paul_nguyen1 Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 Maybe this should be posted elsewhere. But I'm curious if working 60+ a week including every Saturday night has ruined or signifcantly damaged your personal life. I'll be honest I'm very new in the photography business and I'm becoming somewhat succesful, but since I've devoted so much of my time and effort into this, what I love the most - my friends, family, etc... are suffering. I am seriously considering just working part-time somewhere and doing photography on the side. I guess all of my teachers where right 'photography is a lifestyle not a job.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rffffffff Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 Its all about balance... =o) If it ruins your life it really isnt worth it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prudhomme Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 my lifestyle is not like that of others, but I enjoy what I do and it hasn't ruined my personal ife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_notar1 Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 i have heard photographers have the highest divorce rate. as far as being balanced, balanced boring, to be great at one thing, you have to use energy from other places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cariad Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 My work is my life and my family understands that :) Granted I don't have lunch as often as I used to with my friends, but when I do it is extra special. I found if I go on "Vacation" I am almost bored :)unless I have a camera with me. And to answer your question, NO photography has not ruined my personal life, it has made it even better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mariah_smith Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 Does the amount of time you're working have to new with how new you are? I mean, are you spending a lot of those 60 hrs marketing, networking, learning the most efficient work flow, etc...Could be that the more you do it, the less time it requires (except, of course, for Sat. night). Honestly, I would count your blessings and learn how to balance your job time with your family time (it can be done, but you have to make it a priority). You're successful at doing something you love...do you know how many people would kill for that?!?!? Besides, your friends and family may not be suffering, they may just have to be learning how to adjust to your new schedule. Any chance you're successful enough to hire an editing assistant? Maybe one of your kids, for example :) No really, it might be worth it to hire out some of your work to a person you trust. Good luck and congrats on your success! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgrim8 Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 photography - no world of warcraft - yes (my boyfriend plays at least 40 hours a week) :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Michael Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 When I was a kid, photography was an hobby at which I was very good. When I was at college photography was a passion I wanted to do 24 hours a day. About two years into building our Studio, I was about 25 years old and had been married for 4 years: I had to make a decision, and I decided that I was a Professional Photographer: I took my passion and my skill and made it our business. That business had structures; those structures had defined tasks and outcomes and timelines thus were inbuilt personal balances, as previous comments have noted. If I had not made photography a clearly structured business, but left it as a passion and a hobby with which I was attempting to make money, then I am sure I would not still be married (to the same woman) 30 years on and my journey would have had much more sadness. I think it is about where one`s headspace is: and clearly defining what job, one is in. Regards, WW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daydreamsart Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 That's the drawback to being your own boss. Nobody tells you when to stop working. It can be difficult to make yourself stop and do something else. You HAVE to schedule the things that so easily get ignored or put off. It takes planning and self discipline, whatever your work is (especially if it's something you enjoy), or it will take over every other part of your life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancy s. Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 Well, after you are done doing photography you will be used to the hours and you can run a different self employed business like a farm or a store....:) The time spent when you are self employed, regardless of the business type, is huge. You are the CEO, the technician, the computer guy, the accountant, the secretary and receptionist, the sales department, and the janitor. If you have no personal life, that is usually the sacrificial lamb when you are in business for yourself. If you are very very busy you can try to do a few things: 1.) Raise your prices. If you are going to work, maybe you can work fewer hours and get the same income by charging more. 2.) If you raise your prices and the workload stays the same or increases, you can consider hiring (an) employee(s). 3.) You can make a decision to give yourself time off.. which might require you to raise your prices and turn down work! 4.) You can work like a horse and follow the models of the business like Monty Zucker or Gary Fong and work your way up to recognition and sell education and props etc. and do very little in the way of commercial weddings, but be doing very well financially. Or you can get a day job and work for someone else and then only work a few weekends a year. You have choices and you own your destiny. Step back a bit and look at what you can change! Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walter_degroot Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 about 20 years ago, someone i knew in another state, was going to be a fashion/ art photographer. meaning girlie type photos. he took some photos of a young girl, who showed them to her live-in boyfriend. the boyfriend he was irate and demanded the surrender of all photos and negatives. the photographer agreed and was driving there 20 miles when the girfriend called and said the man was waiting with a shotgun to shoot the phtographer. either the girlfriend called the police or the photographer's wife . the police intercepted the phtographer and caught the irate boyfriend who was lying in wait. later I asked the photographer why he had lost interest in taking pictures, sold his camera, and he said nothing, his wife, who knew my wife eventually told my wife. close call. the phtographer gave me all his darkroom equipment. this is a true story, the photographer did a lot of this kind of stuff, lucky he learned before something bad happened. that chould "spoil you life" the worst I ever had was a lop-sided wedding cake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_nguyen1 Posted January 14, 2007 Author Share Posted January 14, 2007 Very interesting replies. I guess I posted this question because I know several photographers who are going through some hard times due to their jobs. And I heard that the divorce rate for photographers is very high. Its very true that balance is very important but as we all know with the competition is tough, so it's very easy to work obsessively for years, before you can find that balance. I'm getting married this Saturday and I plan on having kids so I'm a bit concerned. How many of you have kids? I know this is a strange and personal but it seems that most photographers in my area are single (not married) and without children. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenni k. - vancouver, b.c. Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 Most in my area seem to be married, some with children. Me, married, very happily, with a dog. But I'm not interested in taking over the world, I'm just happy taking photos for a living and making a modest income doing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark pav Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 <br>I had a personal life?<br> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie_caswell Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Last week, I did a portrait session for a State House Rep friend that was elected at 22, married at 23, and is divorced today at 26... Learned a valuable lesson from the wise young man... Love is spelled TIME. I'm taking that to heart. Today, my wife and I toured a large garden and I taught her f stops and shutter speed. We had a good time, ate lunch together, laughed, took pictures of naked statues and each other...clothed of course :( We just had fun hanging out. It was a nice change of pace and Sunday afternoons will be our date day. Crossing my fingers for a few Press Association awards next week, but plan to cut back much of my newspaper work. Second shooting only if the double my rate. Time better spent cultivating real paying jobs. When they don't materialize I'll just hang out weekends with her.... Now I'll be up to 2am screwing with images... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben_rubinstein___mancheste1664880652 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Well I do it full time, I'm working far less hours than any of my friends and the majority of the work is at home with my wife and baby. In fact at present due to a very busy schedule in University where she is doing a masters degree my wife is away from home far more often than myself. If I'm working Sundays, who cares, I'm home most of the rest of the week! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_levine Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Small business is something you are either the master of, or a slave to. It takes time to become the former, and quite easy to become stuck as the latter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dusty2004 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Paul. Photography cannot ever ruin a life. Let me explain. Only we can by the choices we make. If we make bad choice we get bad results and vice versa. Be master of your habits, not be a slave to them. Please define success. It that standing on top of the ladder for all the world to look up at you, only to find that those you love are not standing next to you. They slipped away and you didn't notice. You were too BUSY. I live by many rules that serve me well. One of those is to never to make personal gain at the expense of another. You already know that your family is suffering. The fact that you posted this question here, there must be doubt about what you are doing. Listen to your heart Paul. I was only speaking to my wife a few days ago and said that I have no doubt that I could make a career out of photography. However, I said that our marriage comes before my own personal glory. Focus on your family and friends is my advice. Will your camera comfort you in time of need. I doubt it. I am speaking from hard earned experience Paul and don't say these things lightly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Gardner Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Paul "photography is a lifestyle not a job.'" That is well said. I am doing my photos part time...and i still find my self letting it take over. I start to take on too much at once. The problem with this is even at my regular job...i find myself thing of my side business. As someone else said...it's all about balance. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefanie1 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Well I have a very supportive family (my in laws are particularily amazing at finding me work). My boyfriend is an amateur photographer, so he gets it. That and he's more than happy to stay at home while I work :P Really, I didn't have a personal life before photography and photography really filled a void in my life I'd previously tried to fill with much less productive things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_thornton1 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 It is about balancing your time. Spending time with the ones you love and doing the thing you love. It takes time for people to adjusts to your new schedule. I don't know how much time you spend with them before, but now they have less time with you. It can be hard to adjust to that. I just hope that they are supportive of you. Trust me its no fun when they are not supportive. Know for experience. Well there are many things you can do, most were mentioned above. My sujestion is just now and then take a Saturday off or some time you can be with loved ones. Just relax and be with them. Time is precious spend it well. if you need some cheep income but with flexible schedule, try some temp work agencies like labor ready. You only work when you show up and can work as much or as little as you like. Take some time for your self and decide what/who is important to you and make it your goal to keep them. Good luck JT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gulnara Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 It did mine several times but it was my choice. I am getting used to idea of being single, no men can take up with my obsession with photography and hours spent on it. This is my lifestyle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conraderb Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 paul - no photog I know works 60 hours a week. those who do are definitely the exceptions to the rule and are making plenty of $$ to compensate for their damaged personal life! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nanette Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 I feel fortunate to have live the photography lifestyle. I am doubly fortunate that my family and boyfriend share the same interest and that we have made it our business. Photography as a business isn't for everyone, it just depends how strong your passion is for it. There are plenty of photographers who do this as a side business but it still eats up their weekends and evenings. But photography has in no way ruined my social life. I still find the time to hang out with friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Michael Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 > paul - no photog I know works 60 hours a week. those who do are definitely the exceptions to the rule and are making plenty of $$ to compensate for their damaged personal life!< Interesting observation and comment. Made me get out my timesheet My time sheet `at work`: note I am one directors of the company, this is just my chargeable time to clients for a job or in respect of a client job or prospective clients; I have not included any other duties as director: Whichever way it is split a week is around 60+ hours, seems normal to me, and yes I am paid for it, and I think my social and personal life is OK, see my comment above. Sat: 0600 to 1400, 1800 to 2200 Sun: 0800 to 1400, 1800 to 2200 Mon: 0700 to 2030 Tues: 0700 to 2030 Wed: 0700 to 2030 Thur: 0730 to 1900 Fri: 0730 to 1830 Sat: Off Sun: Off Mon: 0900 to 1900 (yesterday) Tuesday 1200 to 2300 (today) (expected end of job) but I am at the office now (1124) just catching up on emails and dropped into photonet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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