That there chicken and egg

Okay, so wayyy back, well not that far back but it seems like it just after I had got my canon 500D, I was deciding on how to start a portfolio/expand my bank of images as it were.

My Dog Owen, well he had proven very useful and to this day he remains the most happy of models I have "worked with" to be photographed ( if somewhat uncontrollable but that's a different story.) However I was more interested in taking pictures of people.

Now of course irony being what it was, if I had got my DLSR just a couple of years earlier I would probably have had more then enough opportunity to practise taking photos of people. However with most of my peers at church now happily married, options were not as forthcoming as I may have hoped.

So after reading just one or two ( or a lot if I'm honest) magazines I decided to follow some advice that there are several websites out there such as model mayhem where aspiring photographers, models, make up artists etc can link up as it were and use it's others skills for free ( or time for print) and help each other expand their portfolios.

Now I tried one and immediately ran into a road block as in order to join you had to have pictures of two different models. So basically a website where you were recommended to go to help expand your portfolio or even help start it, insisted you needed pictures of two different models to join.

Hmmm, seeing where the title of this blog post has come now?

It I had pictures of two different models I'm not likely to be wanting to join this website now am I?

Now admittedly, this may be intended to keep any tom, dick or harry with a camera joining the site but it does kind of create a large hurdle for anyone with genuine interest.

And before you ask, no they wouldn't accept pictures of Owen, as it was adult human models only, not dogs..... ( oohhh, gonna step away from the obvious jokes there :-)

But in hindsight this is a issue that must face every photographer when they start out. In order to create a portfolio or get work, you need to have pictures. But you're only going to get a pictures to go in your portfolio if you get work.

Talk about a catch 44 situation. (it's like a catch 22 but only twice as bad :- )

And don't even consider the issues of trying to be a wedding photographer!

It was suggested to me that I could try street photography, but I had a feeling trying to photograph random women in the street who I didn't know, was a scenario which could only end in tears.

However, maybe it was time, tide, the fates or just one of those things but I was soon presented with a opportunity to work with one model.

Still waiting on number 2 though.

Any volunteers?? :-)

Later folks