"Being a photographer is a gift..."
It’s flattering to be quoted by a fellow professional photographer...
...even if the room is full of Belgian photographers who speak Dutch, :)
Never in a million years would I be able to assume that A, I’d put myself in a position to have an audience for the thoughts that I have regarding photography, and B, that these thoughts would ever be quoted by another professional photographer in order to reinforce their points.
Now, this lack of foresight is due to the fact that my dreams growing up never involved running a business, let alone being a professional photographer.
But, since I’ve made the commitment to serve speakers, authors and coaches with my camera several years ago, my later-in-life discovery has overpowered and evaporated my once limited view over my potential as a professional photographer.
And for that initially scary and, at times, overwhelming, decision to alter my life goals, I’m forever grateful.
As a result, videos like this are now possible, :)
My colleague, friend and fellow co-founder of the photography community, Screw The Metadata, Maurice Jager, recently gave a keynote to an audience of professional photographers in Belgium.
At the top of his talk, he wanted to remind them of how amazing a position they are in to be able to make a living with a camera in their hands, so, he shared a clip from my opening remarks at our Screw The Metadata workshop the two of us hosted in NYC several months prior.
Fair warning - Maurice threw to the clip in Dutch, and the only thing I understood him say was “John,” but, at least my words are easily deciphered loud and clear, :)
You know, it’s still weird listening to myself speak in public, and yes, I was pretty damn nervous before this workshop, but, the juice is worth the squeeze, especially considering that I believe every single word said wholeheartedly within every fiber of my being.
It’s for this very personal reason that Maurice and I are committed to growing this photography community into a movement that changes the way photographers market themselves through their online presences.
Going through this talk also inspired a ton of respect for the speaker, author and coach community that I serve. They speak all the time for a living, and it is not an easy thing to do.
A part of me didn’t want to share this video because my speaking chops are still very raw and unpolished, but, my audience is a supportive and wonderful group of human beings, so, I was able to quiet that negative self-talk and view this as an opportunity to share my journey into developing into a source for photographers to gain guidance and support with their businesses.
Turning to you…
What motivates you to get on stage in front of a room full of people? How do you quiet the nerves, push through and inspire those in attendance to see their world in a different way?
PS - For those of you who aren’t in the know, I mail out these blogs 3x a week, and lemme tell you, they’re a real party, so, if you’d like to get in on this, sign up for it here and I’ll throw in a free gift for you, because I care, :)