No longer “just” a photographer

You know those people who are defined by their work? (Cough, entrepreneurs) There are just some professions who can’t help continuing their roles when they go home, and photographers are the worst for not checking it at the door.

From scoping out and judging each other’s gear to speaking in our own vernacular. Chimping anyone?

Is “photographer” the first thing that comes to mind when someone wants to know who you are? (Not what you do).

I think it has to do with the fact that we are convinced that we “see” the world in a very unique way. Even if we take a photo of someone else’s work…copyright infringers be damned.

It wasn’t always this way for me. Back in 2003, I was working as a photojournalist for a community newspaper in North London. Almost every time I showed up for an assignment someone asked if I was “just” the photographer.

JUST. The. Photographer.

I knew what they were getting at:
*Do I have to worry about everything I say to you?
*Are you recording this?
*Is someone with a notebook turning up too?

But really! Are you JUST the mayor?

Fast forward a decade. (Ok, jeez. A bit more than a decade) The democratization of the industry has made it hard to be just a photographer, especially as a freelancer.

We have a whole subset of individuals with day jobs outside the industry called Weekend Warriors- and we don’t like them. We also have reporter/photojournalists and graphic designer/photographers, while content editors are the new photo editors.

Is there anyone not submitting their vacation photos to microstock sites now?

So despite the fact that I have finally embraced being just a photographer- or in my case now, just the photo editor- now it is too hard to just one thing.

I think it is time to start writing.