Friday, July 10, 2009

So it begins


Changes have been made, bridges burned and I have found myself in a bit of a tough spot. Much to my dismay a large percentage of society hangs on every word of the media, "There is a recession!" Thus everybody stops spending, thus creating the problem. It's a vicious circle. While it's true there have been broad job losses across the world the media is very much to blame for the current economic situation.

I was hired to photograph a dance competition, and as always my extensive musical background gives me an intuitive sense on just when the right moment will be to take a photo. (There are many restrictions on photographic dance competitions. There are so many performers that there is not time or resources to just "spray and pray" by taking hundreds of photos of each dancer with the camera set on rapid-fire. My contractor says to keep it under 15 exposures per dancer)

The contractor makes money by selling sets of images to the dancers and the dance studios, and has a computer set up to show the dancers the photos I took. (Available minutes after they walk off stage) This past engagement I got many many compliments from the parents but nobody was buying. Being the curious person that I am I just had to ask, "If you like them so much, why not buy a set?" she immediately replied, "Because of the current economy!" I was a little upset by that remark because so I decided to dig further. "Have either you or your husband lost your jobs because of the downturn?" I asked. "No" She exclaimed. "So you have secure jobs and no doubt your cost of borrowing has gone down. Doesn't this mean you have more disposable income?" In a huff she walked off muttering something about the bad economy. I will never understand why the media can coerce people so easily!

What will the next adventure hold for me? Hopefully some more work soon as if things carry on this way, I'll be looking for places to set up my cardboard box under the expressway.

1 comment:

  1. Why Yes! It would make perfect sense for you to focus on dance photography, capitalizing on your performance expertise and knowledge of when the right moment for a snapshot will be. That's quite a niche and really sets you apart from most, no?

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