2013 February » You Can Sleep When You're Dead: Blog by Colleen Miniuk

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Feb 282013
 
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“A ship in a harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.”
~William Shedd

Reaching for the Stars

“Reaching for the Stars”    A shooting star falls over Thor’s Hammer and Bryce Canyon at moonrise in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah.  Prints available – click on print to order!

Today, February 28th, marks my 6th anniversary of my personal Independence Day, the day I walked skipped joyously out of my grey cubicle walls of Corporate America in 2007 to begin this amazing journey as a freelance photographer and writer. 

I joined Intel in September 1997, fresh from graduating from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (“GO BLUE!”).   Brimming with excitement of “going West,” I started with the company as a software test engineer, then moved on to systems analyst and project management roles within the transportation and logistics, factory automation, and training departments.  Though I worked with so many inspirational, talented people doing remarkable things and enjoyed working for such a generous company, over the course of ten years, I realized it just wasn’t my path in life.  I was safe in the harbor, but that’s not what I was built for.

How did I know I was ready to sail my ship into somewhat unknown open water?  Almost two years of planning and preparation ensured I could make the freeing transition to freelancing.  Though scary at first, after 2190 days have passed since my escape, I still can’t believe I’m so fortunate to live such a fulfilling life.

How do you know if you’re ready to make the leap?  If the following rings true for you, it may be time to start planning your very own Independence Day:

  • Working as a one-person show in a many-ringed circus, juggling marketing, finance, human relations, manufacturing, and training tasks sounds much more appealing than staying in your current position working with clowns.
  • If the photography gig doesn’t work out, your backup plan is to serve hamburgers at a fast food restaurant, not return to your current occupation.
  • You’ve run out of dead relatives – no one honestly believes your grandmother has passed away six times since January – and vacation time.  Or perhaps you’ve used so many sick days, your co-workers think you have some highly contagious unpronounceable disease. 
  • Your desire to become a freelance photographer derives from a burning passion to inform, educate, and inspire others.  You should not make the choice to leave your current position based on lack of other employment options or the idealistic notion of what a National Geographic photographer does in the movie, The Bridges of Madison County.
  • As El Presidente of your own business, when things go right, you’re to blame.  When things go wrong, you’re to blame.  And this complete accountability and control excites you.
  • When you work for yourself, no manager will stand over your shoulder telling you what, when, and how to do your work.  Are you self-disciplined, independent, and highly motivated enough to sail your ship through the occasional fog and stormy weather?
  • Family and friends support you beyond “Wow, that’s a pretty picture, George.  You could totally sell that!”  Your moral support network willingly buys your photographic prints for the holidays, spends hours editing your articles, and cooks you dinner when you forget to eat while putting together a submission.
  • Ever heard the joke: “How do you make a million dollars as a photographer?  You start with two!”  Starting any new career, let alone one in photography, with financial debt is not a smart decision as you’ll be transitioning from a stable income to a fluctuating one.  Put off buying that expensive lens (you don’t need anyhow) and instead ensure you’re financial obligations are low.
  • You’ve already tasted the “good” life by working as a freelancer in conjunction with your current 40-hour work week and have found enough work to cut ties and independently generate income now and in the foreseeable future during self-employment.

Are you ready to sail your ship out of the harbor?  What do you feel you are built for?  Are you currently planning your own Independence Day?  

For more ideas, read my next two posts in this three-part series:

<Shameless plug> If you are seeking more guidance and help in planning a successful transition to a career in photography, please consider joining me for the Arizona Highways Photography Workshop “There’s No Business Like the Photo Business” on June 22-23, 2013.  Visit the Arizona Highways Photography Workshops website at www.ahpw.org/workshops/2013/Phoenix-Arizona-No-Business-Like-Photo-Business-Workshop-2013-06-22 for more information and to register.</Shameless plug>

Share your aspirations and success stories in the comments below, and we’ll raise a glass to you tonight as we celebrate in hopes you too overcome your fears, follow your dreams, and live the life you’ve always hoped for.  After all, Les Brown suggested, “Reach for the moon.  Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”

Thank you so much for your continued support!  Cheers to Independence Day…in February!

 

Feb 122013
 
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Ice Hoodoos

Ice Hoodoos along Ocean Drive, Acadia National Park, Maine. Prints available – click on photograph to order!

Greeting from Acadia National Park!

As a part of my current Artist-in-Residency in Acadia National Park, I am excited to be presenting “Connecting With Nature Through the Lens” program at the next SERC Institute Brown Bag session on this Friday, February 15 from 11:30 am – 1 pm at Moore Auditorium. Free to the public, but donations – which benefit solely the SERC Institute – happily accepted at the door. I know it’s a bit of a commute for the Arizona folks, but hopefully those in the Northeast, specifically Maine, can attend!   For more information, visit http://www.sercinstitute.org/brown-bag-lunch-serc-connecting-nature-through-lens.

Though I’ll be sharing more photos of my phenomenal, still-in-progress four-week residency soon, this bizarre and spectacular sunrise landscape happened yesterday morning along Ocean Drive near Boulder Beach. The peak of the recent blizzard, “Nemo,” occurred almost simultaneously with a higher than normal high tide on Saturday, causing monster waves to pound the granite-lined coast and create a wall of spray almost up to Ocean Drive! This, combined with frigid temperatures well below freezing, plastered rocks and plant life alike with a coating of salt spray along this section of coastline, creating these amazing small desert hoodoo-like formations. As if that find wasn’t enough, the glorious sunrise was one of the most colorful I’ve seen in all my days in the park!

Technical information: Canon 5DMII, 16-35mm lens at 18mm, ISO 125, f/22 @ 1.6 seconds, 3-stop graduated neutral density filter, basic post-processing.

Feb 072013
 
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During February,I’m thrilled to be participating in the month-long “Alberta-Arizona: People and Places” exhibition at the Calgary Public Library in support of the prestigious “Exposure 2013 Photography Festival” in Alberta, Canada.  Presented by the Calgary-based IRIS Photographic Society and Phoenix-based Through Each Others Eyes non-profit organizations, this photographic show features a mix of work from exchange photographers Peter Carroll, Royce Howland, Ken Ross and yours truly.

In celebration of this exciting inaugural show with IRIS and TEOE in Calgary, I’m pleased to share that one of our photographs currently on display at this exhibition, titled “Reflections at Moraine Lake” from Banff National Park, Alberta is our CMS Photography Print of the Month for February 2013!

Now thru February 28, 2013, visit our website and use coupon code FEB13POTM01 to receive 30% off any size or style of this print. As with each Print of the Month within the collection, in addition to your print, you’ll also receive a one-page write-up on the story behind the photograph, which will include specific location information, technical details, and photography tips.

If you’d like to see the print in person (and Calgary happens to be a close-by destination), be sure to stop by the Calgary Public Library!  To learn more about this exhibition, please visit IRIS website at irisphotoalberta.ca/events/2013-events/exposure-2013-exhibit-calgary-public-library/.