Why I Chose to be a Photographer

It wasn’t easy deciding to be a photographer as a profession. I had a great job working for the government, in a field that I had studied for – civil engineering. In fact, I was well on my way to becoming a Professional Engineer. So why did I quit my job and decide to be a photographer?

 

MONEY

Actually, no, that was not a reason for leaving my job after about 5 years. I’ve grown up clinging to the belief that money was the be all and end all of my happiness. I worked hard in elementary and secondary school to get into a good university. Then I ended up at McMaster University in Hamilton that has one of the best engineering programs. I was specifically in the Engineering and Management program so I got to learn most of what the B.Com kids were learning too. I did really well and found myself with a government job. Everyone’s dream!

At first I was on the pension bandwagon and considered myself to be a “lifer” (people who work at the same place until they retire). I’d have great retirement payments waiting for me at only 55 years of age. Now all I had to do was wait. Just wait the 30 or so odd years for that to happen and then I could live my life freely. Just…30…years. Needless to say a switch went off in my brain and my view reversed itself.

 

YOU ONLY GET ONE LIFE

Whether or not you believe we have one life to live (and as cliche as that is), you can probably agree that living your life to the best of your abilities is something to strive for. Maybe our parents and their parents didn’t have that luxury. Maybe it was a world war or the depression. Whatever the case, it doesn’t mean you have to live the same exact way. It seems like Millennials are getting a bad rap for thinking they can do anything and feeling like the world owes them something. I think the real reason is because there is so much opportunity and they just don’t know how to grasp it. It’s just too much for them to handle.

I digress…back to my story. I figured that I’d rather live poor and happy than rich and unhappy. Although the goal is to live a balanced life of well-off and happy. If I became rich doing what I love, then I’d be able to handle it given my roots. That happens to be my goal right now. It’s hard when society keeps sending signals about what happiness entails. I think everyone is happy in different ways. For some it’s having nice clothes or a huge house. And that’s fine. Do whatever you need to do to accomplish that and make yourself happy. Others could go fishing all day and that would make them the happiest person in the world. Great! Just do whatever it is that makes you happy!

 

MY LOVE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY

I chose to become a professional photographer because I love being creative. I also love to draw and sketch designs for buildings, cars, inventions, clothing, and more, but photography allows me to create quickly. In post-processing I can enhance my concepts even further and really play around with new ideas. That was something I wasn’t able to do previously at work and by the time I got home I felt to drained to be able to express myself.

 

BEYOND EXPECTATIONS

Something else that came with doing something I love everyday is that I just love life more. Now my work is something I look forward to talking to my wife about. She always used to ask me, “So how was work?” and my response was more or less, “Same as usual. Please stop asking me everyday.” I was always so sour about it and I don’t know how she ever put up with me for that. I much preferred hearing about her day, so maybe that was the silver lining that kept me out of trouble.

Since I get to do something I love I’m no longer stressed. It also helps that I follow the Three Simple Steps. I highly recommend it to anyone who feel like they’re stuck in a rut. Perhaps I’ll write a review on it one day. Anyway, I may be the most relaxed person you ever meet and I’ve been told that attitude passes on to those I talk to if only momentarily. Would you like to meet for coffee?

I also thought I’d never be able to use my education again which was saddening considering the 5 tough years of work that was. I have always maintained that an engineering education teaches you how to learn and how to solve problems; not learn the physics, math, and other “fun” stuff. Turns out I get to use my education everyday to learn more about photography and post-processing, how to pose people, and how to learn how to truly connect with my subject and audience through my photography.

 

I love the way I can express myself and continue to grow in life through photography and that’s why I chose to be a photographer!

 

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Jonathan How is the photographer behind Made by Ten and calls Milton his home. He specializes in creating beautiful, creative portraits of real women. He uses photography (and this blog) to help them build confidence and love for themselves and creates artistic images for their homes and offices. You can see him driving around the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in Ontario, Canada from portrait to fashion shoot and back again.