Tim Monzon

As I prepare to make my tax statements for the year 2008, I’m sifting through all of my receipts purchasing photographic equipment, aka, work related expenses. And frankly, I’m appalled at myself. I won’t divulge the exact amount on here, but you can easily assume its in the thousands. And just today, I spent over a hundred dollars online purchasing extra camera batteries, memory cards, and lens caps. Now, while the jobs I got last year help to alleviate the spending, the truth is, I’m not even finished building my collection. So the titular question begs to be answered: is it worth it?

At this point in time, it’s a bit hard to say yes. My photography equipment still has yet to finish paying for itself, and yet more needs to be purchased. A bit of it can be blamed on myself, considering I don’t really push to take jobs, and the jobs I do take, I tend to undercut myself in the hopes of getting repeat business. So far, that second part hasn’t paid off yet. So a big challenge for me is to become more proactive in getting gigs.

That’s not to say I haven’t gotten anything yet this year. I’ve already been signed up for a wedding, and am inking a deal with the soon to be released Entourage Clothing line. I think that’s their name anyways. I have to double check on that. Almost got a gig with Kallusive clothing, but the shoot fell through at the last minute, due to unforeseen circumstances.

But the big problem with professional clothing shoots and weddings is that in these situations, better gear and equipment helps A LOT! These are situations where luck is not meant to be a factor. You’re hired based upon your consistency and quality. A clothing company isn’t going to pay for your time if you’re spending two out of three hours guessing what will work. A wedding is a once in a lifetime event (hopefully anyways), and are you willing to risk only having one camera, and one battery? And you expect to get paid a lot for it? You only get so many “lucky” shots before you realize the event is over.

Having said all that, it is worth it. In the end, not only do I get to continue doing what I love to do, but I get paid for it. The only problem these days is the mass flooding of kids purchasing SLR’s. It’s not a big problem, considering it takes a lot of time and patience to figure out how to effectively use one, but it does get in the way every so often. It just means I’ve got to prove that I’m head and shoulders above the rest. I know God gave me the love and the talent, so darn it, I’m gonna use it.