I Used to be a Photographer

It’s been pretty exciting over the last several years to build up a portfolio, to buy great cameras, to meet families in the park and at the beach to take pictures that they love, that I love, to share for . . . well, forever. But I just moved. I moved to the middle of Smalltown USA, and now I’m a photographer without clients. So when folks out here ask me what I “do” I tell them that “I used to be a photographer” and a little piece of my heart crumbles into tiny shards.

I AM a photographer, today, now, sitting here at the computer, not taking pictures. I am still a photographer. This is a real lesson for me about the difference between what we are and what we do. I think that there are many professions that become part of who you are and photography is part of me now. Whether I currently have clients, whether I’m getting paid or not. The pictures I take now are to capture my own memories, of my own family and surroundings, and though my kids haven’t paid me to do this, they will appreciate it one day.

I will always be a photographer. From now on, when people ask me what I “do” I will tell them that I “am” a photographer after all we’ve all heard of “out of work actors” right? That’s me. Talented and equipped, looking for the next gig, even if it’s pictures of The Boy making a Lego zip line across the living room.

So I’m adding a photography component to my blog. Not just some snapshots of what we’re doing here and there. But a dedicated section to share the memories I’ve captured with other families, with my own family, in nature and at events. I hope you will enjoy the galleries, I most certainly enjoy the capturing.

Samples of memories past