About a month ago, I sent out my resume to three or four portrait studios on a lark along with a cover letter that said: “I have been a serious amateur photographer for years, I learned Black and White photography in high school and have been shooting digital since 2003.” I did not claim any professional experience because I have none. I didn’t expect a response.

Well, yesterday, I had an interview with the people from a local photo studio. When they set up the interview, the woman on the phone asked if I had ever shot a wedding- I said no and they set the date anyway. I spent the next three days throwing together my portfolio and I got lots of offers for people to pose for me or give me chances to take more pictures for the interview. Their support was wonderful.

When I get to the interview, the guy takes me over to a table in the food court of the mall in which the studio is based, and asks about my experience. I rattle off a verbal equivalent of what is on my resume, because he must not have a copy of his own. Then he asks the dreaded question: “What gear do you use?” I mention my D40- but I didn’t mention any external flashes or strobes. (now- I’m not a professional, and I said that much in my cover letter and on the phone, remember that.) He asks if I had either, and I tell him no. I do mention, however, that if I were hired, I would purchase the things I needed, within reason. It goes down from there…

He grits his teeth and asks if I have images for him. I hand him the CD on which I have a slideshow of my portfolio and we go back into the studio. He boots up one of the oldest computers I’ve seen in a long time and loads the CD. The slideshow doesn’t work. My version of Adobe Reader is about 5 above the one that he’s got on his machine. Thankfully I also included the original images on the disc. He tells Windows 2000 to show thumbnails and glances at each one, saying nothing. When he’s done, he hands the disc back to me and tells me (in somewhat nasty terms) that I’m not a professional photographer…

Wait for it…

I knew that! I told you that! Why did you make me come out here for this? So, he implied that I really had little to no skill to speak of (my work was “hit and miss” at best) and he gave me some information on local photography groups that I might use to learn from. Now, being an open-minded individual, I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn, so I’m glad to have some different leads.

I left there fairly livid. Firstly, I don’t appreciate taking 3 days to prepare for an interview, waking up early and going out of my way to be told something that I already knew. Secondly, I may not be an exceptional portrait photographer, but I think I do fairly well without having anything resembling a studio set-up (please note what I call myself here on DA- an experimental photographer). Lastly, a good amount of my photography style comes from the same place in my heart where my interest in Heavy music comes from. When someone tells me “you can’t do this” or “you shouldn’t do this”, it is a challenge. So, I’ve posted more here in 24 hours than I have in three months previous. I am, at my core, a free spirit. When I have to be, I’m defiant.