't had an assignment in a while, or what I thought was a great story wasn't interesting to anyone else. Or inspiration just isn't there. Or I'm just feeling down because life has its own set of problems unrelated to work.

Enter: identity crisis. Is this who I am? Do I really need to keep doing this job, or should I get a "real job?" I hate that term "real job" about my profession, because it IS a real job. Photographers wear more hats than most people. It's paid my bills since 2002 and I have learned more about running a business from this job than I would have sitting behind a desk working for someone else. This is a 100% real job.

I've wanted to throw in the towel so many times. I've reinvented my photography so many times. But the thing is, I got into photography because I really love story. I really love the complicated, messy and beauty that comes out of telling a story about real humans doing real things. So no matter how hard I try, I always end up right here where I started. As a photographer, addicted to telling the story. A photojournalist. 

What has been your identity crisis with photography?

All for now,

Kristine