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How I became a professional author. Part One.
Posted on May 11, 2017
Some people know they want to be authors so that’s what they set out to do but I just fell into it. I’ve always admired authors. A friend of mine published a non-fiction work called VaxCluster Principles back in the early nineties which is the only book I own that was actually signed by the author. One of my aunts enlisted my help when she wanted to write her life history and needed computer support. She finished the book with my help but the words were all her own. I was inspired by both books but not enough to write my own.
What eventually got me published was not the desire to write but the desire to photograph. My father was Thomas Eaton. He loved photography and took thousands of pictures over his lifetime. It was his passion and a hobby but one he took seriously. Encouraged by my father, I always enjoyed taking pictures and long after my father’s death I ended up purchasing a Nikon D50X camera. One of my hobbies is flying remote control electric ducted fan (EDF) jets. While attending one of the premier EDF events in the part of the country I live in a friend of mine revealed he was covering the event for RC Jet International Magazine, a publication from Traplet Publications in the UK.
My friend’s camera wasn’t up to the task of capturing small jet aircraft zooming around so he asked me to take the pictures and he would split the check he’d get for writing the article with me. That began my small career as a professional photographer. I’m not quite comfortable with that term, professional photographer. I feel it’s insulting to the real photographers like my father who knew how to use a camera and what to do to get the very best shot. I”d describe myself as a professional picture taker who has an eye for getting the right shot. The pay wasn’t much but it was a fun collaboration and it was quite a thrill to find the magazine on the store shelf with my pictures on the inside.
To be continued…