Over my Pay Grade: Things I Couldn’t/Wouldn’t Do Photographically…

I'll try just about anything and enjoy it while I am doing it. But I always tell people, especially relatives, that I am not a pro, so if they expect anything worth keeping when everything is said and done then they better pay someone to do it. I've done weddings, grand opening events, portraits, sports (mainly high school, not pro), racing, wildlife, hunting, skateboarding, landscapes, climbing, cheerleading, mining (surface & underground), construction, street, and more that I can't remember right now. I was a professional accident investigator in my previous life so that is where my primary expertise lies, but I love doing new things with a camera so I will almost always try if I am asked. I have lots of very active grandkids who I dearly love and keeping up with them keeps me busy. I did get pretty good at photographing sports events but i am certainly not a professional.
 
Hmm ... nudes. It's very interesting ...

I've only done a small bit of figure studies — photographing nude men and women ... women: none of them were interested in anything to do with extracurricular activities, most were pretty reserved and a bit shy until we got to know each other when they would relax and play a bit with their imagination of being sexy. With nude men, I've found that most are even more shy about it than the women were at first, but they relax into it a bit more quickly ... and if they're gay (and they do know that I'm gay) the shoot play then might become a bit more suggestive and libidinous. But none have ventured over the line to making advances, or wanting advances. The straight guys usually are a bit more shy at first, and then become a bit more proud as they relax and enjoy showing off their bodies ... and knowing I'm a guy and I'm gay, I think, made them think of me as 'safe' because they imagine they'd only get, um, excited if I was a woman.

I'd enjoy doing more figure studies, and learning how to do them well. Perhaps I'll poke around and see if I can find a few guys/gals to pose for me.

G
 
Closest I ever came to that was decades ago, photographing figure skaters on the ice, me skating backwards with my Canon F1. I had been a figure skater thru my teens and twenties, so it wasn't that big of a deal.

Best,
-Tim
 
I remember posing for grade school class pictures in the 60's/70's. And since it was Parochial school, we were well behaved 😇 and feel we didn't traumatize the professional photographer too much. :)
 
Thankfully I am a proud amateur, so I can indulge in whatever type of photography I like that is within my means and within my location. I do not do any type of photography that I do not feel inspired to do.

I´m not big on traveling just to photograph one or two (four) whatever weeks a year. I prefer close to home all year round.
 
Before I retired I had a rule of never working for the public. With very few exceptions I stuck to that rule but was forced on a few occasions to shoot weddings for clients or friends of the family. I only shot a handful and hated every second of it. Eventually I just refused even at the risk of offending someone.

I never shot family portraits, only corporate executives. Absolutely would not do family pix other than my immediate family.

Another one I hated and only shot a few was presentations like awards presentations. I had to shoot several “grip and grins” when I worked for the department of energy but never liked doing them. I’d place banquets and events in the same category.

Edit: No school photos😬, no senior pictures🤮 & no baby pictures unless they’re part of an ad campaign😉. I shot many ads for P&G, Gerber and several other big corporations with babies and fashion catalogs and ads with young kids and there was never any joy in it other than the money.
 
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