One of the most important things I learned earlier in my career (I still feel like I’m just starting out, anyway) was the idea of putting in my time doing certain things to be able to get through to the good stuff later on.
In the hundreds and hundreds of thousands of images I’ve taken in the past 5 years on a dozen different digital cameras, I’ve had to go on some nauseatingly mind-numbing assignments. In fact, to some extent I once could have called myself a professional group photo taker. With University work, sometimes those moments still arise when a student worker (something I was not too long ago) isn’t available or the group is deemed “too important” to risk it not coming out just right.
I think one of the worst assignments so far was early in my time interning for The Daily News Journal in Murfreesboro, Tenn. I had to literally go around with a cardboard cut-out of a long-dead bluegrass star (like, 75 years dead) and get people to take photos with it. Oh, sure, just a couple, right?
Wrong.
200 of those suckers.
I’m sure it was largely ad-driven – such is the way of things at conglomerate papers – but don’t think I and the other intern didn’t get it done… 6 hours.
Painful.
Now this isn’t saying anything against the DNJ. In fact, I love those guys quite a bit! After all, I was an intern. But my point is: I did those really vapid assignments… then they started sending me intentionally for front-page stories.
I had to put in my time.
I have taken thousands of group photos to be able to get assignments like being on the plane to cover the aftermath of Hurricane Ike… or invited to go to new international programs in Ethiopia… or the one I have coming up this Friday. Stay tuned for that one… (I wink.)
But whenever you are discouraged, feeling like you’re marking time wherever you, just know that the guy in the position you want was right where you were at some point in the not-so-distant past. He put in the time.
Now its your turn.
Be not discouraged, your time will come, my friend.
Stay tuned,
-Noah D.
