There are certain things that I do very well.
The flip side to knowing what you do well is that you also become intimately familiar with what you don’t do well and, well, I don’t take good spur of the moment photos. I just don’t. I’m not very good at any kind of event photography; I’m not a natural photojournalist and I’m not what one would consider a “lifestyle” photographer. Such photography requires certain skills and talents that I simply don’t posses. I suppose if I had any interest in such work, I could become good at it, but the simple fact is, I don’t.
It’s pretty much a non-issue, however from time to time I still have to turn down requests for such work. If it’s client driven, it’s not a big deal, I simply explain to them that I’m not very good at that kind of work and recommend someone who is. They appreciate the honesty. However, sometimes I get asked to shoot events for friends and when I turn these requests down I always feel badly and hope that they understand that I’m trying to do them a favor – sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t.
A very good friend of mine is about to have what is sure to be a very beautiful baby boy and she wanted some lifestyle shots to document her pregnancy along with a nude portrait of herself to commemorate this special time in her life. I knew she was having a hard time finding a photographer to take maternity photos and, against my better judgment, offered to shoot her.
I’m glad I did. She certainly could have done better than me, but it was awesome to be a part of this special time with special friends. Thankfully, she likes the photo and was enthusiastic about my sharing it.
