Table Of ContentV I S I O N M O N G E R S
MAKING A LIFE AND A LIVING IN PHOTOGRAPHY
David duChemin
VisionMongers: Making a Life and a Living in Photography
David duChemin
New Riders
1249 Eighth Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
510/524-2178
510/524-2221 (fax)
Find us on the Web at www.newriders.com
To report errors, please send a note to [email protected]
New Riders is an imprint of Peachpit, a division of Pearson Education
Copyright © 2010 by David duChemin
All photography © David duChemin except as follows: author photo on About the Author page
© Kevin Clark; photos on pages 19–25 © CHRIS+LYNN PHOTOGRAPHERS; photos on pages
49–55 © Kevin Clark Studios; photos on pages 81–85 © www.darwinwiggett.com; photos on
pages 107–111 © Grace Chon / Shine Pet Photos; photos on pages 127–133 © Dave Delnea; photos
on pages 151–157 © Gavin Gough-www.gavingough.com; photos on pages 165–170 © www.
KarlGrobl.com; photo of Zack Arias at top of page 199 © Lucas Brown; photos on pages 199–204
© Zack Arias (www.usedfilm.com); photos on pages 225–231 © Chase Jarvis; photo of Joe McNally
on page 243 © Anne Cahill
Editor: Ted Waitt
Production Editor: Hilal Sala
Cover and Interior Design: Charlene Charles-Will
Layout and Composition: Kim Scott, Bumpy Design
Indexer: James Minkin
Cover Image: David duChemin
Notice of Rights
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written
permission of the publisher. For information on getting permission reprints and excerpts, contact
[email protected].
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The information in this book is distributed on an “As Is” basis without warranty. While every
precaution has been taken in the preparation of the book, neither the author nor Peachpit shall
have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged
to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book or by the computer
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claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and Peachpit was aware of
a trademark claim, the designations appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. All other
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ISBN-13 978-0-321-67020-5
ISBN-10 0-321-67020-5
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed and bound in the United States of America
To Sharon,
my wife, muse, fan, and friend.
You’re not only the safety net under the risks I take,
you’re leaping with me. Thanks, babe.
Acknowledgments
I’m deeply grateful to the following:
To every client I’ve ever had who has allowed me to do what I love and serve
them in the process, thank you. To Lyric especially, my first and favorite client,
who took a chance on me because, though my abilities were unproven, we
shared the same vision and passion. And then she sent me to a war zone.
To my friend, client, and now my manager, Corwin, for faithfully taking time
every week to share a drink or a meal and the ups and downs of life as an
entrepreneur.
To my other friends—photographers and otherwise—who have never once
asked me when I was going to get a real job, but instead encouraged me and
supported me, and a few times helped me pick up the pieces: Troy Cunningham,
Eric Pay, Jeff Anderson, Matt Brandon, Gavin Gough, Kevin Clark. Thanks to my
friend Alan Smith, impossible to track down most of the time but when we get
together his encouragement and business advice is always worth the wait.
To the photographers who gave so generously of their time so I could include
them, their work, and their stories in this book. Without exception, they are kind
people of great talent and heart who love and give back to the photographic
community.
To my editor, Ted Waitt, one of the unseen heroes behind not only this book
but many of the best photography books out there. What it takes to corral a
stable of photographers trying to express themselves in unfamiliar words, I can
only guess, but he’s my hero. My book team as well. To Charlene Charles-Will,
the designer who makes these books so gorgeous; to Scott Cowlin and Sara
Jane Todd, who flog them with the greatest of enthusiasm and integrity; and to
my publisher, Nancy Aldrich-Ruenzel, who keeps taking these chances on me.
Thanks so much.
To the photographic industry, particularly my sponsors. I know I give the
industry a hard time occasionally with all this Gear Is Good, Vision Is Better
talk. I know you prefer it when I have a lapse and accidentally preach my Screw
Vision, Give Me Something Shiny sermons instead. Still, we all have a role to
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play and your gear makes my job easier, and in many cases, just plain fun. My
sponsors—Adobe, Lexar, Think Tank Photo, Gitzo, Drobo, Acratech, BlackRapid,
Lensbaby, PocketWizard, Evrium, and ZINK—all support my work with the quality
of the products they make.
To the readers of my books and blog who have created a community around
my words and lunatic rants. Thank you. What you have given back to me feels
generously disproportionate to the words I crank out.
To my mother, Heather, who has been my best friend since as far back as I can
remember. She has been my greatest fan, greatest cheerleader, and often my
greatest inspiration. To my stepfather, Paul, for raising me as his own, and tor-
menting me accordingly. His stories of working the steel mills of Hamilton have
kept me from honest work for years now, and for that I’m grateful.
To Sharon, for supporting me, loving me, and cheering me on.
Finally, to God, from Whom my calling, and the gifts to chase it, comes. Be Thou
my Vision, oh Lord of my heart.
v
About the Author
David duChemin has taken a winding, unlikely road as he’s followed his calling.
From aspiring photographer to theologian to professional comedian and even-
tually back to his first passion, David is now a full-time world and humanitarian
photographer, teacher, and author. A passionate contributor to the international
photography community, duChemin’s first book, the bestselling Within the
Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision, received worldwide acclaim for its
vision, passion, and depth.
David’s work and blog can be found online at PixelatedImage.com.
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Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii
chapter one
Foundations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
My Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Driven by Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Sustained by Passion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
The Lines Are Blurring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
The Rules Are Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
VISIONMONGERS: Chris+Lynn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
chapter two
Work, Work, Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
It’s Hard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
The First Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
The Benefits of Hobby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Know Thyself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
What’s On Offer? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
What Do You Love? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
What Past Experiences Have You Had? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
What Are You Good At? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Which Shelves Are Empty? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Who Cares? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Yeah, But Am I Good Enough? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Your Next Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Know Your Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Your Next Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Know Your Craft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
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10% Show, 90% Biz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Get Rich Quick! (But Do It Elsewhere) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
VISIONMONGER: Kevin Clark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Make a Plan, Stan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Your Next Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Don’t Quit Your Day Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Find a Mentor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Love Your Fans, but Listen to Your Critics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Your Next Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Join a Gang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Fake It Till You Make It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Get to Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Your Next Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Too Busy Chopping Wood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
You Need Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
The Limits of Expertise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
The Limits of Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Your First Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Your Next Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
VISIONMONGER: Darwin Wiggett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
chapter three
Sounding Your Barbaric Yawp . . . . . . . . . . 86
What Can I Sell You? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
How Can I Serve You? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
The Four Pillars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Creativity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Congruency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Consistency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Commitment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Branding Isn’t (Just) for Cattle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Your Next Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Perception Is Reality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Your Next Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Master Photographer? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Make Them Love You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
Keep Going . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
viii
More Conversations, More Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Your Next Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
VISIONMONGER: Grace Chon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
Word of Mouth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Make it Easy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
Make it Beneficial to Them . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Make it Last . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
He Said, She Said . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
You Need a Logo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Why You Need a Logo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Your Logo: What Are You Trying to Say? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Your Next Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
My Logo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Hey, Cool Card! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
Impact and Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
Make Them Rock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Make Them Targeted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
Make Them Creative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124
Make Them Different . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124
Do it Right the First Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
VISIONMONGER: Dave Delnea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127
Marketing 2.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134
Playing in Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134
Everyone’s All a-Twitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138
www.makeyourwebsiteawesome.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
Your Next Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
Blogging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
Your Next Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150
VISIONMONGER: Gavin Gough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Making Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
Market Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
Beginnings Are Hard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Direct Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Book ’em, Dano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163
VISIONMONGER: Karl Grobl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
Your Next Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172
Go Where They Ain’t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173
Three (Bad?) Metaphors about Competition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175
ix
