Sometimes we need a little Peace

Jen — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 07:40:37 +0000

There is nothing more peaceful than a two year old at rest. Especially a 2 year old boy. There is a lot to be learned from simply watching a child sleep. Generally speaking I am an upbeat positive person who honestly likes to help people. I get a ton of support from my family and friends who know first hand how crazy my life is. I love my life! I love my family! I am passionate about what I do for a living and I think that upsets people sometimes. Upsets them because they want it too and can’t seem to get it, or they are afraid to take the steps necessary to get there. There is a lot of change in this world and things move at a pretty fast clip. I encourage every one of you to just get yourself out there. Move forward. Do whatever it takes. And most of all find peace in your life, however small, just make sure you find it.

Blessings, always!

~ Jen

Copyright © 2010 by Jen O’Sullivan http://www.jenosullivan.com
Beverly Hills Wedding Photographer, Jen O’Sullivan is a boutique wedding photographer who specializes in portrait journalism.
Jen O’Sullivan Boutique Wedding Photography | 357 South Robertson Boulevard, Beverly Hills, California, 90211 | 310-494-6547

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Jen — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 02:33:36 +0000

“Hi Jen, I am one of your twitter and blog followers and have a question that may be suited for your open forum fridays.
I currently have a full-time job in Marketing but am desperate to make the switch to be a professional photographer. I am unhappy and unsatisfied in my current job and have decided to pursue a career in something that I love. I have a few obstacles that I know I can overcome, I’m just not sure how/when to take the first step. I live in Greenville, SC and am not within driving distance of a school that offers photography classes on nights or weekends. I just got married last month so do not have the vacation days to attend workshops in person or the money to take online classes. I have written several photographers in my area inquiring about any office/marketing/photo shoot assistance they may need but have had no success. I own like every photography book out there and scour the internet everyday in an attempt to teach myself. I still just feel like I don’t have the experience or knowledge necessary to charge people for my services. Do you have any suggestions on how to make the transition from full-time corporate job to full-time photographer? Or any suggestions on how to get a job as an assistant for a photographer so that I can at least sustain some of my income while learning and moving forward in pursuing a photography career?
I just started a personal blog a couple months ago. It should give you an idea of my skill level. www.erinoneil.wordpress.com
Btw, I really appreciate that you are using your knowledge to help other photographers. Knowing that there are amazing photographers like you out there sharing the lessons that they’ve learned makes me so excited to become a part of your industry. — Erin”

Erin, Thanks for writing in and I think there are a lot of people in your same situation.

Rule number 1: “Successful people are willing to do the things failures will not.” I need you to start thinking outside the box. Many professional and EXTREMELY talented photographers never went to school. Don’t limit yourself, but expand yourself by becoming a student of light 24-7. You should also start trying to see EVERYTHING in 2D. Start framing things as you walk through life. Notice what objects are coming out of other objects and how the light wraps or falls on what you are looking at. Think of your brain as your camera and your eyes the lens.

Rule number 2: You just have to take the first step. It is scary, but you must do it! If you live in fear, you will never make any money at the thing you are afraid of. “I am not good enough.” “Why would someone want to pay me for this?” “What if I mess up?” “What if I cannot pay my rent?” These are all negative thoughts that will drag you down. Think hyper positive and you will be good enough and people will want to pay you and you will mess up and make it right and you will be able to pay your rent. It will not be easy, but people respond to talent AND a positive outlook.

Rule number 3: Gain experience any way you can. Your camera should be attached to your hip, so much so that your significant other gets annoyed. The only way to get good is to practice. Use your family and friends ALL the time. At every engagement be behind the camera. This will be your best teacher. I also suggest joining an online group such as ASAP Mentoring or find a really good photographer (the bigger the better) in your community and hit them up to be your mentor. You will be surprised at how willing the really big guns are with wanting to give back. We were all there and we know how hard the ladder is to climb.

Rule number 4: Network like crazy. Not with the pros, but with a local network group like the Chamber of Commerce or a BNI group. In the beginning these groups can help a lot. For the ladies reading this, you might even want to target your networking to women. There are a lot of women only network groups out there such as Team Women or Step Up Women’s Network. One of the best ways to gain respect in your community is to do charity events or give your photo services for free to a charity organization. There are hundreds of worthy groups in every city, so find one that is close to your heart and give, give, give!

I know you said you do not have much time, but here is where the hurt comes. No one has any time and everyone’s answer to “How are you doing?” is “Busy.” I don’t think people really understand what the word “busy” means. Your priorities are where your heart is. If you love what you are doing, you will see how much time you really have. When you hate your job, the day will drag by but time will seem sucked up. When you get home from a draining job, of course you are not going to have any energy to do anything else. When you love what you do, it will never ever feel like work and you will get more done in your day than you ever thought possible.

I hope this helps all you budding photogs out there!

Beverly Hills Wedding Photographer Jen OSullivan » positive

Sometimes we need a little Peace

OPEN FORUM: Be a Pro Photog