" A Treatise On Change"
Since the earliest days of my career in photography I have experienced a changing path towards my goals. At first the change was of my own making, for in the necessity of gaining technical skills and professional experience, I moved from job to job. The most difficult move was to Minneapolis in January of 1979, as it was a big city where I had no friends. The Twin Cities are a wonderful place to live, but when you make minimum wage, a social life is more like hibernation.
But I learned the essential skills for success as a commercial photographer there.
In the mid-phase of my career I searched for a more lasting stability to grow my economic well being. But for over fifteen years the national and local economies forced me to move about seeking employment.
When I began working at the University of Iowa Hospital in February of 1997, I thought I had found the place that would carry me to retirement. Now I find that due to changing technical requirements for my job, I am once again having to move on. I will probably be securing a position in Bettendorf, Iowa. I grew up in the Quad Cities and I find it strange that I will be coming full circle to my beginnings.
If you are thinking of pursuing a career as a professional photographer, always keep in mind that it is a difficult and winding road that you will walk. Don't let that scenario discourage you - what you will gain in the end is a greater sense of humanity and of how you fit in to our race. The keeness of observation that photographers need to succeed illuminates the meaning of life and helps clarify the world in a way no other tribulation can.
Go for it!
