This one is informative but also a little of a rant, so bear with me! As I mentioned in a previous post, my 1st big break was covering The International Champions Cup game for an online media company back in 2016. I was nervous, i mean really nervous! Why? This was a huge event at University of Michigan on the football field.....The Big House, covering one of the premier soccer events that would be seen all across the world!
On top of all that, while waiting at the media entrance to get in their was a line of photographers their with big camera bags carrying tons of gear. Their was a team of like 6 photographers from Getty, more from AP, I mean I was standing in line with photographers from every major media outlet in the business. Most of them dragging in $20,000 worth of equipment. And here's me, with my little camera bag with my 7dmkii and a rented 70-200 lens.
I got a chance to chat with a few of them. MOST of them were pretty nice people their just to do a job. But theirs always that one guy! That one photographer that looks down his nose at you cause you don't use or have $20,000 worth of gear! They are to good to have a conversation with you and act like they were born with a f@cking camera in their hand! Those guys are a$$holes! Stay away from them! I repeat.....stay away from them! Those guys/girls give a lot of photographers a bad rep because of their there attitude. They forgot that everyone had to start some where. They also forgot that at the start of their career they didn't have all that expensive gear. They started with what they could afford! Not saying they are bad photographers, they just forgot where they came from.
I would be willing to bet dollar for dollar that SOMEONE helped them at somepoint in their career. By either giving them some advice about either there gear set up or something? Don't be one of those a$$holes! I can and have no problem saying if it wasn't for others helping me out along the way, their is no way I would be where I am today with my photography. Bill Howard took a chance on me after seeing some of my work in a photography group on Facebook. He got me in with that online media company that got me credentials to photograph the biggest event of my career to date. Even now, if I have questions about something I'll shoot him a message on Facebook and when he gets the time, he helps.
The point of this blog, HELP OTHERS and don't be one of those a$$holes. Ive been lucky and fortunate that I had some great people help me along the way. Because of that, I will absolutely try to help another photographer if I can. I dont know everything or claim to know everything. If I cant help, ill try to point them in a direction so they can get help. Plus you can still learn from them. So in case you forgot, don't be an a$$hole and help others!