i find there is a double edged sword to professional work. please bare in mind i am NOT a commercial photographer... for a lowly press shooter it is extremely difficult to impart any personal "vision" and make enough money to pay the mortgage in the beginning. a large chunk of it is formulated, head to toe, lot's of room to crop into it, faces lit up with no shadows etc etc etc. this is not mandatory but it certainly will increase the revenue potential by appealing to a broader audience. if you have a bunch of dough sunk into kit and a mortgage to pay then this can become a difficult approach to break out of. it takes nerves of steel and a serious commitment to that "vision". perhaps that is why one will see such a dichotomy between the "professional" work and the "personal" work. i guess one needs to refrain from reckless abandon or unfettered "over compensation" when it's personal.
the benefit of the personal work is it gives you the opportunity to try out new ways of seeing things. sometimes that trickles down to the pro world.
it's not all drudgery though... and the article has a hidden balance. there is a middle ground... of course sacrifices need to be made. the money might take a while to return to acceptable levels. i find myself deep into the middle ground as we speak. i shoot more and more documentary work and it allows me a very rare chance to shoot "personal" work in a "professional" context. i am a lucky guy.
