This is what I do 40hrs a week and I love it. Its only been about four and a half years but it would have to rate as the best job ever. Its challenging, drives you to improve not just the quality but the eye and the mind. One minute you're shooting girl guides selling biscuits and the next you're at a murder scene or natural disaster and hey, variety is the spice of life. Photography is the ticket so what better way to develop the craft than to be out there every day snapping at everything that moves and my personal work has shot ahead in leaps and bounds as a result. How many of us get a job actually doing what we love??, well I only know one person who would fit that bill.
I have just read a column in the Photographer Mail about US Journo photog Jim McMillan (Interesting read if you get a chance). This guy is the real McCoy (unlike my gig with a small town community paper) and has been kicked, punched, tasered, was shot in the head, survived two car bombs, 3 road side bombs and on many occations having to shelter from shelling and small arms fire.
My rather tame environment can involve tasks I would rather avoid. Car accidents are one thing I would avoid if I had the choice so its a case of blocking out the carnage and getting on with the job. Its only after the event that one gets a chance to reflect on what you have seen. To all the unfortunates out there who may be unlucky enough to be involved in an accident!! if a photographer turns up you can bet he wouldn't have if he had a choice. I suppose the biggest event that had the most effect on me was the Matata floods. I was rather new to the journo camera thing and the shear scale of what I saw effected my sleep for a couple of days. By some miracle no one was killed but the experience was amazing.
These are images I shot but copywright goes to the Whakatane Beacon. http://www.whakatanebeacon.co.nz/
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