Category Archives: Travel
What makes a photographer a ‘professional’?
Professional Photographer
It is said that 10000 hours is the magic number of hours required to be an expert at anything
whether your chosen field is art, sports, business, or perhaps something else.
However, 10000 hours is no guarantee of world-class expertise
Some are more gifted than others at certain talents, which may add or subtract some hours.
Many jobs require college degrees pertaining to that field, an investment which usually
sums up to a significant amount of time and money.
For photography in 21st century we live in, entry barrier that used to exist is… well. gone.
While photography has been around for near 200 years now, it has never been
easier to get a useable camera with industrialization and mass production.
Everyone can buy a camera. Click a shutter button.
Turn a few knobs. Maybe even some photoshop tasks.
Being a professional photographer is more than having decent camera gears.
It is not about clicking a shutter button.
It is knowing when to press the button.
It is not about having a big expensive camera.
It is knowing where to point that big expensive camera.
It is not about doing a favor for a few people you know.
It is knowing how to run a business.
You have to earn it.
It takes determination.
It takes time.
It takes talent.
It takes work.
It is about taking a risk.
It is about following your passion.
It is about living in pursuit of happiness.
There was an engineer who had an exceptional gift for fixing all things mechanical. After serving his company loyally for over 30 years, he happily retired. Several years later his company contacted him regarding a seemingly impossible problem they were having with one of their multi-million dollar machines. They had tried everything and everyone else to get the machine fixed, but to no avail. In desperation, they called on the retired engineer who had solved so many of their problems in the past.
The engineer reluctantly took the challenge. He spent a day studying the huge machine. At the end of the day he marked a small “x” in chalk on a particular component of the machine and proudly stated, “This is where your problem is.” The part was replaced and the machine worked perfectly again.
The company received a bill for $50,000 from the engineer for his service. They demanded an itemized accounting of his charges. The engineer responded briefly:
One chalk mark………………….$1
Knowing where to put it……..$49,999
It was paid in full and the engineer retired in peace
Rockport, MA – Winter 2011/2012
Visited rockport for the thanksgiving weekend. Weather wasn’t as cold as I was expecting it to be, which was nice. Unfortunately, one of the most popular destination in rockport – Roy Moore’s lobster shack… was closed for the season. I decided to try out the causeway seafood restaurant in gloucester. The wait was over an hour long, but their food was pretty good.
Toy Shop – Rockport, MA
While visiting Rockport, MA on a nice afternoon last week, I discovered this cool toy shop around the shopping area. It’s a fun place to shoot around, as vibrant colors, interesting shapes, and happy little faces are all over. It kind of brought out my own memories when I was younger, too. In this day and age with Xbox and other super crazy high tech toys these days, slinky and over-sized dolls can still hold its own.
Point Defiance Park – Tacoma, WA
While I was visting a friend in seattle area earlier this year, we decided to find a most reviewed place nearby from where we were on yelp. Top result: Point Defiance Park. Some random park with glowing 5 star reviews? Sure. Why not. Weather was fantastic.
Streets of Philadelphia
Documentary & street photography stylin’ in downtown Philadelphia, PA 
