Are photographers happy?

[gr82bart]

According to Time, only 20% of photographers are happy at their job. Here's the link. Use your mouse to scroll the 'happiness continuum' at the right to see who is happy and who is not.

http://www.time.com/time/2007/america_numbers/job.html

Regards, Art. (I'm just pi$$ed. Let's start another flame war!)

 

[thebanana]

Apparently I'm happier in my real profession ("Public Administrator" is closest) than I could ever dream to be as a photographer. Who knew?

 

[rorye]

I love my job. But then I don't think of it as work. I just take photos and have fun. If it didn't make me happy I don't think I'd do it.

 

[David H. Bebbington]

This is bizarre in a way, since freelances (any kind) are fully in charge of their own fates!

 

[pesphoto]

I work fulltime as a photographer in a commercial studio to make a living. No Im really not happy with it, but I do it because I can and it pays the bills.
My personal work in photography is what makes me happy!!

 

[Craig]

I think it make far more difference who your boss/fellow coworkers are than what your exact job is. Presumably you wouldn't be doing a job that you hate for what it is, like an animal rights activist becoming a taxidermist.

 

[dpurdy]

I have been working in photography for over 30 years and have been independent for 18 years. I can tell you that I am chronically depressed. About the only time I get happy is when I have created something that I really like. So I always work.

 

[Lee Shively]

I'm much happier today as a photographer than when I worked as a photographer.

 

[Shawn Rahman]

I'm with Lee on this one. The most miserable time I ever had as a photographer is when I shot two weddings and a christening. The customers absolutely loved my work and paid very nicely. But never again, even though I am still asked by referrals today from these parties which took place almost four years ago. Too much pressure, and I started to hate photographing because of it.

Now I take pictures at my leisure and love it.

 

[pesphoto]

I have been working in photography for over 30 years and have been independent for 18 years. I can tell you that I am chronically depressed. About the only time I get happy is when I have created something that I really like. So I always work.

Same here. I think having to create what others are telling me to create even though I may think it looks like crap contributes to it. Being constantly art directed sucks!!

 

[rorye]

I agree, art direction can suck, but hopefully a good art director will listen to your point of view and trust you as the photographer enough to let you make a nice image that you like. Of course churning out stuff on white can be a real grind I think Craig has a great point, so much depends on your coworkers. After some of the crap jobs I've had I pretty much thank my lucky stars every day that I get to play at being a photographer.

 

[Bruce Osgood]

I think almost by definition a person occupied by a creative force is not a happy person or he/she would be an accountant. Nice and tidy.

Isn't that why photographers make pictures or painters paint or writers write? Because they are not happy with what they see and feel they can improve on it.

I'm not talking about the family snapper.

 

[gr82bart]

Painters and writers appear to be twice as happy as photographers though.

Regards, Art.

 

[BobNewYork]

In a previous life my "real" job was as a foreign exchange trader - the pressure of wedding photography, (and there's no doubt it's pressured) pales against having a huge market position that's going tubular on you!!! Just ask that poor French trader whether he'd rather be photographing weddings right now!!

That said, there is a tendency in the creative fields to focus on the parts of your job that inhibit you're creativity. Creative individuals are usually frustrated because they have to keep creating. It's a question of living to work or working to live. Read Edward Weston's Daybooks - he comes across about as happy as Van Gogh!

We're happy when we create a piece that makes the statement WE want to make. We're frustrated the rest of the time. A photographer's happiness is entirely dependent on exactly when we're asked.

 

[gr82bart]

Just ask that poor French trader whether he'd rather be photographing weddings right now!!

This is off topic. About that trader, like Nick Leeson, if I screwed up THAT badly at work, I'd take $100k more from the company and go on an extended vacation in the most hedonistic way possible before I turn myself in. I mean it's such a huge f-up that actually stealing $100k pales in comparison, doesn't it? Honestly, at that point it wouldn't be stressful to me any more.

Regards, Art.

 

[BobNewYork]

Not really off-topic Art - It's about job satisfaction! P'raps those trader's were ticked with their employers. Now THAT'll teach their bosses!! As a photographer you just can't get an art director back that bad!!

 

[gandolfi]

well - my job doesn't excist in america so it doesn't count.

but I must have the most privilegded (sp?) job there is...

being a Folk highschool teacher, teaching not just photography, but excately what area in photography I chose (as we have no exams). Photographing in my spare time (and I have some...). chosing my models among the students of the school ().

it doesn't pay a lot, but that is not the point.

nobody is telling what do teach. as long as I teach.
nobody is telling me what to photograph. My own choise (which can be hard)

my only problem is, that living in Denmark is a real challenge, if you are interested in analouge photography.
And out health department does a pretty good job in making it impossible to teach analouge.

all in all: I am blessed.

 

[BobNewYork]

In my opinion you, my friend, have totally 'nailed' this thing we call life! Where do I sign up?!!

 

[Ole]

I couldn't find anything even remotely resembling my real profession (independent geology consultant in the oil industry?), but I'm happy. Very Happy.

 

[removed account4]

i work as a photographer and i am happy doing it.
my clients trust me to do what i need to do,
and i work on a project to project basis.

i don't really do commecial work, but i document things,
that will be torn down or "renovated"
(kind of like performing last rites with a camera) ...
... no art director, but an architected or engineer
or preservation planner or ???
who trusts i know about the "stuff" i am asked
to document ...

the turn around is pretty quick,
and my clients are usually working on 3 or 4 jobs
at once, so i never really know how the photographs i submit
are received ... once in a while "the client's client"
likes what i have done enough that they ask me to
make enlargements of photographs that were part of the submission
to be matted and framed and put on the office wall
... and that make me even happier.

 

[arigram]

Photography is a high pressure, highly structured commercial profession, usually not paid very well.
Professional photographers are paid to take millions of quick snapshots of events and they are sadistically directed by superiors (customers/clients included in the description) that control every little aspect of the job.
What differs from other jobs with similar descriptions is that most photographers got into the profession to do artistic, personal work and they were sucked into a scorpion filled hole they cannot again escape from.
Commercial photographers usually have no control over their own photographs and are part of large teams making them be simple "mobile support" for the cameras as even the shutter release is automatic and without any thought process.

A professional photographer who does his/her own works has very big balls. And is happy.

 

[Denis P.]

On a side note.... somewhat similar situation.

A youger member of our local photo club is very gifted in "having an eye" - he's produced some stunning photos... and has actualy become a very accomplished photographer. When he was thinking about switching the university (he was studying economy or something like that at the time) for an Art Academy and studying photography, I told him he's better off this way. I also said that he should enroll only if he wanted to start hating photography....

Perhaps this does not apply universally, but here in Croatia you can count yourself lucky if you come across teachers/professors who won't make you hate whatever you're studying.

The way things are, I also think I'd start hating potography in general if I had to do it for a living (similar to what Ari described).

Denis

 

[Lol999]

25 years ago I wanted to be a photographer. Lack of suitable courses and employment with established photographers meant I took a different path. I don't think in retrospect i would have been happy doing years and years of weddings and portraits. I'm still not happy in my photography. It causes me great angst because I'm trying to wrench creative photography from one of the most non-artistic souls on the planet. I'm riddled with self-doubt and frustration, like trying to speak in a language you don't understand. I've considered a photography degree but don't like most of the syllabus.
I can understand Van Gogh lopping the ear off out of sheer frustration.
I still take pictures because I enjoy the process, I just don't think I'll ever believe I'm any good or enjoy it, even though I look back at my work sometimes and think "that's not half bad".

Cheers, Lol

 

[Early Riser]

I can't speak for any photographer other than myself. I think though that happiness is partly good fortune, but also partly a choice. Some people just choose to be happy.

In my own life I have been extraordinarily fortunate. At a very early age I knew I wanted to be a photographer and followed a path that lead me from a to b to c, etc with very little deviation or misdirection. I came from middle class origins, and by 22 was living a dream, living in my loft/photo studio in the photo district of Manhattan, shooting for magazines and ad agencies. There were pressures and concerns of course, but all things considered life was easy and I was very happy.

Now the studio and the life that came with that type of photography is gone, gone by choice because I found my self with the desire and opportunity to pursue the type of photography that first caught my eye. At 50 now I feel more fortunate than ever before. Happily married, challenged and satisfied by my work, and a life full of friends and family (my parents are in their mid 80's and are well, a source of great happiness for me). Life was good and just gets better, how much happier can one be?

 

[BobNewYork]

I've looked at your site Lol - and I like your work. The series on the homeless was awesome. But your point is well taken. We all wonder whether we're any good or not and keep refining your technique and vision. Even on commercial shoots and particularly when I do things like weddings I always worry that I did fine. My guess is that the day you stop worrying and learning is the day you may as well hang it all up.

I also think that we are not the best judge of our work.