At this point in my career, I’ve had a wide range of assignments that have taken me to different parts of the world and I’ve had world leaders, celebrities, sports icons, and everyday people in front of my camera.
I can’t say I’m accomplished, or wealthy, or satisfied but I have done alright.
Today’s challenging market for photography is changing rapidly, and in many ways, for the worst. This means I have to do many jobs I don’t necessarily care to do or where I find myself too overqualified to do them.
For instance, the photo editor at the local newspaper occasionally to do assignments his already overworked staff can’t cover. And most recently I’ve been covering high school sports. As no professional sports teams are in Hawaii, many locals support and follow high school sports religiously. Attendance at some games can be into the thousands so the newspaper takes their coverage seriously.
And while high school sports isn’t necessarily something I care to photograph, it turns out I have enjoyed covering the drama and passion that comes along with these young athletes.
Luckily the assignments have been state championship games and the turnouts are huge. The athletes also give it their all. I’ve covered water polo, softball, and soccer. Its very exciting to see their young faces light up when they win but its equally heartbreaking to see the tears when they’ve lost.