Studying on a Friday Night

This week, I've been a horrible student. I don't even want to tell you how I finished my two papers for today, how long I had until the deadlines when I turned them in or what time I woke up to get this all done.

Actually, I will tell you what time I woke up. 4AM. That's a little on the ridiculous scale, but I got everything done and then some. So why am I studying so late at night? Shouldn't I be snuggled into my bed with a mug of hot cocoa and a good read instead of laboring away at my kitchen table while overlooking a game of Quelf.

This answer is simple. I am enjoying studying. I'm not studying for my classes, but rather for photography. Tomorrow I'll be out in the world with a lovely model, Calli, as I attempt to practice my photography skills. In preparation for this, my camera is lying by my side as I pour through the quick start guide that came with the camera as well as websites such as Ken Rockwell's that make photography a bit easier for those of us who don't really know what they're doing. I've taken notes. There might be more notes on this notecard over things like ISO, aperture and exposure than I have taken during some of my classes this semester.

One of the things I came across makes me want to rethink the photography side of my life. This is the typical day of a professional photographer:

  • Before dark - wake up and get to location

  • Dawn: shoot

  • 8 AM: breakfast, shower, nap

  • Day: scout out new locations

  • Afternoon: lunch and/or dinner

  • Sunset: shoot

  • After dark: later dinner

  • After dinner: shower and bed early to shoot at dawn

The beginning before dark is the part that gets to me. I woke up at 4AM this morning for school. I can't imagine getting up this early always for photography, granted I'd probably love it. I'd grab a cup of joe and drive in the wee hours of the morning with no one on the wide open road with me as I get to a location to watch the sun peep around the world as it causes the sky to wake up in an explosion of color. Maybe that's a good idea after all, it could be the love of my life.

Ashley KarlenComment