I have read a lot of posts about "How can I make some money" (aka a living) at photography and do what I want to do ( usually landscape) at the same time ? I have a number of friends who have done this and some who still are . One common theme , they/we all did it following a different path , with various backgrounds and influences. And that is a good thing. I had no monetary goal at all for the first few years. Just my camera , some slide film , and curiosity. A few small sales (calendars) led to a small regional book (Once Upon an Island) (took 5 publisher submissions) . This little book was discovered by the owner of Allstock ( Art Wolfe's first agency) and the journey began . Stone bought Allstock then Getty bought Stone . ( and they continued buying !!!) So I had some amazing years with stock selling basically landscapes. It took me a year or two to get the "concept " idea my head , then it was a nice ride. So despite what is going on now , I am grateful for those years. In a way this "change" may be the best thing that has happened to me for some time. If it was status quo I would still be making submissions and signing cheques. (Which wasnt a problem!) I had to dig back into my " bag of ideas" where all this came from in the first place. Voila plan B , or is it C! Sometimes it doesnt hurt to ask yourself , " Why am I doing this? What do I need to do next for me ? In my case it is back to some "play", comming full circle , back to the beginning. The moral , stay on the path , your path, enjoy the trip! Michael
www.michaelortonphotography.com
