It could be great but life gets in the way.

[Paulstw]

I sit here at my work computer reviewing the weekend past with frustration and delirium.

I don't often get odd feelings about things but I'm not normally wrong when I do. I had my two teenage girls this weekend, and I'm usually taxi driver for them most of the weekend. No different this time. Sometimes I'll pop into Glasgow with the camera and wander about with my youngest daughter but on Saturday she wanted to go somewhere else. I leave my oldest to her thing in town and pick her up later.

Sat night now with the sun setting earlier is just a no go. Far too much to do. Sunday they wake up late, and it takes about two hours for them to get ready so by about 2pm we're ready to go somewhere. They need to be back at their mums for 6pm so not a lot of time you see. If anything happens that requires the photojournalist in me to strike, these weekends can be some of thee most frustrating.

Saturday morning, tension builds on Twitter between the Yes and No campaigners for the upcoming referendum. I said to my GF, that I thought something was going to happen. The usual 'sigh' and "I thought we were going to do this today" follows. This time it was "Remember Robyn want's to go to Braehead" (Big indoor shopping centre)

*RATS!!*

Turns out that day a no campaigner kicked a member of the public and all hell broke loose. - Missed story there.

On Sunday, thee biggest plume of black smoke I've ever seen suddenly belts out of a field near my home. We were all in the car and I just race towards it. Couldn't get anywhere near it and I wanted to cut across the fields to get a closer look and I was put off the idea by the three women in the car looking to do something less boring.

I got a grab shot of the fire from far away with the 70-200 but it wasn't what I wanted.

Sunday night while taking the kids home it was thee most beautiful sky, flat clouds and symmetry like I've never seen and it was that "I'm getting a sunset shot tonight" My GF said, cool I like those drives. I head back about 30 mins later and it's pouring down with rain. I look at the weather report and it's to rain all night and low and behold to be sunny just in time for me going to work.

I sat for the rest of last night fuming at various lost opportunities for a story or a good landscape shot and wondered if it was all worth bothering about. It seems to happen at some point everyday now. If it's not work, it's something getting in the way.

When you're taking it as serious as I do and others will be in the same boat I guess certain disciplines require time and planning to get right. However, it's when time just gets taken away from you that the cracks start appearing in your work.

• Landscape - You really need all day to plan a shot, sometimes even need to camp overnight.
• News - Planning for events, access and if it's a one off, being able to get there on time without job restrictions.
• Weddings - Being available when they ask you. (Got my kids that day) doesn't cut it with clients.

A while ago I wondered why most of the seasoned pros seemed to be very solitary folk. They either had extremely understanding families or were just on their own.

How many other folk have got to a point where it's getting to become a problem shooting what they love? You find yourself rushing about trying to fit it all in and your shots are just suffering, and you laugh cause there's no point in owning nice gear if you can't get the most out of it.

Anyway rant over and don't worry I'm not losing the plot or need a break. Quite the opposite, I'm not getting the time to shoot. Opportunities seem to land at my lap and I have to turn them away cause life just gets in the way.

Paul

[Cyberman]

Re: It could be great but life gets in the way.

I sympathise with your frustration and feelings.

Last week I was on holiday on the Isle of Wight with my family and my my wife's parents. I went away with a check list of places I wanted to visit and shots I was hoping to get.
The first issue was that on most days it either rained or was very gray which reduced the possibility for decent light and landscapes.

On one day though the weather was good, and I wanted to capture St Catherine's lighthouse at sunset. So after dinner with my family I headed of with a plan and just about enough time to get there. But closed roads, poorly signed diversions and slow buses all combined to make me later than I'd hoped! After a short hike down to the cliffs I got to where I wanted just as the sun had dropped down, and a bit later than hoped.
I did manage to get a few shots I am happy with and that are not too bad. Gutted that I missed the sun above the horizon but hope I salvaged it a bit.
Another key location I wanted to try out was the Needles, the day I went there was very gray and windy, in fact it was so windy I was almost blown over and I'm 6ft2 and 16.5 stone! So my shots were not what I was hoping for, but again I tried to salvage the trip and went for it anyway.
I am reasonably optimistic that I'll have something ok or hopefully decent.

But many other options on my list had to be struck off due to heavy rain. Very annoying.
Only time and good few hours in Lightroom will show if I've got any good results, will post some samples here when I'm done editing.

So whilst the holiday was relaxing and a good family time, I did end up missing out on a lot of photo opportunities I had planned or listed as opportunities.

[Nathaniel]

Re: It could be great but life gets in the way.

Being or becoming a professional photographer is a far different cry from being a hobby/amateur photographer. I can very easily say "no" to an assignment and not have any regrets such as covering a Civic service on 14th Sept, when I will be on hols.

[Bhuna]

Re: It could be great but life gets in the way.

Whilst I understand your feelings, you should never knock time or be angry about having time with the family.

Its precious and you never know when you wont be able to have it anymore.

Family should never get in the way of anything, because family should always come first. :) and they should never come second especially to work.

Just my opinion sorry.

[Cyberman]

Re: It could be great but life gets in the way.

Family should never get in the way of anything, because family should always come first. :) and they should never come second especially to work.

I agree, it was a juggling act on holiday to make sure I spent the right time with family as well them humouring my hobby and interests!
Luckily for me it is a hobby and an interest so whilst occasionally frustrating when stuff clashes it does not affect me any other way!

[Paulstw]

Re: It could be great but life gets in the way.

Family should never get in the way of anything, because family should always come first. :) and they should never come second especially to work.

Just my opinion sorry.

If only everyone could live by that rule. I'm not sure the late night shelf stackers in ASDA or the DHL lorry driver making sure we get our parcels before 9pm would agree. Work gets in the way for a lot of folk and not through choice. A photographers work is very rarely taken seriously by family or friends and that's what gets in the way. If it was a full time job it would just be accepted, however, until it is a full time job it will never be given the attention it needs by anyone but the photographer who ends up being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

[AndyMulhearn]

Re: It could be great but life gets in the way.

Family should never get in the way of anything, because family should always come first. :) and they should never come second especially to work.

Without wishing to start an argument, that's all very well when all members of the family play fair and the same rules apply to all. If it's always one person, mum or dad, that's putting family first then there's bound to be tension.

[Dave_S]

Re: It could be great but life gets in the way.

If you want some real frustration, try astro-photography for a hobby in the UK.

Several thousand pounds worth of 'kit', a purpose built observatory with attached 'warm room', and last winter I managed just three good imaging sessions, due to cloud cover.

When the sky is clear, it always seems to coincide with the Moon being up, which 'washes out' the sky, making deep-sky object imaging difficult to impossible.

Then comes Spring and Summer, when we lose true astronomical darkness, and imaging stops until about mid September.

But hey, I tell myself "its only a hobby", and I chose to pursue it.

At least with terrestrial photography, you can pursue the hobby throughout twelve months of the year.

Albeit, being retired, I have the time to do so.

Dave

[Tigger]

Re: It could be great but life gets in the way.

If only everyone could live by that rule. I'm not sure the late night shelf stackers in ASDA or the DHL lorry driver making sure we get our parcels before 9pm would agree. Work gets in the way for a lot of folk and not through choice. A photographers work is very rarely taken seriously by family or friends and that's what gets in the way. If it was a full time job it would just be accepted, however, until it is a full time job it will never be given the attention it needs by anyone but the photographer who ends up being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I'm with you on that Paul - work does come first, made even worse when you work from home for yourself as you have to be very strict and my family know when I'm working they don't ask me to run them down to the beach

[Cyberman]

Re: It could be great but life gets in the way.

I think Andy's (Bhuna) point was maybe not that work is unimportant and should take second place, more that sometimes we need to get priorities right.
For example a few years ago I was getting into work earlier and earlier and staying later and later, in the end I realised it was not fair on my wife and had to set a time that I would aim to get home by. It was not always possible but I did have to get the balance right.

For my part I simply meant that as my photography is a hobby and interest I cannot always give it a priority, sometimes my wife and daughter have to take first place.

As as has been said, not everyone works 9-5 but I am sure they also have to prioritise the time they have at home with their families.
My brother works shifts so is often at work evening and weekends. But conversely he can then be home at different times to do stuff with his family.

Its all about the balance, and in the most cases there are some choices we can make that affect the work-life balance.

[Bhuna]

Re: It could be great but life gets in the way.

Firstly, Id like to apologise - I didnt mean to sound like i was on my high horse or anything and typed the post quickly.

Next time I will not be so quick to post / ensure i read it properly.

I have always been brought up to put family first, because I have learnt that time is precious with them and basically this means things like photography etc would have to take a back seat, even if I want to sell pictures etc. I'd forgotten that Paul was trying to turn this into a full time income for him, which I do wish him well.

Apologies if I have inadvertently offended anyone.

[kelly200269]

Re: It could be great but life gets in the way.

Life is just that - a series of challenges, with endless compromises to be made and a long-list of things that we think 'get in the way' at the time. Somethimes we make the 'right' choices in life, other times (in retrospect) we don't.
With regard to photography, it's like anything we do - it has to be balanced with the other things in our life including work and family etc. In my own case, there's a reason why I have my family which includes my 18-month old, and that's also connected with the fact that 95% of my photography is associated with the family at the moment. Would I like it to be different, with respect to my photography? Of course. I'd love to be more adventurous, and to do more things, but my situation dictates that at the moment, I can't. That's unless I don't want to be part of a family...
Our art, our passion, whatever we want to call it, does take some personal sacrifice usually with respect to time. But let's keep things in perspective - we have sacrificed absolutely nothing compared to Anja Niedringhaus and James Foley. So let's be thankful of who we are, what we do and who we're next to. Picking up the EOS will always take second place, in my book :)

[antoeknee]

Re: It could be great but life gets in the way.

Its amazing how life can mess up any plans you have.

Since I got my 5D3 the last few weeks of work were crazy, I took early retirement and worked last day on 15th Aug. So was planning to get up to speed with my new acquisition. But things went awry as my mother fell ill and I've since spent most days travelling backwards and forwards to her house to look after her.

So looks like I'll be going to BWC next week without having had as much time with the 5D3 as I would have liked.

[Paulstw]

Re: It could be great but life gets in the way.

No offence taken guys at all :) It's just difficult to do this. The transition from it being a hobby and a business is tough. Only reason I have it as a business is because I get paid from Alamy and Demotix regularly and now Picfair and now this sports work I'll be taking on so I may as well make a real go of it.

Oh and I'll be changing gear again lol 1D mark IV it'll need to be I'm sure for this sports stuff.

[kelly200269]

Re: It could be great but life gets in the way.

The best of luck Paul :) I can imagine that it can't be easy making the transition, and moving towards making it a paying occupation.
And I'm not surprised you're going back to a 1D? There's something about the speed of those things that is difficult to do without once you've been used to it!