If I were not a professional photographer, what would I most like to be? Easy! A full-time musician! Well, maybe...
When I was younger, my dream was to be a full-time musician. I often thought it would be so cool to play my guitar and sing in front of thousands of people and make records (yes... those vinyl things that came out before CD's!) What a life that would be!
But over the years, I've come to realize it's not all that glamorous. After getting to know several professional musicians, I see how hard a life it really is. Most of them are on the road all the time and have little time with their families. They spend more time traveling than actually performing. That can't be much fun...
Smooth Jazz recording artist Peter White once said to me that I was more lucky than him. He said after one of his Chicago Theater concerts that he envied me because I had the ability to go home and sleep in my own bed. He had a lousy bed to look forward to on the tour bus as it headed off to the next town. Hmm.... that made me wonder what it would be like on the road.
Recently, guitarist Doyle Dykes told me that he had put on well over 80,000 miles on a vehicle that he had purchased around 2 years ago! He ended up selling the vehicle and bought another. I can't imagine driving that many miles in just two years! And, he not only drives, but flies a lot too! Plus, he rents vehicles too when he can't drive his own. How many miles does THAT add up to?
I am photographing Doyle's daughter's wedding this Saturday in Tennessee. Doyle and his other daughter Haley have gigs lined up all the way until the day before the wedding and they also have gigs the day after the wedding! So they only have the actual day of the wedding to spend with family and then they are gone again! That just blows me away! They don't even have enough time to themselves to enjoy the entire weekend with their family!
As much as I think it would be so cool to be a full-time musician, I wonder how much they actually give up to do that. They say the grass always seems greener on the other side...
Sure, musicians have moments that make it worthwhile, but most of the time, it's not all that it's cracked up to be.
Now take Photography... many people tell me that I have an interesting job. For the most part, I'd have to agree. Being a wedding photographer, I get to go to a party every Saturday! But like musicians, there are other parts of the job that people don't see or know about. Often they don't realize that as a wedding photographer, I am working the entire day, often never taking a break and standing on my feet for up to 12 hours or more without getting the chance to sit down! Plus I carry over 23 lbs of gear on my body all day long too! And during the weekdays, I'm on the computer all day working on the images shot over the weekend to make them look good... Not all that glamorous, huh?
So when it comes to wanting to do what others do, it is best to look at the job closer to see if it's all that you think it is. Often it isn't.
Rock on...
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