Photography And School: Are They The Real World?

Sunday, 24 September 2017

Photography and School: Lessons To Learn As A Commercial photographer

This lectures may or may not be applicable to other photography fields.


1. School is Not the Real World

The fact that you did really well in school and that your teachers loved you means nothing at all in the real world. Yes, taking great pictures is really important, but even more important is how well you run your business. Are you good at marketing yourself, negotiating, networking, pitching yourself on a conference call, managing cash flow, etc? Do you like business?

2. It’s Really Hard to Become and Stay a Successful Commercial Photographer

Let’s say you work hard enough and are lucky enough to build a good client base. You will always be working just as hard to find your next clients and keeping your existing clients. A commercial photographer who becomes lazy is a broke photographer. The unfortunate reality of this industry is that fruits come to those who labor the most.

3. You Will Not Want to Be a Starving Artist in Your 30s

Real life is so complicated! I can’t even count how many students I have talked to who tell me they don’t care about money or making money. Truth be told, a few years later, once that student has graduated, gotten into credit card debt, and is tired of living with 3 dirty roommates in a shoebox apartment in Brooklyn, money suddenly becomes much more important. The sooner you realize that making money is important to your future, the better things will be. Even fine-art photographers need to make money somehow to support their art.

4. Live Where You Want to Work, Or Work Where You Want to Live

You want to be a fashion photographer and shoot for Vogue, but are planning on moving back to Cleveland because you really like the city and having your family nearby. That’s fine, but you won’t be shooting for Vogue living there. If you want to do the big jobs for the top bands and magazines, you need to be in the cities where people look for such photographers.

5. Commercial Photographers Are More like Carpenters than Artists

When a client is hiring a commercial photographer to shoot a job, most of the time they’re not hiring them to shoot because of their artistic vision, but because of their ability to problem-solve. They have ideas they want expressed in photographic form, and the photographer is the one who solves these problem for them.

6. Most of You Will Not Be Commercial Photographer in 10 Years

It’s really hard to survive as a freelance photographer. It is harder and harder every day to break into the business, and just as hard to stay in the business. You really need to love running a photography business. Of the people I graduated school with, maybe 20 percent of them support themselves entirely by taking photographs, and it’s been 10 years.

7. Nobody Cares How Good Your Grades Were in School

Honestly, when working as a freelance photographer, nobody cares if you went to school for photography, and even less what your grades were. School is a great place to learn about who you are as a photographer; nobody cares about grades later on. The photography industry is unlike most industries in the way people get hired. When you hire a contractor, do you ask them how they did in college?

8. Life Responsibilities Will Likely Overpower Your Artistic Vision

I hear lots of students claim they will never “sell out” and do work that isn’t part of their “vision”. These students are likely to work in something other than photography for a living and shoot their photography on the side, which is fine. Otherwise, they are likely the ones who sell out the quickest and do horrible jobs for almost no money and b**ch about it the whole time. If your artistic vision is more important than making money, then don’t become a commercial photographer.

9. The Photography Is the Easy Part

After years or shooting, promoting, marketing, networking, and more to get your first paid gigs, you realize that taking the pictures is the easiest part of it all. Getting the work, keeping the work, and running the business is the hardest part of a commercial photographers job, especially if running a business doesn’t come naturally to you.

10. You’re Not Going to Start a Career Because You Have a Lot of Facebook Friends

I know some photographers whose only marketing plan is putting pictures up on their Facebook pages. That may be great and fun, but it’s not going to get you work as a commercial photographer. You need to find a way to get your work in front of photo editors, art buyers, and art directors… that is how you get work. Many of my clients aren’t even on Facebook — they’re too busy.

11. I Hope You Made Friends in School

Some of my first jobs and some of my best clients are people I met while I was in school. Just like how people attend Harvard for an MBA to meet others who will help them in their businesses later on, the same goes for photo school. For every successful commercial photographer in a class, there will be at least one successful photo editor or art buyer. Make friends in school, not enemies.

12. Promos: Technology Changes but Your Message Shouldn’t

When it comes time to promote your work, don’t get caught up in the technology, whether it be twitter, email blasts, or any other new-fangled technique. More important than how your message is delivered, is that the message about your work is clear and concise and shows your work the right way to the right people.

13. When Things Are Slow, Life Is Difficult. When You’re Busy, Life Is Just as Difficult

Broke and idle photographers think life is great for rich and busy photographers; busy photographers sometimes wish for days off when they can rest and do some personal work. More often then not, a day off to a busy photographer is just as busy as a shooting day. I often need to get caught up on business matters, try to plan tests, meetings, etc… No matter what, both slow and busy photographers are working their asses off. Often in this industry it’s either feast or famine, and each has its advantages and disadvantages.

14. You Can’t Buy a House with Photo Credits

When you’re starting out it’s really exciting to get your work published, even if it means doing work for free. The reality is that it’s cool for a little while, but then really quickly you realize you weren’t really getting much out of that deal. As a commercial photographer, you need to be paid for what you do, unless it’s a personal project or you think you’ll make a killing in stock sales after.

15. There Is No Escaping Taxes

The worst part about being a commercial photographer is keeping track PF expenses, invoicing, bookkeeping, and taxes. Period.

16. It Takes Money to Make Money

Unlike writers, photographers need gear to create their work. When you’re starting out, most of your money will go to buying more gear or building your business. This can include portfolios, website updates, promos, photo seminars, and more. When you buy something that makes it easier for you to create work, you’ve made a good investment. I wish I could just save all my money, but the reality is I constantly need to be upgrading something. Also, photographers can make a good amount of money by renting the gear they own to their clients.

17. Not All Photographers Should Be Commercial Photographers

If you don’t think you can handle all it takes to run a business and also ENJOY running a business, maybe you should just do photography as an art, and find a different career. Otherwise, you will spend your life completely wasting your time doing things you don’t like doing, and what’s the fun in that? Do what you love, and become a master at what you love doing.

18. Who Cares What Your Parents Think

You have to live your life the way you want, not how they want. For better or worse, my parents always supported me in doing what I was passionate about, but not all parents are the same. If you really love doing something and are passionate about it, go for it, no matter what.

Originally Posted by kunle Omowaye on Saturday 16 September, 2017 at 09:36
Reposted by Dee-Why Pumpy Media on Sunday, 24th September, 2017 at 10am
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Taiwo Akintunde (Chelsea Father)

Taiwo Akintunde ( Dee-Why Pumpy)

I am Taiwo Akintunde known as "Dee-Why Pumpy Photography & Media Works" from Osun Sate, resides in Bauchi, Bauchi state, Nigeria. I am a Photographer, Videographer, Compugrapher and a  General Contractor.

DRUMS OF WAR?
Written by Anonymous.
Reposted by Dee-Why Pumpy Media.

As ethnic lords from the North, East, West and South continue in efforts to trigger a second civil war, international military hardware merchants who brainwashed the foreign based agitators to employ an uncompromising attitude are instigating and preparing to sell their arms while we get our parents, wives and children ready to pay the bitter prices.

The gullible ones believe war is the answer and provoking same by their words and actions each passing day, the unwise ones are so selfish and inconsiderate, refusing to caution their people, thinking that their families or any part of the country will be immune to the consequences of a possible 2017 civil war simply because they didn't participate in the agitation.

Perhaps, many do not know that the Civil War didn't extend beyond Ore to the West and didn't exceed Benue to the North. At the very end, both gladiators (Gowon & Ojukwu) lived because they never set foot upon the battlefield of the wars they ignited but over three million innocent women, children and elderly died unnecessarily. Meanwhile, all the crooks travelled to safe areas with their families just as would repeat should another civil war breakout. Niger Delta militant generals are all alive but over 60% of their boys are dead, Al Zakzarki is alive but hundreds of his gullible followers are dead.

As you continue to conjure the next civil war, call for a town hall meeting in your respective communities and prepare the minds of your aged parents for a violent death, counsel your wives and daughters of the emotional trauma that incessant rapes would create because surely over 30% shall be raped in just 6mths of chaos. Also, make plans because most of your children shall become orphans and child soldiers and those who survive shall end up in REFUGEE Camps in Niger, Chad, Benin Republic and Cameroon.

The last Civil war was ignited on a conference table and was also resolved on a conference table, wouldn't it be wiser to have avoided the war in between. We must not continue in silence until our loved ones become the collateral damage.

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There Are Only Two Tribes In Nigeria

There Are Only Two Tribes In Nigeria
"Tribalism is not our problem. Tribalism and religion are artificial problems created by selfish leaders for their own personal interest."-Anonymous

Originally By Emir Of Kano Sanusi Lamido
Reposted by: Dee-Why Pumpy Media

u are a commoner or suffering, you belong to the tribe of the masses. If you are an elite, and you need more power, or elective position, you sow seeds of tribalism and religion among the masses, so as to sway their emotion for your personal victory. This happens at both the national and state level. Unfortunately, after the election when they have won and joined their “sworn enemies” to drink and party, the gullible masses continue to fight each other.




‎

Even smart people who belong to the masses, sometimes will sow seeds of tribalism and religion among the masses, and then the masses will carry them up until they belong to the elite class.  It is a classic strategy used over 3000 years ago in the art of war.

A commoner who aspires to sit with the elites, could stir up powerful tribal or religious sentiments, such wave if properly utilized either by shedding blood or destabilizing the elites, carries the commoner to the elite class. But once there, he immediately mingles and makes peace with the elite tribe, and turn his back on the same masses that helped him get there.

Youths are the worst victim of this powerplay, they kill each other, call other tribes unprintable names, do terrible things and sometimes, even lose their life, thinking they are fighting for their right, not knowing that they are fighting for the personal welfare of someone, whose own children are probably safe in America or London.

So youths, don’t hope on the government. If you don’t have a job, create one. There is abject poverty in the south as well as the north, whether Ogoni or Maidugri. At the same time, there is massive wealth in Lagos, Onitsha, Nnewi, Aba, Kano, Abuja, irrespective of zone.

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it well and never remain idle. No job is too low for an idle hand, or else the devil will find work for you. As you become independent, and grow your capacity, do not lose hope in Nigeria. We are the largest economy in Africa and soon the world will fear us. Western powers, don’t like big economies that threaten them,

America will do anything to break China, but China is wise to resist that. China has 1.6 billion people, Nigeria has only 170 million, and we are talking of breaking.

China has 5 major religions which are Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam and Christianity. Nigeria has only 2 major religions, Christianity and Islam. Yet we claim that religion is our problem.
America, the strongest economy is comprised of every tribe in the world, since they accept anybody from any part of the world. Yet they are united and extremely patriotic. Nigeria has only 3 major tribes, and we claim tribalism.

Think clearly and deeply, and you will realize that empowering yourself is the best course of action, not fighting each other. And once the youths are empowered, they can begin to take back their future from the hands of the old and corrupt generation that has been blinding Nigerians with hatred, while looting all her resources. Sani Abacha’s loot is still stashed away in Switzerland, did he use it to develop the north? Those that stole billions under GEJ stashed it away in foreign banks, bought expensive toys, jets and foreign homes, are they using it to develop the south? . Now the ones stealing currently, including the “grasscutters”, are looking for Ikoyi apartments, abandoned houses, and pit toilets to hide it, are they using it for the youths in their tribe? NO!

Youths shine your eyes ! Don’t always fall for this tribal, religious sentiments over and over again. Nigeria is bigger than these corrupt elites. They are the problem, not the poor masses.‎

The Drum of War in Nigeria?

The Drum of War in Nigeria?
Revisiting the Past will Teach us a Lesson!
A Quick FlashBack at 'One' of the Nigeria Wars!!

The Jalumi War of 1878 (Battle of Ikirun)

Originally from Oldnaijanews.com
Reposted By: Dee-Why Pumpy Media

The Jalumi war, also known as Ogun Jalumi or Battle of Ikirun was a bloody war fought by Ibadan on the side of Ikirun against the allied forces of Ilorin, Ila, Ekiti and Ijesha on November 1, 1878 in the northeastern part of modern day Osun State. The Jalumi war was among the devastating civil wars that plagued the Yoruba nation in the 19th century. Others are, Osogbo war, Ekiti parapo/Kiriji war, Ibadan-Ijaye war e.t.c.

In June 1878, Ikirun, a town in modern day Osun State, called for the help of Ibadan to join her in fighting the armies of Ekiti, Ijesha, Ila and the Fulanis of Ilorin who had laid siege on Ikirun. Ibadan was unable to send her armies immediately because they went on an expedition to Meko, a town in modern day Ogun State. When the armies returned on October 14, 1878, they were instantly dispatched to Ikirun under the command of Balogun Ajayi Ogboriefon who was ordered to reach Ikirun within five days.

Ibadan armies marched to Ikirun but had a tough time crossing the Oba and Osun rivers because it was rainy season and the rivers were full. Many Ibadan soldiers drowned while crossing the two rivers. The allied forces of Ekiti and Ijesha, (ekiti parapo) Ila-Orangun and Ilorin had chased the Ikirun armies to their town walls and were gradually winning the war.

On the 31st of October, 1878, Balogun Ogboriefon eventually arrived Ikirun with his soldiers. He saw the condition of Ikirun and immediately began planning and working. He shared command with a co-warrior named Osi Ilori. The rebel forces attacked Ikirun in three groups. The Ilorins under Ajia attacked from the northeast; Ogunmodede and Ayimoro led the Ijesha armies and attacked from the east and camped in the town of Iba, while the Ekitis under Fabunmi Okemesi and the Ilas under Prince Adeyala lurked nearby.

The battle began on November 1st, 1878. The rebelling forces advanced on Ikirun. Osi Ilori took his army towards the east to fight the advancing Ijeshas while Balogun Ogboriefon fought the Ilorins, Ilas and Ekitis. The Ijeshas defeated Osi Ilori and his soldiers and captured him alive. The survivors retreated to the walls of Ikirun and reported their defeat to Balogun Obgoriefon who quickly attacked and tactically defeated the Ijesha force. He then returned to his previous position fighting the Ilorins. Ogboriefon successfully defeated the Ilorins and drove them out of their camp, but he was too late, Osi Ilori had already been killed. He completed the victory by defeating the Ilas and Ekitis. Ibadan soldiers chased the Ilorin survivors to Inisa, a town between Ofa and Ikirun. When news reached the people of Ofa that the Ilorins were retreating towards Inisa, they cut the bridge across the Otin River in the rear and left the retreating Fulanis of Ilorin devastated. The Fulanis were pushed into the river by the Ibadans and drowned en masse; thus the war was named Jalumi which literally means “drown in the river“. Hence the 1878 Battle of Ikirun was also called Battle of waterloo.

After the war, Ibadan armies stationed in Ikirun but left after an agreement between Ikirun and Ibadan. This birthed the statement “Kí ogun ó tó kúrò ní Ìkìrun, ọ̀rọ̀ ló tẹ́lẹ̀” which means “Before warriors left Ikirun, there were some discussions/agreement”.

A water cannon monument marking the end of the Jalumi war is located at Odo Otin River bank in Inisa till today.


Thanks for reading, I hope you will learn from this!
Let us stop beating the drum for war in Nigeria!!

Nigeria is Ours, Peace is Possible!!!

References-
*Oldnijanews.com
* Johnson, Samuel; The History of the Yorubas: From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the British Protectorate [Accessed 2017-07-19]

* Omipidan, Teslim; OldNaija; Historical wars in Yorubaland [https://oldnaija.com/tag/historical-yoruba-wars/]

* Smith, Sydney, Robert; “Kingdoms of the Yoruba”; 3rd ed.; 1987; University of Wisconsin Press [Accessed 2017-07-18]