Making Something from Nothing

Ok, so I lied a bit there, I have received a small amount of float cash due a family death about a year ago. But the principle is still the same. I am trying to launch a small business or carrier from almost nothing. I started out by purchasing a very nice and professional camera, one that allows for great optical zooming, and allows me to add and change lenses as needed. Along with this camera I got a standard 55mm lens, a 700mm telescopic and a few add-on lenses (Telephoto macro and Widescreen). Bought one of those books that help you learn the in and out for this specific camera and am ready to go. Now I do have a little background work as an amateur cinematographer, and editing work that I have done for friends in the past. I find this type of work fun and rewarding. Granted I don’t have the backdrops that most photographers use, nor do I have umbrella light kits, but I do at least have a thousand lights that we purchased a year ago for demand satisfaction productions. I think they should be adequate to start with. The only thing I am missing is a subject.

Now, photography is an art. You can take images of landscapes and make them breathtaking, a flower and highlight its detail, and if you are lucky a humming bird hovering inches above a pool of water casting a prefect reflection. These are all the types of photos that I am trying to do right now. Which are easily obtained through patience and practice. However, there is one type that I cannot obtain, and that is of a model subject. Whether it is male or female, no one is willing to work with an armature photographer, especially the first time they are doing a photo shoot. I don’t blame them. I wouldn’t want to have to go to some guy’s house, and take a large number of photos change my clothes and take more for a few hours.

I had hoped to be able to get a License, Car, and launch my photography business by January 1^st 2009. I don’t think this will happen. The only Images I do have are from the Pittsburgh Zoo, and I didn’t have the camera in my hands that day, I let a good friend of mine Beth takes the pictures. Now I am not saying she did a bad job, just saying I didn’t do anything and can’t really say it was my work. So now I have a little less than a month and a half to achieve my goals and still have had absolutely no practice. Let’s see how well I do under pressure.

Why am I writing this? Am I complaining to try and get someone to feel bad? Absolutely not. I am writing this because when I do succeed, I want to look back and see how I did it. When I do succeed, I want anyone that is looking for information to find what worked for me. Think of this as a guide for not only me, but anyone out there that is trying to get into photography or cinematography. And yes, I am doing some cinematography work later this year as well.