The following is a real-life conversation that could have been overheard at a local restaurant on a recent evening...
"So, I hear you're a photographer," asks a middle-aged man who knows of me, but doesn't really know me, as I sift through my fajita plate.
"Yeah, that's right," I reply, putting on a crooked smile, and frantically thinking of what to add to such a brief response.
A puzzled look comes over his face. After a pause, he collects his thoughts in order to choose his words wisely.
"That's, um, all you do?" he asks in a quieter tone.
"Basically," I answer, hoping my short replies aren't taken the wrong way. I mean, I could ramble off all of the other freelance work I do, but it'll only come off as nervous chatter.
He stops and thinks even harder.
"That's...that's good," he concludes, as if I had just said in code that I was unemployed and things aren't exactly looking up.
Awkward conversations such as the preceding cringe-fest hint at the profession of photographer in 2013, at least in much of the public mindset.
Sometimes I wonder if the general consensus is that photographers are meant to go the way of the milkman.
We all carry cameras around with us now. Why do we need such a service?
I argue that we need photographers now more than ever - for the very reason that everyone has a camera on them 24/7.
Everyone has pens, pencils, and writing software, but I haven't noticed a barrage of brilliant writers come forth. If anything, writing has become worse! Have you read some of the incoherent ramblings that fill Facebook?
Technology is great. Yes, it means the crayons have changed, but the people working the crayons haven't.
We still need writers, and we still need photographers. For that matter, we need all manner of hippies, beatniks, and otherwise unsavory characters.
We have Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter, but do we have rebels, rule-breakers, and rapscallions to shake up society?
We need people who have a fire inside them. We need passion. We need knowledge. And we need a little something called hustle.
Technology hasn't rendered such things useless. It's given us all a shiny new megaphone. One that we didn't have in 1983, or 1993, or even necessarily 2003.
For every doomsayer who wants to stick a fork in photography as a career, I can point to many more who are shaking off the shackles of conventional wisdom.
The markets are there, and not just in cities like New York and Los Angeles.
I live in south Louisiana. Where I live isn't exactly convenient to the Interstate corridor that carves through the state's most populated cities, like New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Though I'm roughly an hour drive away from those places, where I'm from is much more Swamp People than it is French Quarter.
I'll admit finding work in the photography field isn't always easy. But every day I put on the proverbial hardhat, and do whatever it takes to put myself out there.
It doesn't matter if they are in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, or Walla Walla, Washington. We're all in the same boat.
I know all too well that it's easy to get discouraged. Read the message boards on photography sites. Chat with others in the field. For crying out loud, a major newspaper recently cut its entire staff of photographers! (I could go on a sermon about how soccer moms with iPhone cameras won't compare to experienced professionals with DSLRs, but that's a topic for another day.)
Even with all of the negatives, I can't help but love photography. There's nothing like being creative, taking shots, and fine-tuning the final product.
I don't even like to call it "work" because it doesn't feel like a laboring process. It's liberating, it's fun, but it's not work. (If you disagree, I have a shovel and a 100-degree day that you may want to try.)
There's just something about the timeless arts. I don't think Van Gogh will ever end up on the trash heap of history. Nor will Elvis. Nor will Ansel Adams.
The times are changing.
The tide is changing.
We didn't lose photography. We are opening a whole new world to it.
About Michael Tortorich {Photographer | Writer | Journalist}
Who is Michael Tortorich? A lifelong resident of the south Louisiana swamplands, his journey as a journalist (with a specific flair for photography) began well before earning a penny for his work. He's a proud LSU graduate, holding a degree in journalism (along with minors in two avid subjects, history and psychology). He has worked full-time positions at two local television stations (in graphics and as a show producer), and as a sports editor of a suburban newspaper. He currently owns and operates Michael Tortorich Photography, LLC. The business provides a wide range of photography services, including event coverage (weddings, parties, sporting events, etc.) and portrait sessions (high school/college seniors, families, children, etc.). He also coordinates social media for the City of Donaldsonville (facebook.com/DonaldsonvilleLA and twitter.com/CityofDville), and contributes to Ascension Parish online news source, The Creole.
For more information, see:
Michael Tortorich on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/tortorich
Michael Tortorich Photography on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MichaelTortorichPhotographyLLC
Michael Tortorich on Twitter - https://twitter.com/MikeTortorich
Michael Tortorich on LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/pub/michael-tortorich/22/35a/a61
Call or text at 225-717-0762.
"I shoot things...with a camera."