Nursing is my job and photography is my art. I have noticed one distinct similarity between these two huge parts of my world. Let me start off by saying I love nursing. I have always wanted to be a nurse. My mom has been a nurse for 40 years. And because of this, she prepared me before starting nursing school for the fact that the nursing field is notorious for "Eating Their Young." In other words, nurses that have been in the "game" for a while torture nursing students and new grad RNs and fail to accept and mentor them or allow them to learn and grow. I have experienced it, and most of my fellow RNs have too in some form.
With that said, no one prepared me for the fact that photography is the same way. I was and remain shocked and appalled by the ruthless cut throat nature of "The Bizz." Now photography is not a business to me. It is the art form in which I choose to express myself and one that I love and have a deeply rooted passion for. But why must people attack other's art or the way they choose to express themselves through their chosen art form? A few weeks ago I became part of a movement called "The Be Nice Campaign." It is described as-"We are group of Artists coming together to support each other and BE NICE!!!" Julie Paisley banded photographers together in thinking that all of us should support, encourage and help one another...regardless of experience level or type of equipment we use etc... At the end of the day we all share a love for The Art of Photography. Needless to say I was stoked to finally see that there were other photographers that felt the same way I did about photography. We can all learn and grow as artists. There is no need to put down others of different styles, skill levels or any other differences photographers might have. Doing so won't make your pictures any better. It jus makes you mean.
I have loved taking photos for alot of my life. But it was not until about 2 years ago that I became interested in the ins and outs of photography. I bought my first DSLR and started shooting. I also founded CRAWTOGRAPHY and started a fan page on Facebook.
But there is a distinct difference between my fan page and many others pertaining to photography. You will notice that the heading does not say LOCAL BUSINESS or PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. It simply says ARTIST. This is by design. By not claiming to be a business I have the freedom to say...do...& post images of anything my lil heart desires and no one can claim that anything I post is wrong or unethical or bad. And that freedom is intoxicating to me.
I have no special training or a piece of paper that say I am certified to photograph. I don't need it. All I need is my passion for the art and my eagerness to learn and grow as a photographer. Everything I know I either taught myself by jus shooting, or w/ books and the internet or learned from the few nice experienced photogs I've met. I have tried to learn and grow over the last 2 years by networking and following some of the photographers that have inspired me along the way. But I have met some resistance. I cannot begin to tell you how my brick walls I've run into over the last two years. Although I have met some amazing people along the way as well. But it seems as though the awesome people can be overshadowed by the brutal nature of photography.
So, this rant was spurred by the controversial decision by Google to shut down one of my fav sites...My beloved Picnik. The buzz on Facebook over this announcement have sparked many debates over the day or so. And it seems as though it has set "The Be Nice Campaign" back to the beginning. I have seen so much railing against anyone who uses Picnik as a tool for post processing. My only question to all of these haters is WHY DO YOU CARE WHAT OTHER ARTISTS ARE DOING? Why must so many people hate on others doing what they love? All I can say is, jus because there are alot of people out there with the same passion for photography as you doesn't invalidate your art. So why must you degrade theirs?!
In closing...Live & Let Live!
