Business man or shooter? Boy has this been a question I've been wrestling with lately. I'm not a businessman, yet in order to be a success in a profession like photography one has to be. Today there are people carrying cameras and iphones and our culture has grown accustomed to having photographs instantly at the ready to view. As a business photography has taken a huge hit in the digital age(by the way it took a huge hit when the Brownie was introduced, and again when the 35mm came about, then the instamatic cameras and 1 hour processing and and and and). Today with the advancement of 'idiot-proof automatic digital cameras and smart- phones why would one want to spend money on a 'professional photographer'. This is the dilemma and the problem of pricing and paying bills. Its a tough road. I don't dwell on actually, but i also don't make any money really---not with the amount of time I spent. That is ok as long as i can pay my bills. The business end of it has been on my mind alot lately though because I'm deciding how much I want to continue pursuing the business, or teaching or even my newspaper work. I keep coming back to the same thought--I'm a shooter. I make pictures and I document. That is my strength. Its what separates me from other people with nice camera. Its not technical ability and its certainly not my ability to produce a timely return of a product. My strength is in the way in which I can capture something in a somewhat unique way. I was thinking about this picture I took at a recent wedding I was lucky enough to be able to photograph. This scene presented itself in a way it was just a matter of picking up the camera and firing away. The towel waving was the story. But in my mind that is only half the story--the other half is the joy of the moment for those it was meant most to please--the bride and the groom. I had a few frames that showed the towels flying, but the one image that made it to me was where we are engaged in the reaction of the couple. I have some with the grooms fist pumped into the air but this picture got both expressions and one towel with the Steelers emblem showing just ads one more, albeit subtle, layer. This is what I hope keeps people seeking photographers who are shooters and artists and not just people who are good with their camera. Its that ability to capture and make a photograph that tells a deeper more meaningful story. I think the business stuff can settle itself out and eventually just become background noise.