This post follows on from my previous found at: My personal Camera Nostalgia (camstalgia)
No samples of club work In this post due to copyright restrictions :(
Christmas 2011 gave me both the Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 AF-S DX and the Nikon SB-700
In the spring of the following year I had managed to break through what is possibly the photographer's glass ceiling. And that is finding work, hence turning what had been a long standing hobby for me into something useful for which I was getting paid. I found the process fairly easy. iamvip seems to always be hiring amateur photographers on the pre-requisite that they have a (camera mounted) flash unit. They're also always happy to teach the basics of nightclub work; that is the environment from a photographer's perspective. They also informally tell you how to defend yourself, should the need arise.
All of these lessons were very important, and within only a short time, Photography had encompassed my weekend, Friday night meant that Saturday was a no-go and Saturday night finished me off until Wednesday. Its not by accident that I'm implying the hardships of this job; it was tough with no chance of a staff job and the ever present possibility of ending a night with a total earning of £0. Regardless, I secretly relished the opportunity to convert my hobby into a job and although I was tired I was happy.
But not for long. Soon my patience had worn thin and I thought myself above the work type. I left and promptly found something new to fill my weekend in the form of B&W 35mm film photography.
A friend pressured me into bidding on a used Zorki 4, an overly simplistic rangefinder camera from 1973 USSR (picture above)
The rangefinder's mechanics were old, but clean and functional. And as I taught myself more about manual exposure and depth of field I joined the Leeds University Photography Society and paid only a little extra for use of the dark room.
Pretty soon I was filling 2-3 film rolls in a weekend. And finally at Christmas 2012 I received a negative scanner to be able to share the results:
The development process clearly left its mark on the pictures, but I didn't care, the photos were for me at this time and the feel of film and manual focus lenses tempted me into buying a second 35mm film camera body: the Praktica TL5B, for which I later acquired 3 lenses.
It wasn't long at all before I shifted my focus back to finding work. At some point in the excitement of film cameras I had subscribed to the photosoc, whose connections I now used to find another Leeds based employer.
La Fiesta Leeds and I were soon in contact, and soon after that I had been offered a staff position with an hourly wage which for me at the time was a jackpot and an opportunity I was not going to miss out on!
Although I personally dislike almost every picture I've taken whilst working with La Fiesta, working in nightclubs without the frustrating keychain around my neck provided by iamvip had a more professional feel about it. Although I still wouldn't class myself as a pro, I would often be stopped from my work by people asking after my photographic services.
It was around this point in time I was making enough £££ that I simply stopped looking for part time sales assistant work and it now became sensible for me to return to Leeds early in 2013 in order to fulfil yet another pre arranged contract.
At Christmas 2012, I half bought & half begged a nikon D7000, a camera which at the time of writing I cannot recommend enough for its professional feature set. As of January 2013 the 18-70mm lens is still my most used, along with the classic and standard prime, the 50mm f/1.8.
More posts will surely follow, with an emphasis more on product (nikon) recommendations, tips and advice for amateur photographer's. If you've enjoyed the blog so far; I suggest that you watch this space.
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