The U.S. Internal Revenue Service loves me.
I’m single, no kids, do not own a home, and I have a good paying job with a large company. That means I have virtually no tax breaks in the U.S.; the IRS can hit me from all sides.
I actually find comfort in my financial status with respect to the “Tax-man.” It means I have a good income with a regular paycheck, health care, and no one else is dependent on me financially (as much as the Girlfriend and I have tried… the dogs don’t count as dependents).
This past weekend I witnessed how someone on the other end of spectrum lives. Not someone who is unemployed, but a person who is self-employed and whose vocation is subjective to various external factors, who is married, and has child.
I saw a small piece of what it means to be a full-time professional photographer.
Recently I was hired to be a 2nd photographer for two separate sporting events. I was paid for my services. Let me repeat that… paid for my services.
The more recent of the two sporting events was the Iron Horse Classic. The event got canceled due to an unusually late snow storm that caused conditions to be unsafe for the cyclists.
No Event = No Service = No Pay.
Was I upset by this? No. I agreed to the terms going in. Was I disappointed? Yes. Photography is still a hobby for me (the Girlfriend might call it an addiction) and my main source of income is my above mentioned job. I lost some money on expenses traveling to the event and missed an opportunity to earn some extra spending money.
However, the photographer who hired me lost out on a significant piece of revenue. He was more than disappointed. How is he going to make up for his loss of income? Will he make it up? I don’t know. I feel for him. This folks is why I haven’t made an effort to go professional with my photography. I really want to… but I’m too scared.
Last year on our way to photograph a Quad (Bike, Run, Snow Shoe, Cross Country Ski) we discussed our differing situations, “I can’t imagine not knowing when or how much my next paycheck will be.”
To which he responded, “And I can’t imagine working on something I didn’t want to work on and working on something I didn’t absolutely love.”
Touché.
(A great article written by Craig Tanner called “The Myth of Talent” talks about ‘false’ limitations and is available at the Radiant Vista website. It is a great read for anyone who wants to make a career change.)
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Lingering Self Doubts and Photographic Complements
I often don’t like my own photographs. Right after I get done with a shoot, I will go through the shots and find one (maybe) that strikes me. Often I have to wait a few days and then go back and look at them. I’m getting better, but still I’m often unimpressed with my efforts at first pass. However, in the last year or so I have received many indications that I might be a better photographer than I think I am.
In 2007 I shot photos for other people. I did not charge them because I didn’t feel I was good enough to justify charging them. Also I enjoy taking pictures, so these were opportunities to take photos of people (which are out of the norm for me) and learn some new things. Twice when the recipients of the photos took them to be printed, the store(s) refused to release the shots because they were shot by “A Professional”. (In this age of digital photography, many places are protecting themselves and photographers by not letting people mass produce professional works.) In both cases the stores eventually released the photos. It was nice to hear a complete stranger who deals with photos all day, felt my work was of professional grade.
Recently, I was selected to have one of my images hang in a local club. I had to pick the image… I was terrified. I looked at some of the other work that was already on display; I did not feel that any of my stuff was of the same caliber. So I posted in a discussion thread on flickr; asking for some suggestions on which image I should put up for display. The group was very kind and a few suggested images; however a few people did give me grief about hijacking the thread and begging for attention. Truth of the matter is, I didn’t (and still don’t) feel my photography is all that great. How does one gauge their own talent fairly? And will I ever?
The above shot is currently hanging in "One Up" in downtown Albuquerque.
In 2007 I shot photos for other people. I did not charge them because I didn’t feel I was good enough to justify charging them. Also I enjoy taking pictures, so these were opportunities to take photos of people (which are out of the norm for me) and learn some new things. Twice when the recipients of the photos took them to be printed, the store(s) refused to release the shots because they were shot by “A Professional”. (In this age of digital photography, many places are protecting themselves and photographers by not letting people mass produce professional works.) In both cases the stores eventually released the photos. It was nice to hear a complete stranger who deals with photos all day, felt my work was of professional grade.
Recently, I was selected to have one of my images hang in a local club. I had to pick the image… I was terrified. I looked at some of the other work that was already on display; I did not feel that any of my stuff was of the same caliber. So I posted in a discussion thread on flickr; asking for some suggestions on which image I should put up for display. The group was very kind and a few suggested images; however a few people did give me grief about hijacking the thread and begging for attention. Truth of the matter is, I didn’t (and still don’t) feel my photography is all that great. How does one gauge their own talent fairly? And will I ever?
The above shot is currently hanging in "One Up" in downtown Albuquerque.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Poor Girl...
Explosive Diarrhea.
"Isn't that a cool term?"
"Yes, but it isn't a cool problem."
"No, but it's a damn funny problem when it's someone else's problem."
"That is very true..."
That was a phone conversation I had with a friend near the start of the year. I came home from work as usual and when I opened the front door...
PWHAM!
It hit me, "What is that smell?"
Our youngest dog had had explosive diarrhea in her crate. Poor thing. I have no idea how long she was standing in her crate trying to avoid her own mess, but she had made quite the mess. It was on the walls, on the tile (her crate is in the kitchen), and on the carpet several feet away. Her crate has a tray in the bottom of it (so she isn't standing or lying on the wires), so she was doing her best to avoid putting her feet into the foul ooze.
I called the Girlfriend to let her know the situation... she told me it couldn't be *that* bad and to clean it up and call the vet. I didn't bother clean it up, but simply put the crate out in the front yard (as it was the shortest distance to go), confident no one in their right mind would steal anything covered in shite, and put the dog in the Jeep.
I met the Girlfriend at the vet; we got some antibiotics for her and headed home.
We walked into the house... and the Girlfriend then realized that when I said "Explosive Diarrhea" I meant it.
We cleaned and bleached for a few hours and then went to bed.
Why am I sharing this story on my blog? Last week this happened again... on a MUCH smaller scale. However, looking back on it now the girlfriend and I can laugh about this whole thing. Despite being about poop; I find this story quite amusing and back in February I would have never expected to have experienced "Explosive Diarrhea" twice in one year.
"Isn't that a cool term?"
"Yes, but it isn't a cool problem."
"No, but it's a damn funny problem when it's someone else's problem."
"That is very true..."
That was a phone conversation I had with a friend near the start of the year. I came home from work as usual and when I opened the front door...
PWHAM!
It hit me, "What is that smell?"
Our youngest dog had had explosive diarrhea in her crate. Poor thing. I have no idea how long she was standing in her crate trying to avoid her own mess, but she had made quite the mess. It was on the walls, on the tile (her crate is in the kitchen), and on the carpet several feet away. Her crate has a tray in the bottom of it (so she isn't standing or lying on the wires), so she was doing her best to avoid putting her feet into the foul ooze.
I called the Girlfriend to let her know the situation... she told me it couldn't be *that* bad and to clean it up and call the vet. I didn't bother clean it up, but simply put the crate out in the front yard (as it was the shortest distance to go), confident no one in their right mind would steal anything covered in shite, and put the dog in the Jeep.
I met the Girlfriend at the vet; we got some antibiotics for her and headed home.
We walked into the house... and the Girlfriend then realized that when I said "Explosive Diarrhea" I meant it.
We cleaned and bleached for a few hours and then went to bed.
Why am I sharing this story on my blog? Last week this happened again... on a MUCH smaller scale. However, looking back on it now the girlfriend and I can laugh about this whole thing. Despite being about poop; I find this story quite amusing and back in February I would have never expected to have experienced "Explosive Diarrhea" twice in one year.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
I Don't Think We Are in Kansas Anymore...
I've been traveling quite a bit recently. In the last 30 days or so...
10 Days in Portland for Work
1 Day in Arizona for a Photography Seminar
3 Days in Northern Arizona for Camping/Photography
3 Days in California at Disneyland
Still to come in the next few weeks:
3 Days in Southern Arizona for Photography
4 Days in Utah for Camping/Photography
I'm enjoying these trips, but it's a lot of them in a short amount of time and all of them are occupying my weekends. I'm beginning to miss having a weekend where I don't have anyplace to be or anything to do. I realize most of these trips are of my own choosing, so I have no one to blame but myself.
I really liked the isolation while camping in Northern Arizona (pictured here). It was a huge contrast to the following weekend when the Girlfriend and I went to Disneyland during the Spring Break season. Ugh. Never again will we do that. We had a lot of fun, but there were long lines for everything.
I still want to plan at least two more trips for this year. I want to take another trip with the Girlfriend (most of the trips above have been without her) and dogs. It's always fun to have our dogs along. I would also like to take a trip with my dad. We do one every year and I don't want to make this year an exception. I'm still not sure what the destination will be for either trip; however I'm certain it will be fun.
10 Days in Portland for Work
1 Day in Arizona for a Photography Seminar
3 Days in Northern Arizona for Camping/Photography
3 Days in California at Disneyland
Still to come in the next few weeks:
3 Days in Southern Arizona for Photography
4 Days in Utah for Camping/Photography
I'm enjoying these trips, but it's a lot of them in a short amount of time and all of them are occupying my weekends. I'm beginning to miss having a weekend where I don't have anyplace to be or anything to do. I realize most of these trips are of my own choosing, so I have no one to blame but myself.
I really liked the isolation while camping in Northern Arizona (pictured here). It was a huge contrast to the following weekend when the Girlfriend and I went to Disneyland during the Spring Break season. Ugh. Never again will we do that. We had a lot of fun, but there were long lines for everything.
I still want to plan at least two more trips for this year. I want to take another trip with the Girlfriend (most of the trips above have been without her) and dogs. It's always fun to have our dogs along. I would also like to take a trip with my dad. We do one every year and I don't want to make this year an exception. I'm still not sure what the destination will be for either trip; however I'm certain it will be fun.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Beware of Dogs?
Last night we took Scout and Bandit to their first session of dog agility training. I don't think the Girlfriend and I had laughed that hard in a long time! We had a blast. The boys were by far the oldest dogs in the class (everyone else was less than a year old). We are looking forward to next week's class.
On a totally different note... some people just suck.
I hate people sometimes...
On a totally different note... some people just suck.
I hate people sometimes...
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Big Brother is Watching
I got a call Monday night from American Express. They wanted to verify some recent charges to my card.
“Oh, that’s easy I haven’t used my card since the middle of last week.”
The security rep from American Express tells me that there is a total $327.68 of suspect charges. She cancels the card and then begins explaining the next steps… and… nothing…
Damn cell phone dropped the call! (I don’t have a regular telephone, only a cell).
Sunva…
I call back… the Security and Fraud Department is now closed? They close at 8pm. It’s 8:01pm.
F*&#!!!
I call the 1-800 number on the back of the card. Now the real fun begins… I get their “after hours” customer service.
I explain the situation and that I was on the phone and got disconnected.
“So then, how may I help you Mr. Cummins?”
“Ummm what happens next? What do I do? How do I get a new card?”
He explains to me that the card has been canceled (I knew that and told him that initially) and that in a few days I can call them back and file a fraud claim and refute the charges.
What?
“Call back and file a fraud claim? You people called me. You identified the charges first and I confirmed I did not make them. Why do I need to call back and open a fraud claim?”
“These charges are pending, so we cannot do anything with them right now.”
“How about you decline them and start the fraud claim now…?”
“Sir, these charges are pending…”
You can see where this was going. I’ll be calling them back today.
*Sigh* At least I’m not liable for the charges and they caught it early.
It’s at times like these when it is nice to have “Big Brother” watching.
“Oh, that’s easy I haven’t used my card since the middle of last week.”
The security rep from American Express tells me that there is a total $327.68 of suspect charges. She cancels the card and then begins explaining the next steps… and… nothing…
Damn cell phone dropped the call! (I don’t have a regular telephone, only a cell).
Sunva…
I call back… the Security and Fraud Department is now closed? They close at 8pm. It’s 8:01pm.
F*&#!!!
I call the 1-800 number on the back of the card. Now the real fun begins… I get their “after hours” customer service.
I explain the situation and that I was on the phone and got disconnected.
“So then, how may I help you Mr. Cummins?”
“Ummm what happens next? What do I do? How do I get a new card?”
He explains to me that the card has been canceled (I knew that and told him that initially) and that in a few days I can call them back and file a fraud claim and refute the charges.
What?
“Call back and file a fraud claim? You people called me. You identified the charges first and I confirmed I did not make them. Why do I need to call back and open a fraud claim?”
“These charges are pending, so we cannot do anything with them right now.”
“How about you decline them and start the fraud claim now…?”
“Sir, these charges are pending…”
You can see where this was going. I’ll be calling them back today.
*Sigh* At least I’m not liable for the charges and they caught it early.
It’s at times like these when it is nice to have “Big Brother” watching.
Monday, March 3, 2008
"I'm Not Dead Yet..."
I really should've gone running instead of taking pictures of my running shoes...
Originally uploaded by dcumminsusa
I started.
A couple of quick updates:
My weight still hasn't changed, but my running has improved. This tells me a couple of things. On one hand my cardiovascular health must be better than it ever has been.
Why?
Because currently I can haul my jigglin' self around for 8-9 miles at a reasonable pace every weekend. In the past I weighed less and had a more difficult time running that kind of distance. My heart rate is also approximately at the same level it was when I was 20lbs lighter; meaning my heart/lungs aren't straining to move the heavier me. To me those are good things. If you are REALLY interested
you can see the my running routes, paces, distances, etc on my Motion Based web page.
The fact that my weight has not gone down confirms that I have not been disciplined in what I have been putting down my gullet. I'm consuming just the right number of calories... to maintain my weight. If I was consuming too many my weight would go up and if I was consuming less calories I would be experiencing some weight loss.
I had a physical about two weeks ago. Everything looked good and my doctor was impressed that someone my age is taking an active interest in their cholesterol and blood pressure. I still need to get my blood work done so I know all those specific numbers. I plan to get that done tomorrow.
I'll have some more posts coming soon...
The picture above is of my running shows, heart rate monitor, and workout towel. Click on it for the details.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)