Photography

I did 11/2 years of the 3 year program for photography at Lansing Community College....I didn't see the usefulness in continuing.  I loved photography - this was before digital - I loved the smell of developer (yes I'm weird) and just being in the darkroom made me happy.  Making something out of nothing - the ability to create something beautiful. And I was good at it (or so I was told) - but I was logical and didn't want to waste my time if I couldn't make a living doing it.  The jobs I saw were Portrait photography or commercial and my passion was in nature photography - but I didn't see a market there.  Portrait - I could do it but really didn't want to deal with screaming brats.  I have never dealt well with misbehaving children- which is why I'm surprised at being a "good" mother (again or so I told that I am). I blame it on my first babysitting experience which was not good...but babysitting kids is a topic for another post - back to photography.  Commercial photography - to really make it I was told I had to move to Chicago or New York (validity here was not challenged).  I wasn't willing to do that (I had a move to the big city of Flint in my future).  On a field trip to Chicago to talk with "real" photographers I left with the advice that after the basics "your schooling doesn't mean shit - you either do it (make good photos) or you don't".  I quit the program slowly thinking I would "do it" but really I didn't.  I did  some professional photography - a few weddings, some portraits, nature photos as gifts for family...but it didn't keep my focus I was interested in so many things...