What’s Your Mission?

“The Importance of Professional Vision”
Mankind is the one and only creature on the planet capable of truly rational thought, examining ideas, making value judgments and drawing logical conclusions. While emotions are a large part of our daily actions and choices, our ability to assess, evaluate and choose based on a set of logical principals makes us unique in the animal kingdom. Our complex thinking skills allow us to plan and to have thoughtful motives for why we engage in the actions we do. And while there are moments in our lives where spontaneous, emotional choices make sense like going skydiving or taking part in a blind date, engaging in behaviors like a lifelong vocation (profession) or a deeply valued avocation (hobby) takes a bit more rumination. Just going off and doing some activity on a whim like becoming an engineer or deciding to take up technical climbing isn’t the best choice. Making a careful examination of whether your skill-set fits engineering or not, or assessing whether your physical/emotional strength is the right match for technical climbing is a very good place to start. But starting down a path towards making a wise decision is only the beginning. Once the ship has been launched on the High Seas, any sailor must have a deeper reason for sailing. They must have A Mission.
pro•fes•sion•al
prəˈfeSH(ə)n(ə)l/
adjective: professional
1. (of a person) engaged in a specified activity as one’s main paid occupation rather than as a pastime.
Synonyms: paid, salaried

Photography is a profession that sadly isn’t really a profession. To become successful at anything requires study, practice, commitment and a willingness to evolve consistently and challenge your definitions of mastery and excellence. Becoming a professional photographer, unlike Law, Medicine, Teaching and other “professions”, does not require formalized schooling or certification. Both of those CAN be of immense benefit, but they are not an absolute necessity. But immersing yourself in learning all the many technical, graphics, artistic and philosophical tenets needed to become a photographer ARE absolutely essential. The Master Photographer engages in a life-long passion and devotion to bettering his/her understanding and knowledge. And a large part to gaining mastery of the Art of Photography is having a Mission. Defining your reason for doing anything is part of understanding where you plan on going with your art/business and how you are going to get there. Whether you choose to remain a hobbyist photographer or make the decision to ascend to the professional ranks, a Mission is part of what sets you apart from the crowd. Hobbyists might make photography an important but secondary part of their lives, but they can still act and conduct themselves in a professional manner.
You can read more of this article in our November 2015 issue of ModelsMania