Submitted by Tate on Mon, 08/31/2009 - 10:42
Today is my first day as a full-time photographer!
It's going to take a while to sink in...
The short version of the story so far:
- degree in Engineering,
- worked in IT for about 10 years,
- loved photography and started taking the hobby more seriously,
- joined the Canberra Photographic Society which was good to meet people and get feedback on my photography,
- did a diploma in photography and enjoyed that even more,
- assisted Ben from Fusion Photography (wedding photographer) a couple of times,
- photographed my first wedding for a friend of a friend,
- started getting the occasional bookings for wedding photography, real-estate, and other miscellaneous photography jobs,
- also did some assisting work with freeswimmers (commercial photography),
- left my IT job and worked at the Canberra Institute of Technology in the Photography section,
- eventually went part time at CIT when I had enough photography jobs,
- Friday, 28 August 2009 was my last day at CIT
I thoroughly enjoyed my time at CIT and got along well with both the students and teachers. I did the handover to Dave (the new Technical Officer) on Friday - so I wish him and everyone else all the best for the future.
But as far as my career goes, it's gone to the next major milestone. I'm currently photographing around 20 wedding per year which is a pretty good number I reckon, and I join the handful of wedding photographers in Canberra that don't have a day job. Some other photography work like the Australian National Eisteddfod keeps me busy in the winter months, and I'll continue working on my business and expand into other areas in the near future.
Thanks to everyone that has helped me get this far - family, friends, photographers, and of course all the wonderful clients I've been privileged to work with!