Calling everyone who had taken their passion and made it a source of income, whether it’s full time or part time.
I want to hear your stories. I want to hear how you got to where you are today. I want to hear how you became a professional amateur.
We’re not millionaires, we’re not internationally known, but we are out there everyday, doing what we love and getting paid to do it. Whether it’s a side gig or your main gig. You’re out there doing it. Interested in telling your story? Let me know by filling this out below!
[contact-form]
This is just one of those remnants from my commercial photography days.
We tend to take photos of everything around us out of compulsion these days, but it is always the same. Without the photographers eye, you end up getting weirdly lit/composed/colored/framed shots. Or worse, AI portrait mode that a tries to mimic depth of field and bokeh. Bokeh, the love of life that true blur produces in the background created by the lens.
Let’s take a look at at the difference.
Phone photo of the pugs – No Bokeh, No HappyCamera Photo – Lots of Bokeh, Lots of Happy
Now, you can see the natural depth of field and gradual blurring and slight bokeh of the background of the lights. Let’s punch up the bokeh to the highest level possible.
At 85mm f1.8 – Bokeh is optimal… almost surreal and the Depth of Field is really shallow.
People want this amazing Bokeh, but they go through great feats to get it. When it comes down to your lens.
Because what happens is you let AI take over and you get “faux bokeh”. What it ends up being is an odd blur mask.
Penny taken with my phone in “portrait” mode.
Some people see a photo like that and say, “That’s pretty impressive”. But the more you look at it, the more unnatural it feels.
What is the point of this? I understand as AI gets smarter there will be better looking photos, but nothing will compare to the real thing.
So, no, with a camera, there is no Depth of Field that is too shallow. However, leave going that shallow for people that have the equipment to do so. You can still take amazing photos with your phone, just be sure you don’t let AI take over and compose them and crop them yourselves.
This IS a phone photo! No fake AI blurring, just using the light and lens given as best as I could.
How did I become a Pet Photographer? Well, that is an easy question to answer. Philomena the Pug is my pug, the joy I had photographing her and now her sister Penelope have given me endless joy.
But, did you know I was a regular photographer before? Some of you do, but, here is something you may not have know:
I was a Commercial Photographer first.
That seems like a crazy jump, to do photography of construction sites, before and after remodels, real estate, and architecture to pugs, pugs and more pugs (and other pets too).
I’m not talking about, “Oh I went out with my camera and took pictures of buildings and claim to be a commercial photographer”.
I was actually paid by contractors to head out to their job sites and take before, during, and after shots of their work. I would work with independent realtors to take photos of homes they were selling. I worked with municipalities to take photos of their towns for online and brochure work.
It was a fulfilling job in the sense that I was able to do something I loved, photography, and get paid for it.
It was about the same time that we had gotten our first puppy, Philomena. I started using my camera to take photos and use for her social media, namely on instagram https://www.instagram.com/philomenathepug/ .
People were loving that little pug face and the photos I had been taking. We only seemed it was fair to run a pug account, since we were following hundreds of other pugs on Instagram.
At this time, Philomena started taking off, from just a few hundred followers, to thousands, to tens of thousands of followers. We had decided on moving to Atlanta for my wife’s work, and I left behind the commercial photography world and started to look into doing more creative and interesting outlets.
Eventually I would continue to feed my need to get creative with photography and had gone into photographing people. Doing headshots, portraits, and some model shoots. This started scratching an itch I had, to get creative with photography and have fun doing it. It was hard to get into the groove of getting paying clients, but I blame myself for that, however, the shoots I did have were really fun.
I also loved doing more fine art projects, but they were more for me as an outlet and less for me to be selling my “art”
And then, last year, it finally clicked.
“What are you really good at? What empire have you built on your photos? Your dog. You take professional dog headshots and portraits.”, I said to myself.
And thus, I started to drop off from taking photos of people, though I’m still open to work with some people, and do headshots and such. And focus on what makes me happy and can sustain a source of income. Pet photography.
So, here I am. A Pet Photographer, with a portfolio of an Instagram Celebrity to back up my craft.
It has been a weird and interesting road to get here, but I’m glad I took the path I did! Here is to the future!
What does the future hold? Being the event photographer for the Vegas Pug Party again this year. http://grumblecity.com/
Taking Phil and Penny all over the country to do photoshoots.
Shooting with as many new pets and pet parents as possible!
