How to Grow as a Photographer by Tony Luna

Author:Tony Luna
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781581158328
Publisher: Allworth Press

The Artist as Risk Taker

So what is it that lets photographers who have successfully recreated their careers know when to test their limits, but also know when to step back? What internal mechanism allows them to go further than most are willing to go, yet alerts them to stop short of self-destruction? I asked a number of professionals how they dealt with the topic of risk as it applied to their careers and the reinventions of those careers. Read between the lines of their answers and you will find that something special about each one, which will tell you about the depth of that person’s character and breadth of judgment.

Some, like Phil Marco, accepted the title of risk taker as a badge of honor: “I think that part of the excitement in life is going over the edge and trying something new. Although some sensibilities remain the same, I’ve never been afraid to move into new areas. I find that it’s not only very challenging but necessary.”

Douglas Kirkland took a long-range view of risk: “I suppose that’s a very interesting word, ‘risk.’ Freelancing is a risky business, but there isn’t any work today that does not have its risk. My grandfather was born in Scotland, came to Canada, and got a job as a teenager in a foundry and spent his entire life working one job. Essentially nobody can say that anymore. Because things change, jobs change. If you are looking for security you are probably more vulnerable than ever if that’s all you’re thinking about, because you will not take enough risks to satisfy your curiosity. The most secure person is the one who is adaptable.”

Bob Krist reinforced these views: “Funny, we talked about that the other night. We, Peggy and I, took some enormous risks when we were younger, when we were going freelance. And now that we are both in our fifties we’re not such risk takers anymore, although this thing with self-publishing is a big financial risk. I think we’re taking more calculated risks. But I am not a daredevil in any manner or sort of way. But if we need to risk something for a new outlet or something, we will try it.”

Mark Edward Harris took a pragmatic approach. What some people might think is a risky lifestyle, he sees as a normal part of his job: “I’d like to think that I am always ready for an opportunity. In other words, if I get a call this evening saying, ‘Can you get on a plane tomorrow to Tunisia to do something on this earthquake?’ I’ll do it. In other words I am ready to go. Just like the shoot to do the Special Olympics came up, I think, two days before they were starting, so I was ready to make a move. It was the last thing on my mind when I was invited to this dinner, but the person there said, ‘Boy, we’d really love to have you there.’ I don’t know if that is risk taking so much as it’s just juggling.

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