Chapter 1

CAREERS AS A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER

Every fall at New York University I attend a weekend seminar with the parents of our incoming freshman class. My primary function at these events is to dress well, assume my most optimistic/successful persona, and assuage the concerns of a room full of nervous parents, most of whom would rather that their children pursue any other profession besides photography. I always fantasize about starting the talk by playing an old country song “Mommas, Don’t let your Babies grow up to be Cowboys”, made famous in a duet by Willy Nelson and Waylon Jennings.

No one becomes a cowboy, or an artist, to get rich. There are better ways to get rich: real estate, investment banking, or arbitrage for example. These ...

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