Bluejacket Photo

And probably for the rest of the upcoming year, too, for that matter.

Don’t forget to zoom in…

(I suppose I could make this a game by adding "Can you find the following things?"

1. A man standing next to his "identical twin"?
2. An annoyed supreme court justice?
3. Someone in the back row taking a picture with their cell phone?
4. A person picking their nose?
5. A member of the Secret Service?
6. The sailor wearing his uniform improperly?
7. A port-a-potty?
8. A person taking a picture of something other than the main event?
9. The only person asleep?
10. A horse’s ass

“Your profession is not what brings home your paycheck. Your profession is what you were put on earth to do with such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling.”
–Vincent Van Gogh

Why ask why?

Why do the blog, or why try to become a pro photographer?  Either one is a very good question, my non-existant and highly theoretical audience…  I’ll answer the second one first.

After 20 years in the Navy, it was time for me to retire.  This hit me a bit harder than I thought it would.  I eventually got a job with an aerospace firm, but for some reason I wasn’t happy.  In fact, I was pretty miserable at the time.

I was seeing a therapist at the time, and he pointed out that the only time I was energetic and somewhat cheerful was when I was talking about the pictures I was taking.  I realized that after twenty years of repairing electronic devices, I was tired of it.  I always have heard that ideally your job should be something you enjoy, so I decided to try taking pictures to earn a living.

The voice in the back of my head thinks this is a Bad Idea… I know a couple of people that take far better pictures than I do, but they aren’t going pro full time… How arrogant is it for me to even attempt this?  Who do I think I am?

I’m ignoring the voice because:

1. It’s not about them, it’s about me
2. My pictures don’t have to be the best in the world, just good enough for the person buying them
3. If I waited until my pictures were perfect before selling, I’d never start selling.
4. The voice never has anything good to say, anyway…

I know this won’t happen overnight, or even over a year…  The way I see it, I have a “5 Year Plan” (but no “Leap Forward”, of course…).  I figure in five years I will have paid down most of my debt.  Theoretically, the money from my photography (plus my pension) will be enough to life on… Or at least survive.  But I’ve decided I’d rather eat Ramen Noodles and do what I enjoy then live a fairly luxurious life doing work I am not happy doing.

Right now I’m more or less on track with the start of year two.  The whole time frame is flexible, and could take longer if need be.  Then again, I might sit back four years from now and realize that there is no way in hell that I can quit my day job, whether because of my photographic skill isn’t up to par, or the economy, or unforeseen circumstances.  In which case, all the things I’m doing will at the very least let me enjoy my hobby, and maybe help finance some of the more expensive toys… 

Welcome to the blog of Bluejacket Photo.

I’m going to document over time my successes and (probably many) mistakes I’m going to make trying to earn a living though my photography.

This effort is going to be more like the Daytona 500, as opposed to a drag race.  The way I see it, I just started year two of a five year plan, so I have no “get rich overnight” schemes to discuss.

Whether this race results in a victory lap or a horriffic car crash, I hope to keep you entertained along the way.

I’m going to discuss things I’m doing, pictures and articles I like, and resources (suppliers, blogs, etc) I’ve found.  With any luck you can avoid my horrible mistakes and make your own original ones.

(oh, and in case anyone was wondering, the title quote is from “The Rocky Horror Picture Show“)