A banker turned photographer seems like the most unusual career transition, however find out why it worked perfectly!
About me, mio, mi
I worked in banking for 6 years at a top 4 Australian bank, I thoroughly enjoyed my time working at NAB's headquarters but a slow shift lead me into a world of outdoors, limitless creativity, and mesmerisation for the beauty of nature which is the world of photography.
I have been a photographer for over 2 years, being a second generation photographer it feels like photography had been lurking in the background waiting for the right time to become the foreground.
I purchased my first professional camera in 2022 (Canon EOS R5 and 2 lens) not knowing if it would ultimately be collecting photos or collecting dust and cob webs, swapping 15k for camera equipment has its risks but I believe success and risk are intertwined with each other. In the beginning with each photo I captured of nature whether it be a beautiful flower covered in perfect half circle raindrops or a bird that has endless architectural beauty in its wings I became more captivated with photography in its ability to show the hidden details in nature that the human eye cannot see. Safe to say I have not seen any cob webs on my camera yet.
As a side note I often joke that I should be the last person doing photography, I am certainly not the first person suggesting to take group photos, my career and university background is banking & finance being the total opposite to creativity. Life itself is ever changing and it is understandable our goals or interest may also be ever changing.
3 things that triggered the thought of doing photography
1. Destress
With the ever increasing stresses of life I believe the objects around us can help to destress whether that be plants & nature, the décor of a room, or a photo that brings back good memories or visually transports you to your favourite location on earth.
This growing admiration for the effect a photo can have transformed into me wanting to create my own pictures that uniquely effects what someone feels in their heart.
1. Destress
With the ever increasing stresses of life I believe the objects around us can help to destress whether that be plants & nature, the décor of a room, or a photo that brings back good memories or visually transports you to your favourite location on earth.
This growing admiration for the effect a photo can have transformed into me wanting to create my own pictures that uniquely effects what someone feels in their heart.
2. outdoors
A 9-5 office job has its benefits and accelerated my growth as an individual, however one downside I experienced was the sedentary lifestyle of sitting down for majority of the day negatively impacted my health. This became an ever increasing task to overcome despite exercising & dieting.
Photography provides great fun and purpose to explore places one would not necessarily chase after, or struggle and suffer through the hike to be rewarded with that wow photo at the top of the hill. The physical endurance combined with the benefits of being surrounded by nature felt like my body gave me a tick of approval that previously had not existed.
2. outdoors
A 9-5 office job has its benefits and accelerated my growth as an individual, however one downside I experienced was the sedentary lifestyle of sitting down for majority of the day negatively impacted my health. This became an ever increasing task to overcome despite exercising & dieting.
Photography provides great fun and purpose to explore places one would not necessarily chase after, or struggle and suffer through the hike to be rewarded with that wow photo at the top of the hill. The physical endurance combined with the benefits of being surrounded by nature felt like my body gave me a tick of approval that previously had not existed.
3. Creativity
I was never a creative person, honestly my creativity was quite bad in my early years, I would say late 20’s I started to become more creative in the my writing, habits (taking singing lessons, trying to write left handed), and the way I saw the world.
This started to slowly reveal the pathway of photography as something I could succeed in. It can be very fulfilling to turn a weakness into a strength and discover a not so discovered side of yourself.
3. Creativity
I was never a creative person, honestly my creativity was quite bad in my early years, I would say late 20’s I started to become more creative in the my writing, habits (taking singing lessons, trying to write left handed), and the way I saw the world.
This started to slowly reveal the pathway of photography as something I could succeed in. It can be very fulfilling to turn a weakness into a strength and discover a not so discovered side of yourself.
My Daily Activities
I would say 90% of my working time is dedicated to photography and the other 10% is invested in share trading, I often say finance was my first love and photography is my second.
On the photography side of things I have an online store where I sell prints (inhousegallery.com), exploring the world to produce new photography material, writing photography blogs, creating ambient & nature content, and continuously laying the ground work for new avenues and opportunities. My work schedule organically created itself being 10am – 10pm 6 or 7 days a week (weekend may be slightly less hours), it may appear like a lot but when you enjoy what you do it doesn’t feel like work and almost becomes addictive like a good t.v. series.
Advice for others?
Everyone’s pathway should be unique to them, if you are someone who has had thoughts about stepping into the world of photography whether just as a hobby, or as means to receive side income, or full-time aspirations there are definitely a lot of benefits.
I would compare photography to fruits, there are so many different types of fruits to suit your tastebuds and there are many different types of photography that can appeal to a range of people, i.e. landscape photography, wildlife, black & white, portraits of people, weddings, maternity, fashion, retro film. Today with the world of Facebook and Instagram there are plentiful of opportunities to showcase your artwork to people around the world and also learn from others.
To succeed in taking that next step it's important to have a plan and plan b, be a little bold, and allow time for success to blossom much like your favourite fruit (it takes 7 years for a mango tree to start producing fruit).
I personally would describe my photography experience as enjoyable medicine in a world where it has never been as important as it is now to have.
Thank you for your time and support😀
comment below in english, french, spanish or another language about your experience, opinion, or a question you may have.