Hobby, Then What? « Blindeyephoto’s Weblog

Hobby, Then What?

17Nov08

It’s nice to have the freedom to not worry about about outcomes. Take, for example, this blog — seven straight days with no views. Perhaps I should take this personally. No worries. That’s not why I write, just like it isn’t why I take pictures.

One of my many photographic goals is to someday reach a point where my hobby pays for itself. I suppose nearly all serious hobbies can become expensive. In relative terms, I haven’t allowed this habit to become too ridiculous, but there is an ever-present wish list (I won’t be so tacky as to attach it here). I suspect I have enough technical skill to make money doing this if I chose to spend my time chasing clients, but is that what I want for a hobby?

I had a shoot yesterday that brought this question to mind. I had the opportunity to shoot two new and enthusiastic models in a time-for-prints arrangement. We had fun. We created some great images (okay, you decide). And most importantly, very little was at stake. Would I still love spending my time taking photographs if I were worried about making it pay the bills?

If this were my profession, what would become my hobby?