From morning until evening, seven days a week, everything in my life revolves around photography. Even at the drugstore, where I only wanted to buy toothpaste, I find myself hypnotized in the makeup section.
Not because I'm interested in lipsticks, but because my mind immediately begins developing shooting ideas. "That glittery body makeup could look interesting…"
Sometimes I catch myself observing tourists. Not their clothing or their behavior in general. No, I study their cameras and their posing routines. I find Korean tourists in front of Frankfurt's Römer particularly fascinating. They've developed a veritable choreography: twenty to thirty photos, all different, all precisely composed. It's like performance art against a historical backdrop.
And at exactly this point it becomes clear to me:
My wife is right. Damn, she really is right.
It would actually be healthy for my mind to switch off occasionally. To do something else. Perhaps collect vintage cars or build model airplanes. Although, no, that would probably just end up in photo shoots again.
What makes me particularly reflective are the emails I regularly receive. People write to me saying they "want to be like me." It's almost a bit embarrassing to mention, but it's true.
And to these very people I want to shout: Keep photography as a hobby! Don't turn this wonderful pastime into your profession!
As a hobby, photography is perfect. You can practice it whenever you want, can experiment without pressure, without deadlines, without the client needing the photos the next day. You can enjoy it like a fine wine. Only in moderation and on special occasions.
Not like me, who works in the wine factory all day and by evening no longer knows whether it was a Riesling or Pinot Grigio.