I know it’s a cheesy image for the title, but it’s an image with a story so bear with me.

I made this picture a few months ago and it happened to be at a pivotal time for my family. We were visiting Oregon from Utah and were suddenly considering moving to Oregon, and life was feeling a lot like this image: we had a clear road in front of us, but we couldn’t see where it ended.

Moving my family and my photography business to a new state where we had no contacts has been the scariest venture I’ve ever undertaken because I don’t have anything established: no clients I can call and remind to do new pictures, no group of students I can expect to take my next class at the community college, and no studio I can invite my club members to join me in for a quick project. At the same time, I’m not worried because I’ve learned from so many terrific resources how to establish myself as a photographer, and it’s the same stuff I did when I quit my day job a couple of years ago to go at this full time.

For instance, Scott Bourne has not only been sharing terrific photography tips and techniques, but he’s also been giving out sage business sense right here for years. He teamed up with Skip Cohen and penned the wonderful book Going Pro that is chock full of specific methods for creating a photography business. Skip Cohen University has been teaching me how to make better pictures and lasting client relationships. There are countless publications and resources I turn to regularly for instruction and advice, and they always come through.

So, while I’m anxious about not knowing where this road leads, thanks to all these resources I know I can handle whatever comes. And that’s real freedom. It’s freedom to live passionately and chase my dreams.

Whether you’ve recently realized your passion for photography or you’ve been shooting for decades, you know what the next step down your road is. Just take that step, and know that the people of this wonderful photography community will help you get ready for the next one.

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