Bluejacket Photo

I realized yesterday that my biggest roadblock in my “five year plan” was not lack of equipment, or time, or customers, or even talent (maybe).  The thing that stands most in my way is… me.

There was a rocket launch last week, a night launch no less, and I didn’t go.  I had reasons excuses:  I was tired, I had to work the next day, I suck at night photography.  But these are all irrelevant at best, and bullshit at worst.

If I want to make photography my full time job, that means treating it like one.  My “real” job doesn’t accept the excuse that “I’m tired” as a reason to not show up, and I shouldn’t can’t let myself get away with it either when it comes to taking pictures, editing, writing here, or putting new items online.

Of course, some activities are more useful than others, so I’ll work on finding a balance.

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“)