I seem to have gotten off track over the last couple months. The drive to “make money” has begun  to taint the passion within me. I’ve been thinking a lot the past couple days as to why I decided to pick up a camera in the first place… I did it for me and it seems as if I’ve forgotten this key fact.

I’ve always liked pictures… taking them, being in them, looking at them but I never dreamed that it would go any further than that. When I bought my first DSLR, I began to think maybe things could be different, maybe I could be a full-time, professional photographer. Out of that spun this insatiable desire to start a business and at the time it seemed that wedding photography was the place to be. Now… don’t get me wrong, I LOVE weddings. If I only took pictures of weddings for the rest of my career I would be perfectly happy. However, more importantly than that, I LOVE LOVE LOVE photography. I eat, sleep, think photography. Seriously, I really do but, like I said, the drive to make money has tainted my dream somewhat. I didn’t pick up a camera in hopes of becoming a wedding photography. I picked up the camera because I wanted to create art. Lately, I find myself wanting to pick up my camera less and less because I’m so concerned about trying to make money from this that I’m not taking pictures. I’m not creating art and that makes me sad.

Perhaps I went about this the wrong way. Maybe I should’ve just been a hobbyist before I turned into a business owner. However, I’m already walking down this path. Therefore, I’ve decided that I’m going to worry less about money and more about photography (at least at this point in my growth). As my father always told me, “Do what you love and the money will follow.” I have to, need to, believe that this is true. I do believe it is true. So starting today I’m making a promise, to myself, to stay in love with photography. To use my camera as an extension of my creative eye. First and foremost I’m an artist. I think it’s high time that I find my way back to that.

~Saadia Me*Chel