As photographers, we spend a lot of cash on various pieces of equipment and other paraphernalia. Sometimes we may wonder if it’s worth it or if this purchase is really all that practical. I tend to always believe “yes” it’s always worthwhile and we shouldn’t hesitate so long as we’re actually able to afford these items. I feel as though a lot of amateurs are indecisive about making purchases because they make these purchases based on an immediate need for the items. That’s completely the wrong reason to buy anything in my opinion. And if you’re an amateur, there’s a reason you don’t already have that background setup…. it’s because you’re an amateur and you pretty much have nothing.. ;)

There’s nothing wrong with that, though. I, of course, had nothing at one point as well, and I certainly made poor purchases at times, but by in large, I made good purchases. The trick is to consider yourself a pro. If you’re going to buy something you shouldn’t calculate whether or not you can afford it based on one shoot. That says a lot of negative things about you. That says you’re not committed to this line of photography. It says that you have doubts. Basically.. it says that you don’t expect you’d use this piece of gear again and that on its own is a poor approach. Kind of gives me the impression you don’t have enough confidence in your craft to believe that you’ll continue to be a photographer say, in a year from now. To me.. buying cheap gear is like giving up before you even start. Again there are exceptions, sometimes we need to work our way up to bigger and better gear, and other times people are still unsure how deep their passion for photography lies. But I’m talking to those people who are “committed”. Those people who are calling themselves “Pro Photographers” and telling the world they can handle anything.

If you believe that this is your career and thereby it’s essentially going to be your life. You should treat it as such. Don’t buy that nasty tiny gross little pathetic 12″ product box! It’s small and ugly and can’t fit things in it! Go ahead, splurge and treat yourself to that 36″ box. You’re going to use it way more and it’s also nicer to look at :P. Now I’m not suggesting we spend frivolously, although I do tend to do that at times myself. What I’m saying is don’t hesitate with your gear. Get what you think would suit you in the long run if you’re able to. If you’re eventually going to buy a 36″ product box, you’re going to be feelin’ kind of dumb having that 12″ one as well. At least I would.

I know from personal experience that there have been a good handful of items that I’ve picked up that have only paid for themselves after a couple of years of shooting with them. But these are things that will last many more years to come and so they’re well worth it in my opinion (btw I’m not talking about cameras since they die a lot faster then most people expect them to..).

The moral of this story is that if you’re confident in yourself, act like it in every regard. Even when it comes to buying things. If you’re being a cheapo on gear, then there’s probably a reason and that reason might just be that you’re not as confident in yourself as you hope/think you are. And we all know that a photographer without confidence is as good as a photographer without a camera.

Thanks for reading,

David Dvir

I understand that when people are in the market and looking for employment, a very reasonable option is to put together a great resume and hand it out nearly as much as they can. I understand that after a while they likely get frustrated that they may not be receiving calls or invitations to interview and decide maybe they should start spammning it out even more. But something that really blows me away is what some people’s expectations are, and why they want a job to being with.

For some, a job in the field they’ve studied would be a dream come true. While for others, any job would be a great situation however they never really desire something in particular. Well, since last week I’ve been looking to hire an assistant. Ads are out there, and people are welcome to apply. Thing is, I’m SHOCKED at some of the emails and resumes I’m receiving. And for the most part, insulted or annoyed.

In my opinion, and strictly my opinion, if you are applying for a job, that should be because it’s the job you really want, not because you need SOME job and this one will do. If you’ve got your resume then it should be specific, and not general. So when someone sends me an email with a resume attached and the email is this bland generic “to whom it may concern” or “dear sir or madam” BS I get really annoyed. In my ad I included a link to this website. In hopes to have those people interested in reading the rest of the ad get a good idea of who and what 2D is, I figured this link should be really easy to find etc, so I put it on the first line of the ad. Now my website has received loads of hits since the ad’s been up. This tells me that people applying are looking at 2dhouse.com… right? Well you’d think so…

Here’s what I’m trying to get at. If you’d like this job, and you want to be interviewed, then take a minute and do some homework. My name is right there, and the company name too (I also don’t like “your company”). There’s plenty of info and videos and stuff to sink your teeth into and impress me by letting me know you’ve actually done some research and that you WANT to work at 2D. Or at least you’d like to. Rather than you WANT some sort of job, or would at least like one….

Social etiquette tells me that I’m not allowed to email some of these people back telling them their emails to me are stupid and thusly so are they. I wish I could do that, even though it would no doubt waste a lot of my time. But what I can do is send out this message. If you’re applying for this position, feel free to in a professional, respectful and true manner. Mention to me that you’ve read this blog post, and don’t be overly shy or forward and you’re about 90% likely to get an interview. That’s it. Just say

“Hey, I’d love to learn more about this position and after reading your post I’d like to submit this resume. Look forward to getting more info and also having an opportunity to tell you more about myself.”

Or something to that affect. That line will get you an interview. I’m really tired of these phonies who think they want a real job and send a generic application to me. Something that I can tell they’ve sent to hundreds of other would be employers who they’ll probably never hear back from.

That being said, I have had a lot of great resumes and emails, too. Thank you to those of you who have done so, so far, you’ll find out who you are when I give you a call tomorrow to ask you to come in for an interview.

Rant Over

David Dvir