Before we get too far into 2017 I want to share a few thoughts on last year. At the onset of 2016, I declared it to be "The Year of Tim," determined to make it my best year yet.
I had two New Year's Resolutions:
- Get a new job.
- Start getting paid for photography.
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| Maeser Prep Tennis, 2016 |
Soon I hope to write about my life's journey in the game of tennis so far, but for those of you who know me, you know how much of a thrill it was to coach tennis. It was a season of ups and downs as I helped guide this extremely inexperienced team, but we were within one break of sending our number three singles player to the state tournament. I hope to be back coaching again soon, but I am so grateful for that first year on the courts!
We'll dive into tennis a little deeper in future posts, but for now we'll get back to my goals for 2016. Once the tennis season had ended things started to fall into place in my career as well.
The Job Search
I was working at NUVI, a social media analytics software company who I still believe is the best in the industry. In fact, they were just named Utah County's Business of the Year. But I was on the sales team, and to be honest I just really didn't enjoy working in sales. I loved my coworkers, believed in the product, was given increasing responsibility, and saw a lot of success, but I knew I needed to move along in my career path and get out of sales and back into roles I was truly passionate about.
Which led me to my first of two New Year's Resolutions: get a new job.
I was casually on the job hunt, and come May I still hadn't had much luck in finding a new job. The reason: I was only casually searching. But then something happened that turned that casual search into an all-out blitz: I was laid off.
NUVI decided to disband its growing Account Development department, for which I was a team lead. I was completely blindsided and utterly crushed. What was I going to tell my wife? What if I couldn't find a new job quickly? Were we going to be okay financially?
As luck would have it, we were going to be just fine. In fact, it wasn't even luck; it was just plain hard work. After I went home that day, and after a few tears and some discussion with my wife, I applied for ten jobs that night before I went to bed. The next day I was called in for an interview, and the interviews just kept coming. In fact, it took all of three days for me to get my first job offer.
And I turned it down.
Why? Not only was it sales, it was door-to-door sales, which meant late nights and driving all over Utah. In spite of their promises of a fast-track to management and my desperate need for a paycheck, I didn't feel good about jumping into the first job that came my way just because I needed income. I was encouraged by the quick offer and decided to continue pursuing a career and not just a job.
Two weeks into my search I got my second offer, this one came on the spot in my interview. It was another Account Development position, essentially the exact role I had when I started at NUVI. I asked for as much time as possible to decide, and they gave me until Thursday of that week.
There were two jobs I interviewed for that I really wanted. Both were in marketing, which is what my pre-sales experience was, and I was hoping desperately to hear from one of them before my deadline for the Account Development role. But Thursday came, and I felt that this was a job I needed to take for the time being. I told them that I would see them Monday to get started.
Then a Friday miracle occurred and I received a job offer from Hoopes Vision to join their marketing department. Not only was this a non-sales job, but it was a marketing job for a company that focused on people, something that I was searching for.
It is amazing how life works sometimes, isn't it? I will never know if I would have found a new job on my own in 2016, but I accomplished my number one goal for the year and made the perfect career move for my family. And it took just three weeks of being unemployed.
As a side note, if you have ever considered LASIK or another vision correction procedure, let me know!
Next-Level Photography
My dad is a talented photographer, and on our family vacations I almost always had a camera in my hands. In fact, the whole family did. We got some interesting looks from people wondering why all four of us needed to be taking pictures. In high school I had my first experience with a DSLR, and in the summer of 2015, shortly after our son was born, my wife got me a DSLR of my own.
As a student at Brigham Young University I studied Recreation Management, and for the most part my photography reflects my love of that industry: outdoors, travel, and sports make up a large percentage of my photography efforts. But I took my own family photos and my sister's engagement and bridal photos and decided to add a little portraiture into the mix as well. As a result, I decided that in 2016 I wanted to take on some paying clients.
So a goal was born: in 2016 I wanted to become a professional photographer, and in August of last year that is exactly what I did. Because I am still new and learning in the world of photography, my goal was simply to have one client last year. But one turned to two, two to three, and before I knew it I had done 14 sessions between August and December!
I've heard the advice that a photographer needs to find a "niche" and pursue only that niche in order to become a successful photographer. In spite of that, I've decided to maintain my "hobbyist" style as a professional photographer so that I can continue to pursue and share all the things I love to shoot. Here are a few of my favorite shots from 2016 (not including a couple major projects I haven't finished yet):
Which led me to my first of two New Year's Resolutions: get a new job.
I was casually on the job hunt, and come May I still hadn't had much luck in finding a new job. The reason: I was only casually searching. But then something happened that turned that casual search into an all-out blitz: I was laid off.
NUVI decided to disband its growing Account Development department, for which I was a team lead. I was completely blindsided and utterly crushed. What was I going to tell my wife? What if I couldn't find a new job quickly? Were we going to be okay financially?
As luck would have it, we were going to be just fine. In fact, it wasn't even luck; it was just plain hard work. After I went home that day, and after a few tears and some discussion with my wife, I applied for ten jobs that night before I went to bed. The next day I was called in for an interview, and the interviews just kept coming. In fact, it took all of three days for me to get my first job offer.
And I turned it down.
Why? Not only was it sales, it was door-to-door sales, which meant late nights and driving all over Utah. In spite of their promises of a fast-track to management and my desperate need for a paycheck, I didn't feel good about jumping into the first job that came my way just because I needed income. I was encouraged by the quick offer and decided to continue pursuing a career and not just a job.
Two weeks into my search I got my second offer, this one came on the spot in my interview. It was another Account Development position, essentially the exact role I had when I started at NUVI. I asked for as much time as possible to decide, and they gave me until Thursday of that week.
There were two jobs I interviewed for that I really wanted. Both were in marketing, which is what my pre-sales experience was, and I was hoping desperately to hear from one of them before my deadline for the Account Development role. But Thursday came, and I felt that this was a job I needed to take for the time being. I told them that I would see them Monday to get started.
Then a Friday miracle occurred and I received a job offer from Hoopes Vision to join their marketing department. Not only was this a non-sales job, but it was a marketing job for a company that focused on people, something that I was searching for.It is amazing how life works sometimes, isn't it? I will never know if I would have found a new job on my own in 2016, but I accomplished my number one goal for the year and made the perfect career move for my family. And it took just three weeks of being unemployed.
As a side note, if you have ever considered LASIK or another vision correction procedure, let me know!
Next-Level Photography
My dad is a talented photographer, and on our family vacations I almost always had a camera in my hands. In fact, the whole family did. We got some interesting looks from people wondering why all four of us needed to be taking pictures. In high school I had my first experience with a DSLR, and in the summer of 2015, shortly after our son was born, my wife got me a DSLR of my own.
As a student at Brigham Young University I studied Recreation Management, and for the most part my photography reflects my love of that industry: outdoors, travel, and sports make up a large percentage of my photography efforts. But I took my own family photos and my sister's engagement and bridal photos and decided to add a little portraiture into the mix as well. As a result, I decided that in 2016 I wanted to take on some paying clients.
So a goal was born: in 2016 I wanted to become a professional photographer, and in August of last year that is exactly what I did. Because I am still new and learning in the world of photography, my goal was simply to have one client last year. But one turned to two, two to three, and before I knew it I had done 14 sessions between August and December!
I've heard the advice that a photographer needs to find a "niche" and pursue only that niche in order to become a successful photographer. In spite of that, I've decided to maintain my "hobbyist" style as a professional photographer so that I can continue to pursue and share all the things I love to shoot. Here are a few of my favorite shots from 2016 (not including a couple major projects I haven't finished yet):
Sports
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| Joao Plata, Real Salt Lake vs. FC Dallas, 20 Aug, 2016 |
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| LaVell Edwards Stadium, BYU vs. SUU, 12 Nov, 2016 (My most liked Instagram photo of 2016!) |
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| #CapsOn: Self-portrait for MLB's Opening Day |
Portraits
LDS Temples
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| Ogden, Utah Temple |
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| Provo City Center Temple |
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| Salt Lake City Temple |
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| Salt Lake City Temple (And my most liked photo on Instagram to date!) |
Follow me on Instagam (@pictim) or like my Facebook page.
Email me at pictimphotography@gmail.com if you are interested in prints or booking a session.
