Two (Y)EARS, CORN you believe that?!

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Two years of pure support! Two years ago I told myself when I left the employed world I would roll with photography until it no longer worked or until I no longer wanted to photograph. This was the start of my self employed avenue.

Growing up on the farm I watched my two parents be self employed my entire life. There are many perks and many downfalls. The greatest perk is flexibility. The biggest downfall is they’re always able to work.

I must say the self-employed life is also what suits me best.

In two years time I have learnt a lot! I’ve learnt a lot about how to take better pictures and my editing style has changed as well. I’ve also learnt so many other skills. Marketing, people, business practices, self scheduling etc etc.

Although there are many times I get frustrated at others' assumptions of how easy or unfruitful my career is. (Not all people think this).

I try to brush it off my shoulders because I specifically remember someone telling me they wanted to be a photographer six years ago and I thought “hmm thats not much of a career and likely wont pay many bills”. So as always… I try to put myself into others shoes and not get frustrated! As sometimes I feel saying I’m a photographer won't be understood by most as a good career.

Although it is worth a good chuckle when some people think I’m either rolling in money or on the street corners begging for money.

Although photography is not “hard work” in a physical aspect, there is a lot of work put into it.

There are so many things to photography that I would have never known. The cost of camera bodies, lens’, computer programs, hard drives, cases, strobes, storage, insurance, etc. Most of all my personal time. It all adds up. So my once theory of “family sessions over $100 is ridiculous”… no longer holds true. There is a lot of investment behind capturing photos in both time and money!

Although it is still mind blowing how many people will barter with photographers on price. A wise friend once told me “people don’t try barter at the cash register of the grocery store on the price of bread, so why are we photographers any different?”. This is another skill I am trying to learn. Know your worth and stick to it!

In high school during a business class we were asked what our “definition of success was”. My response was “Success to me would mean, a work life balance that I am happy with and can support the life I realistically desire”.

I think in life we get so caught up in what our specific definition of success is that we feel as though we fail whenever our path steers in a different direction than planned. So thankfully one lesson I learned while I was young is that plans change… and they change a lot! So being able to not get worked up about lifes planned or unplanned changes, is a valuable skill to have.

So when my path changed and is rolling out totally different than I would have ever expected it to in the last two years- I am so thankful I didn't resist the change in plans!

For so many reasons the lifestyle behind a photographer suits me. It allows me to create, be different, work with others or alone. It allows me to make my own hours, even if most of the time that means working more than I should in a day. Most of all - it allows my passion for all things agriculture and creativity to collide!

One reason I began to hate working in the corporate world, was I felt some lost their ability to be humble. Some get so caught up in the suits, fancy titles, where they rank compared to others in a company etc etc.

One thing I always aspire to be is real and never let my love for being on farms drift. There’s a time and a place to be professional but being on farms and not afraid of getting dirty, is to me… way better than an office and suit everyday with a fancy job title.

Often I get to work with families and farmers. The best thing is when I photograph families or farmers. I don’t care if you have a fancy job title or iron your suit pants daily. The only thing that matters to me is that I get to work with people and capture their personality!

In two years of being able to photograph the biggest take away is the people! Some individuals challenge me. Most often although, people impress me! People's generosity and kindness all shines though in so many cases. Kind words and gestures are never forgotten!

I have had many individuals guide me and assist me on my path to where I am today and for that I continue to be thankful. Most individuals I work with I can laugh with. Anyone who knows me, knows I love to be witty or joke around often. So the fact I can be exactly myself with clients is amazing. Often after sessions I will get asked to stay for a bite to eat or a drink or two. Personally I secretly love getting to know the faces behind the members in the photos I take and always love getting to visit after the camera is put away. I love hearing your stories and what makes you who you are.

After two years of photographing I can truly say when I look at photos, I see personality before any physical characteristics. I don’t remember the clients that looked like they were models or farms that had the nicest equipment. The personalities that I meet along the way, stand out the most. As a photographer I hope that first and foremost your personality is what I capture. And as a photographer the amazing personality is what keeps me doing what I do and loving it! (However I will admit this is a hard one for myself personally. To look at a photo of myself and not critique my physical characteris and remember it’s all about the memory in a photo not perfection).

I hope within another year I can say my path has led me to working strictly in agricultural settings, although I’m just along for the ride and I can’t wait to see where my path takes me and the people I meet along the way! Thank you to all those who have encouraged & supported me over the last two years and continue to!

Jodie <3

Jodie AldredAugust 26, 2020Agricultural, Farming, Photography