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To All Photographers: a Poem About Believing in Yourself

Chris Gampat
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10/07/2014
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Last Updated on 10/07/2014 by Chris Gampat

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All images and text by Carlos Alfaro. Used with permission

We’re stepping aside for a second to share some inspiration from reader Carlos Alfaro. He wrote this poem for photographers. Take a look after the jump.

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Today is August 19
Dedicate to forgive.
Forgive yourself for the pictures that you did not take.
For all the photos you deleted of your memory card.
By disposing of your own work.
By not developing your last roll.
Forgive yourself for wasting time between megapixel and not needed glasses.
For the films have not tried.
For the fuzzy and unfocused picture.
Forgive yourself for not having run more risks.
Not to try new angles.
Not to frame before shooting.
Forgive yourself for helping but feeling that digital photography does not fill you as analog.
By not prioritizing time.
Not loving the moment.
Because you were more camera than human.
But today is our day!
So free yourself!
Free yourself from the weight of that camera you did not use.
Of extra lenses and flash that made you lose so much space.
Free yourself from the customer order.
Payment not made.
From behind and then you fix editing in Photoshop.
Get rid of those clothes to keep up with your models and clients and returned to the streets to feel what you felt on your first shot.
That tingling in your stomach.
That finger sore from both pass the reel.
Click that makes you feel that your place is unique.
Your look is unique.
Your picture is unique.
Today we go back to believing in us.
In our profession.
In our passion.
In our great love.
Today started again.
Today we will live again.
Happy August 19.
Happy photography day!

carlos alfaro photographers poem
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Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.