I work as a film and marketing intern and have recently gained access to a Canon DSLR Rebel t5i that I use for my job. Getting access to a fancy camera is a funny thing. First, there’s this new inflated attitude you assume, because you’re a photographer now. Book your weddings, bar mitzvahs, and bark mitzvahs with me, folks. Because yes, I know how to press my finger on a shutter. I have a Canon. You know, like the one real experts use.
After that first stint of fake authority fades, you will begin to notice, like I sure did, that you aren’t necessarily great at photography–you just have a really high definition camera. Anything can look upscale if it’s “HD”.
But by now you’ve established a bit of a presence and the reputation that you do pictures and people begin to ask you to “do events”. And you are kind of a photographer, albeit a less artistic one than most, but a photographer nonetheless. So you say yes.
And the thing about events is that they are cray. Actually, here’s a tip for those of you who are power hungry: Take a fancy camera to an event. Shit goes down.
For starters, everyone begins to act in one of two ways: they are either hyper aware of you and stare straight into the camera for awkward breaking-the-fourth-wall shots, or they are hyper aware of you and begin to “act naturally” in order to get some great #candids. In either case, it’s painful for you, the photographer.
There’s also a newfound respect you get as an artiste. People stop being assholes and actually say “excuse me” when they bump into you or when they get in your shot. They also respect your weird decisions to kneel or sit weirdly when you’re shooting. (You do it because people in the movies do it, and the event attendees don’t mind because now we are all part of the same daydream.)
The best and worst part of events, however, is that people will always ask you for personal pictures. You’ll get:
- Can you do a headshot for me? It’s for a conference!
- I need a new LinkedIn picture. Thanks.
- You know, for my Facebook profile.
- I’m joining Tinder.
- I’m joining Grindr.
- For my Instagram!
- For my dog’s Youtube.
–all of these, mind you, at real “networking” events and conferences.
But whatever, I guess it’s a small price to pay for “building your portfolio” and already being well on your way to becoming the next Mario Testino or Kait Robinson. No, I didn’t just Google “famous photographers” and listed the top man and woman (how heteronormative of this list). I totally know my art form. Shh. Here, uh, want me to take your headshot?
