We are not alone in the universe... unfortunately.

I recently attended the Imaging USA conference in Nashville, TN... along with about 10,000 other photographers!  Although the Professional Photographer's  Association raved about the attendance numbers, I couldn't help but wonder if my decision to pursure photography might not be a mistake.  10,000 people!!  That tells me that photography is a highly competative business and you will have to be creative and set yourself apart from the crowd if you hope to establish a successful and lucrative career.

That's kind of the bad news... although needing to be creative and cutting edge is not really a bad thing.  The good news is that, of those 10,000 people attending the conference, I would guess that not all of them are willing to put in the hours and effort that being successful in any type of business requires. 

The late, great photographer Monte Zuker completed a book just before he died (it was published in 2008).  In his book Monte wrote, "I am continually asking professional photographers (and aspiring professionals), "to what extent are you willing to put yourself out in order to become the best photographer that you can be?  To what lengths are you willing to go to create the best portrait that you can make?"  The answer keeps coming back, "whatever it takes!  I'm ready to go all the way!"

Monte went on to write, "I don't believe it any more - not for the majority of people with whom I have come in contact.  People say that, but when push comes to shove, the answer really is, "Whatever it takes... as long as I don't have to put myself out too much." 

I don't know about you, but that makes me feel pretty good.  If you are one of the few (in Monte's opinion) who are willing to work hard and really go for it... then chances are, photography can be a great career!

I wrote about Colonel Sander's in yesterday's blog.  There's one guy that was willing to work hard and create a unique image for himself... at 65 years of age? 

The question I find myself asking is... what can I do to make my brand new studio and my photography different?  What can I do to set myself apart from the rediculously large group of photographers out there  peddleing their services? 

That's what I am going to think about over the weekend.  But right now it's Friday night and I'm about to head out to dinner with my wife.  Take care and I'll see you next week!