This occurred to me today when I took a few minutes after work to do some shooting at the local cemetery. I am loving every minute of this. I love being outside, smiling at passersby, and looking for that special rectangular region of what I see that will make people go “wow!” Even if as a photographer I never make a dime, it's been worth it to get some nice gear and get back into it.

That said, I have had one “gig” so far. I was asked to shoot a school book fair. I had difficulty because of the lighting, but I was reasonably satisfied with the results. Nobody has gotten back to me about the pictures though, so there is no guarantee that they liked them. But I handed out a crapload of business cards and enjoyed myself, and that's what counts.

I've been bitten by ticks, gotten cold, hot, sore, and exhausted while out shooting but I've loved it. And every now and then I bump into another photographer out looking for that “magical frame”. One time I climbed a huge hill in a local cemetery to shoot the sun rising over Fitchburg, only to discover I was not alone… there was another photographer up there! We had a great time chatting and shooting, and yep, he got one of my business cards. A couple weeks later I was in the same cemetery, and while I was standing there lining something up with my excrutiatingly pricey gear, I suddenly found myself being approached by a man wearing a tie and a gun holster on his hip. That was pretty unnerving but I figured if he was a crook out to steal my camera he wouldn't be wearing a tie (isn't it bizarre that I should find the presence of a tie makes someone seem trustworthy?) Turned out he was a local police officer who wanted to know what I was doing in the cemetery. I thought it absurdly obvious, but seeing as how he had the gun, I explained I was taking pictures. He explained that someone had vandalized the revolutionary war cemetery in Fitchburg the day prior, so the locals were nervy about people hanging out in the graveyard. And yes, he got one of my business cards too!

After spending time experimenting with stage one of my pro kit, I came to the conclusion that the 24-70mm lens was plenty wide enough for my needs… 24mm on the full-frame EOS5D is wider than 18mm on the crop-sensor EOS400D, as peculiar as that seems. So I didn't see an immediate need for the EF 16-35mm 2.8L, and thusly excluded it from my plans. I replaced it with the amazing EF 85mm 1.2L portrait lens. Last week I reached a point where I could get Stage Two, and now that I have the 85mm I'm certain I've made the right choice. It takes beautiful portraits.

Planwise, I'm now on the long road to Stage Three. No expectations about getting there any time soon, but hopefully before November is out. In the meantime I *may* be getting a paying gig at a local school that wants some work done at a holiday event they are having. Gotta plan that one out.

Anyway, things have been busy, and yes I've not been blogging, but only because I am doing what I love. Which is what matters. I'm turning 40 this year… if I haven't figured that out yet, will I ever? Love to you all, hope you are well.