Any Psychologists out there ?
Desmond
Registered Users Posts: 187 Major grins
Because that is what I need .. seriously . I went and saw one on Friday night to try to explain why I am feeling so stressed when everything seems to be going my way .... I became debt free 6 months ago , accumulated some savings [3 months sallary ], I am living in a very peaceful flat on a farm , I have all the gear I have wanted [ since getting my 70-200VR f2.8 ] , just finished having a photo-sale website set up and then to top it off after 5 years waiting I received my New Zealand citizenship 10 days ago ..... I should be really relaxed [ oh yes , I can also now get broadband where I am living ] . Her conclusion ? I am suffering from claustrophobia due to all the doors open to me , I have always wanted to be a photographer , I think there is great potential in event photography and web sales and now all that is becoming more possible it feels like I am standing in the doorway of an aeroplane , pretty sure my parachute will open , but not sure if I am high enough for it to open before I hit the ground . I went home early on Monday and then again on wednesday because i couoldn't handle a bit of pressure at work .
My doctor thought it was general stress from work and suggested I change jobs . The psychologist analysed deeper and suggested I go to a three day work schedule while i build up my photography prospects ...
any other suggestion ?
My doctor thought it was general stress from work and suggested I change jobs . The psychologist analysed deeper and suggested I go to a three day work schedule while i build up my photography prospects ...
any other suggestion ?
Nikon D80 , D50 , SB600 , SB800 , Nikon 18-200VR , Tamron 28-75 di 2.8 , Sigma 10-20 f4-5.6 , Nikon 50mm 1.8 . Tamron 17-50 f2.8 , Nikon 70-200 VR f2.8 .
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Here's hoping we can be buddies, and if you ever need anyone to talk to, just pm me:curtsey .
Canon Digital Rebel XTI, 430ex, sigma 24-70 f2.8 macro, a crummy kit lens, 4gb cf, and tons of batteries.
www.heatonphotography.net
http://picasaweb.google.com/heatonphotography
www.myspace.com/heatonphotography
Thanks for the encouragement , I think I need to set some goals or something to aim for so I don't feel the urgency to make a change now .
My new site is set up now www.dvdowns.quikpix.co.nz where I can upload pictures for sale . Now I need to do a full day event and see how well the sales go . I am having 1000 cards made to distribute at these events and I will advertise as well as possible . Not having debts or family is even more of a push toward my new career and just talking about it with others makes me feel better ...
Well lets see........ Your not GOING TO DIE, this is a bonus
You have everything you need.
You have a job.
You have a hobby.
You are debt free.
Everythings going your way.
Get over it and get on with your life, life is tooooooooo short to be worrying about things you cannot change.
Change the things you can, and accept the things that have to be.
The healing process starts with you.
Get out there in that beautful country side and take heaps of photos, then go look at them and keep telling yourself how lucky you are that you have a roof over your head, food in the cupboard, money in your pocket, and want for nothing .... because you can't take it with you when you die.
Life's worth Living .... Skippy
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Skippy (Australia) - Moderator of "HOLY MACRO" and "OTHER COOL SHOTS"
ALBUM http://ozzieskip.smugmug.com/
:skippy Everyone has the right to be stupid, but some people just abuse the privilege :dgrin
the pro's analysis sounds right to me, but then again I don't know you at all. But I might add that maybe you're the type of person who likes some drama in their lives and feel incomplete when things are atypically "non-dramatic." Maybe drama's the wrong word...maybe I should say "pressure." If this is true, then take a deep breath and take Shannon and Skippy's advice. Jump in and start your business...that will bring pressure for you to thrive on, I'm sure.
Just a stranger's $.02
Gallery of mine...caution, it's under CONSTANT construction! | Photo Journal
In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary. ~Aaron Rose
But seriously , something that has haunted me all my life is that I was unemployed for 2 years when I came out of school , nobody would employ someone who had had one epilleptic fit in his sleep once a year, even though I got the highest results for an aptitude test taken by 70 of us for one job I was turned down for that reason .... very frustrating .I grew out of that problem 6 years ago though the migraines have returned , sort of a separate issue but also the reason I live in absolute fear of unemployment .
Things have changed a lot , I have become a fairly well respected auto-electrician and "know" I can easily get a jo "on the tools ' again [ with a tinge of self doubt again ] . New Zealand has about 2.5% unemployment but that is only people who don't want to work and there is always "picking fruit" and other options . I will sit down and talk to my boss this [monday] morning . He will either have to let me work without phoning me every half hour[ which sent me into stress last week ] , or I go back to the doctor and get 2 weeks stress leave and he can do without me .... while I think things out . I think maybe after I have done my first event and seen how it works out much of the doubt that is causing stress will be out of the way ...
Shannon
www.heatonphotography.net
Canon Digital Rebel XTI, 430ex, sigma 24-70 f2.8 macro, a crummy kit lens, 4gb cf, and tons of batteries.
www.heatonphotography.net
http://picasaweb.google.com/heatonphotography
www.myspace.com/heatonphotography
Weddings are a bit scary and restrictive , they book a year in advance , you have only that one day to get everything right .... butof course better than going hungry . With event photography [ sports , horses etc. ] you choose if you want to go and do it and if things go wrong you walk away and nobody knows ...
With regard to PS I work with pse5.0 and am quite limited as to "skill" . A fair amount ofit has been playing around with selecting areas and removing colour or copying and pasting images on top of each other and erasing parts of them to let the other show through, now if I really has PS skills I could probably make the pictures look stuning !
Canon Digital Rebel XTI, 430ex, sigma 24-70 f2.8 macro, a crummy kit lens, 4gb cf, and tons of batteries.
www.heatonphotography.net
http://picasaweb.google.com/heatonphotography
www.myspace.com/heatonphotography
Gallery of mine...caution, it's under CONSTANT construction! | Photo Journal
In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary. ~Aaron Rose
The way I see it, you have two choices.
1. Stay where you are, doing what you are doing and deal with the stress.
2. Go for it, put yourself out there and deal with the stress.
Sorry, but either way there is still going to be stress in your life. It may only come from you. You are the kind who continually pushes himself. You will always wonder if your work is good enough. But you know what? That feeling will shrink as people see your work and want to own it.
I choose #2. It's your dream. Go for it. You always have your other skills to fall back on and the gumption to make it work either way.
** Feel free to edit my photos if you see room for improvement.**
Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if
no birds sang there except those that sang best.
~Henry Van Dyke
Well I'm sitting at the computer during normal working hours because the stress has forced me to use up leave so i can figure out where my life is leading . I went to the bank and the tax department to ask how to approach the situation IF I decide to open a small business . At the moment it looks like my best option is not to just quit my job and put an advert out and hope I get customers but rather to plan for the next event , sports or equestrian , take the relevant day off as unpaid leave , put my name out there from the 1000 business cards I just had made with the link to my sales site , maybe a flyer or two and my site written across my shirt , and see how well it pays off . I will also keep a look out for school sports events where i can put my name out and direct people to my site .
Does anyone else have suggestions for events to target ? One guy suggested something like school plays where you have lots of different kids and proud parents ......
As far as building your business, go to community events, be out there in the public with your camera. Shoot, shoot shoot. Talk about nothing but your business to everyone that comes up and asks. Hand them a card. Offer to take their portrait or their kids portraits.
Always be mindful at sports events of other photogs who may have contracts. Talk to them, get to know them. Ask to work with them as a 2nd shooter. They may only have contracts for T & I shots. (team sports) Ask the coach if you can do only action shots. Call event coordinators and ask them if they have an official photog. Not just sports events - call about special meetings, celebrations, awards banquets. These can all open doors.
Offer your services to a social services agency. For example - I donated my services to the Salvation Army for their Christian Prom for underpriveledged and homeless teens. I took the shots and sponsors bought the photos. Some of the kids without sponsors, I bought the photos for them. That has been a great networking opportunity for me. Don't go overboard on the charity work. After all you are trying to make a living doing this. A little charity work can go a long way to build your reputation and make people remember your name.
** Feel free to edit my photos if you see room for improvement.**
Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if
no birds sang there except those that sang best.
~Henry Van Dyke
I'm about to start a series of shoots, that I call "Portraits in the Park". I'm passing out flyers through town, telling everyone, wearing a t-shirt with Heaton Photography and my website, and passing out order forms for those interested. Also, it's not very expensive to have a radio station mention your name
www.heatonphotography.net
Canon Digital Rebel XTI, 430ex, sigma 24-70 f2.8 macro, a crummy kit lens, 4gb cf, and tons of batteries.
www.heatonphotography.net
http://picasaweb.google.com/heatonphotography
www.myspace.com/heatonphotography
There are average photographers that are excellent businessmen and their business flourishes. If you are the best photographer in the world and don't have a clue how to run your business, you can bet it's going to fail.
** Feel free to edit my photos if you see room for improvement.**
Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if
no birds sang there except those that sang best.
~Henry Van Dyke
Ok , I hated accountancy at school but don't think that would affect how I run my own business . If I take the advice of many of my friends and go to a 4 day work week on the auto electrical and dedicate one day to serious photography [ plus maybe weekends when necessary ] to start with then since it is not my main income it will be classified as a hobby until I make more than $20 000 a year from it which should give me time to sort things out . With regard to business sense , when i was at school I bought things cheap from a nearby town and sold them for double their price in the newspaper , besides buying a watch , calculator and soccer ball off my poker winnings made during school lunch . When I bought my D70 I took the option of 18 months interest free and used the money to import pocket motor bikes " through a local dealer which I sold at a profit until the 18 months was up ... by then I had paid for the camera with my profits and still had the money for the camera in my hand . I would say my business sense is "good enough" but would obviously also benefit from a course but not lacking enough to elliminate me as an option for a small business ....
Setting aside one day a week to ease into photography would not make too much sense . The most work is after hours and weekends unless I was doing some sort of advertising/product or portrait work .
The extra work and stresses of running a separate business , taxes etc. isn't worth it . I have decided to rather set a 5 year goal for what I will do when I start getting " a bit old " for crawling around under trucks in the winter rain [ it's not every day , but it does happen ] .
To start with I will target a few events to get experience at equestrian and sports photography and besides placing the images on my new site www.dvdowns.quikpix.co.nz [ host site www.quikpix.co.nz ] which does the printing and selling for 20% share , a few friends and I will set up a "booth" to sell images directly to competitors . [ last try I sold a 5 minute shoot , 65 images , to a customer for $100 copied to a disc ] because there is a good market for "instant images " and we will have someone constantly manning the computer and wireless credit card facility .
Once we have mastered that I will decide from there how much income that can generate and where to go from there ...... for now i will keep my day-job .