Settling.

"Just like dust, we settle in this town.
On this broken merry go 'round and 'round and 'round we go
Where it stops nobody knows and it ain't slowin' down.
This merry go 'round."

It's easy to settle for something. You think, "this is good enough, or I am sure this will work well." But is it? I don't think so. At least I hope not.

Today I was reading on line about how they are looking for the "next" Steve Jobs. I thought, is there a vending machine or a store you go to in search of him? If so, boy would I like to know where to go to find him...then I would invest everything I had in his or her company. The article went on to discuss how you need someone who is very polarizing and difficult to be around. They also must yell and berate people so they end up getting their way. The funniest part, "you can only have one person in the company with these traits because they don't get along with people who are like them."

Since I will likely not be the next Steve Jobs, I think I will just settle for working on my passion and hope it ends up meaning something and being renowned. It may not be while I am alive, but if it's for my family---I am fine with that. There have been many photographers who were dirt poor and today their work is worth well...more than dirt poor. Am I there? No. But I will keep working to get better.

Probably the most difficult part of what I try to do is shoot for something that will be iconic. How ridiculous is that? Something doesn't become iconic until it has value and has captured something that is seen as a moment in time that is literally impossible to capture. The photo of Oswald shooting JFK, The Kiss in Times Square, or Cassius Clay standing over Sonny Liston; these are the photos that capture a moment that was just begging to be photographed. One day, and I don't know when it will happen (obviously), I intend to be in back of the camera that hits the trigger and captures a moment in time. If I don't, well at least you know my intentions.

Recently we have had a number of prominent people die. One who will be sorely missed in this town is Roger Ebert. He is a Chicagoan and he was certainly a symbol of the city. 

It was probably about 5 months ago when I was walking down the street and there he was. He was with another person and if you have seen his photos from the past year or two, you know he has been through some tough times. Cancer had literally taken away his jaw line and it had been replaced with a prosthetic. But there he was---out and about. Even if I had my Nikon, it would not have come out of its bag. This was not the time and place to be taking photos.

The photo above was taken at a local park. What I love about this photo is the freedom and fun these kids are having with something we did as kids. I love photography, you would be hard pressed not to realize that by now, but I also have times when I am frustrated and feel like I have settled. I am trying to make sure I shake away these thoughts---I have been having them recently. Deep down, I know I need to get off this merry-go-round and step up to the next ride that's waiting for me.

Thanks for stopping by.