The Tenderloin
There was a fellow photographer whose work I discovered on Flickr and really liked. I gave a few comments on his work and he responded back favorably. He asked me for some advice, as he was going through a tough period finding the time to shoot, and working through issues both personally and photographically. I responded with some advice, and with some of my story, as someone “older” and “experienced” could. He wrote back thanking me, but was surprised to hear that I had a job. I asked him what he meant? He said, “I thought you were a pro, just shooting all the time.”. I posed a question to him, “Do you think one can make a living shooting the way we shoot? What kind of market is out there that can supply us with a steady income to support one’s habit, food, shelter, medicine, and family? I resigned myself years ago, that to photograph the way I wanted to, I needed to find employment to support me while I do the thing I like. There is nothing wrong in that.”
I have not heard from him since.