The Many Hats of a Photographer
Wearing Every Hat Over the past 18 years, I’ve come to realize that being a photographer requires an incredible amount of versatility. Not just in shooting a variety of subjects or adapting to different situations, but in navigating the ever-changing landscape of styles, client expectations, technology, trends, and even the whims of the stock market. While these are all important, I’ve been thinking more about a different kind of versatility—the ability to shift between entirely different roles. Moving between blue-collar and white-collar work, from artist to technician, from business owner to friendly neighbor. This, I’ve found, is the hardest part of all. Back when I was a photo assistant, I used to joke that my resume would be ten pages long if I listed everything I was asked to do. Set building, lighting, styling, carrying gear like a sherpa, managing files—oh, and let’s not forget being everyone’s personal assistant and gopher. It was mostly blue-collar work, and I loved it....
