BetterPhoto Photography Interview - Page 3
Art Wolfe
© Art Wolfe
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Jim Miotke: What do you love most about being a photographer?
Art Wolfe:
I like the communication aspect. I love going out there and determining that, for example, this little blade of grass is important, and photographing it in a way that makes it become important. And then if it is very successful, it is seen by lots of people. I love that communication.
I love affecting people's emotions too, uplifting people. You know, we live in a time with so much bad news that people collectively get demoralized. I want to remind them that there is an entire system of nature going on. Nature is still happening. ... I like to remind people that the globe still has a lot of great places that are worth fighting for. I tend to shoot and tell positive stories. I think there are a lot of photographers - and I'm glad they're there - who show all the ills. But if I did that, it would drag me down and I wouldn't be good for anything. So I tend to dwell on the good, the positive.
Jim Miotke: Is there anything you don't like as a photographer?
Art Wolfe: There's nothing really. Oh, there are minor nuisances like getting through airports, that kind of stuff. But there's really nothing negative I can say.
© Art Wolfe
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Jim Miotke: Do you believe in the advice, "Don’t quit your day job"?
Art Wolfe:
Yes, but I also say to a lot of people who try to measure personal success off whether they make money or not. That is not - nor should it be - a measure of success. Your measure of success should be personal happiness. Are you happy going out and taking pictures? Are you happy doing that, and if the answer is "yes", then that's a good measure of success. Now whether you make money from of it or not doesn't validate you as a photographer. I really believe that they all feel they have to make money just to say they're successful. I don’t believe that.
For myself, everything that I do is not motived by the dollar. It's all motivated by the work. That's what motivates me. Not money. I don't even know - and people in my office would agree - what we make ... or how much I make.
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