so recently Latasha Haynes Photography got fired from their first gig and I (Latasha) was devastated. I mean really really devastated. I couldnt believe it. I know we arent the best photogs in the game (yet!) but I def believe we have a style and creativity that for this area is new and exciting–and as always, when folks book us, we try always to be transparent about the importance of their event/wedding/shoot/session and how seriously we take it. that we are looking to grow and that we havent arrived so EVERY shoot is as important for us as it is for the client that is booking us………………..
well after enthusiastically booking us/shooting the engagement pictures (that by the way, Ike and I felt were some of our best work at the time) they called us/the future bride and groom/and showered us with compliments and insults/only to fire us. ( i mean really, didnt you look at our site? our blog??! our previous work?? what the heck!)
over the next couple of days i was depressed/hurt/couldnt look at pictures/couldnt post/couldnt shoot. it was all i thought about and it killed me inside because photography is an expression. its how you see the world. how you see people. its your heart for the world to see at least for me (Isaiah might not be so dramatic in his definition).
long story short: after days of mediating/praying/talking to friends who reminded me of why we did this/and listening to my partner tell me that i needed to pull it together i realized its okay to be fired: its okay that not everyone gets us. its okay for people to change their minds about what they want. it doesnt mean we are horrible. it doesnt mean we wont get work. this is a process. its not going to happen overnight/no matter how much i will it to.
i went to paris and didnt like the mona lisa; a revered piece of art for centuries–so why would i expect that everyone would like us? our work?
what this has done for me is:
1.) proven that this is what i love and what i want to do and that i need to toughen up because being a artist is an opinion based industry and those who love you LOVE you and those who dont DON’T and that’s why there are a million options and choices.
2.) to commit to my craft. to study. to focus. to practice so that i can always walk away knowing i did my best. and to be honest when i feel that its not working and to be real. clients appreciate that.
3.) to keep going. keep trying. to be different. to bend the rules. to experiment and to be okay with being different abnormal/wierd even.
4.) to listen to my husband/my business partner/my heart’s protector: he told me it was BANANAS and that we had done good work. was he affected by this whole thing at all? of course not, because he has complete control over his emotions. (its so annoying sometimes; ugh).
i am so GLAD we got fired. i felt like it shook me. it motivated me and the last five shoots we have done reflect that.
i wasnt sure if i wanted to ever tell ANYONE about this because i was embarrassed and disappointed and i thought it would make me a bad photographer but im learning, thats not true and Im not the only one who’s been here ( i mean its only been six months–we have years of these situations ahead/but hopefully not).
maybe there is something you tried and failed miserably at/or at least thought you did/let this be inspiration to you to keep going and to chase your dreams!
by the way: the bride fired every vendor for that wedding/we just happened to be the ones to experience it first/and she even asked if she could have a copy of all of the pictures: so maybe we arent that horrible after all?!
that’s all for now.
XO
–Latasha
