Dude. I love this post and this story. It's kinda similar to my history with photography. It started as a hobby, but after taking a class or two, I networked and then got into photographing bands, aspiring models and weddings. It was pretty fun at first. It got more and more expensive with the gear though and it took up more and more of my free time as it was also a side hustle too (my main job is in engineering).
Finally, it all came to a head when I realized that photography was more of a chore that I didn't enjoy rather than a hobby I enjoyed. It also didn't help that all my summers were spent shooting on weekends and post-processing.
I took a 2-3 year sabbatical from all photography and sold most of my gear. I only took personal photos during the time and chilled out. I found myself again and didn't think about photography for a while. During this time I got married and started a family.
Last year, my wife and I thought about some possible side hustles and we came back to photography. I was tentative at first since it left a bad taste in my mouth, but we gave it a go. We started a family photography business and shot our neighbors and friends to get started. The shoots were small and we just used the one camera and two lenses we had on us. Pretty minimal but it got the job done.
Now, a year and a half later, we're still doing it and photography is still fun. The projects are small, the clients love the photos, and photography has meaning again. Oh, yes, we're profitable as well. We now have two cameras, but have just stuck to two good lenses along with some other studio equipment (not a lot, just two strobes and a few seamless backdrops). Since she handles most of the communications, the load is shared and we work well together. It also provides us some shared goals and I think we're closer because of it.
To sum it all up, don't be afraid to dip back in. It can be good for you again and bring back some good feelings (and money perhaps). You already have the skills (clearly) and it would be a shame to let that go to waste. Maybe log down all your expenses out and money in, and really question all your purchases. Minimalism works. The Canon 6D is rad!
Good luck man! Hope to see you posting new work on here soon!
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Thanks @duranc!
This is an amazing story! I'm so glad to hear it.
One of the things that I always thought was funny was that my partner always took way better photos than me, even though she had a fraction of the knowledge. She didn't know why her photos were so good, they just were... so I can totally imagine how working with your wife would be awesome. I do think having two photographers takes a lot of the pressure off. You really went about it the right way... minimal equipment and hard (but fun) work. I do think that you might not have gone about it as intelligentally the 2nd time had you not been a little burnt out the first time. I know I had approached gear as the means to solving a problem, instead of an investment.
I'll see how I go... I am getting a new camera for our trip to the Grand Canyon, and Steem is super inspiring, so a dipped-toe doesn't sound too out of the question at this point.
Thanks so much for sharing this... it actually really helps get it all clear in my head about a way forward.