It was invoice day at SG today. As I was checking through my invoice I noticed that next month will be invoice #48.
What does this mean?
It means that I've been officially working for SuicideGirls for four years as both a photographer and photo retoucher. That's the longest job I've held as an adult.
(edit: there seems to be some confusion. I've actually been on SG for five and a half years now, I wasn't a photographer straight away)
Technically I shot a few sets before I was being paid for them, but those were the days when the only photographers known to shoot for the site were Missy, Sean and London. I don't know if any of you remember when it was like that.
I'm so amazed at all of the opportunities I've had working for SuicideGirls; all the places I have travelled in the world and all the people I have met. I wouldn't have experienced half of these things without being a photographer for the site. I feel quite lucky when I look back on the experience.
This is one of the most interesting, fast paced and evolving jobs I've had and I think that is one of the main reasons I have stuck with it for so much longer than anything else I have ever tried.
In the time I have dedicated myself to this job I've made friends with the models and staff around me and some of them have turned out to be the best friends I could have asked for. I have so much love and admiration for so many people I have worked with over the past four years and all I can think is that my life would be so incredibly different without it.
I am really hoping that it will last for a long time to come. Things are quite different now to when I first begun but we must roll with the changes and adapt to them, right? I never thought I'd see the day when there are 33+ staff photographers (I'm sure I have missed some in my calculations). Working along side some of the most inspiring people is just one of the benefits of being an SG photographer.
Of course, every job has it's downsides. All jobs do. There are struggles and things we'd rather not happen, but that is life. Without it jobs would be predictable and easy and that certainly doesn't shape a human being. I don't want to be the kind of person to pretend that it is all perfect and happy because that just isn't reality.
Many of you have followed my own personal struggles I have had in the past year with rejections and frustrations and creative blocks, and that is just one more thing I am grateful for. The support I receive and encouragement to keep going and do my best is overwhelming.
I really feel like I have come through it all stronger and now more than ever I am excited to be a part of this. I am inspired to work harder and produce the thing that you want most; beautiful photos of beautiful people. I feel as alive and creative as I did four years ago, perhaps even more so. I know more now about my art and myself and I really think that helps improve my work.
Some of the early years...
(don't laugh at the photography)
I decided to take it up to the sets I shot at the Italian Villia. I went to Italy about a year and a half after I first started working for SG. These aren't all the sets I shot in that year and a bit, just 26 of them. It was difficult to choose one photo from each.
I have tried to post them all in the order I photographed them and not in the order they were posted to the site.
If you go back to all my sets before the villa ones (everything before Sheena's "Alone in the Dark") which is your favourite?
http://suicidegirls.com/members/Cherry/photography/page6/
http://suicidegirls.com/members/Cherry/photography/page5/
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k i n o t r o p i a
What does this mean?
It means that I've been officially working for SuicideGirls for four years as both a photographer and photo retoucher. That's the longest job I've held as an adult.
(edit: there seems to be some confusion. I've actually been on SG for five and a half years now, I wasn't a photographer straight away)
Technically I shot a few sets before I was being paid for them, but those were the days when the only photographers known to shoot for the site were Missy, Sean and London. I don't know if any of you remember when it was like that.
I'm so amazed at all of the opportunities I've had working for SuicideGirls; all the places I have travelled in the world and all the people I have met. I wouldn't have experienced half of these things without being a photographer for the site. I feel quite lucky when I look back on the experience.
This is one of the most interesting, fast paced and evolving jobs I've had and I think that is one of the main reasons I have stuck with it for so much longer than anything else I have ever tried.
In the time I have dedicated myself to this job I've made friends with the models and staff around me and some of them have turned out to be the best friends I could have asked for. I have so much love and admiration for so many people I have worked with over the past four years and all I can think is that my life would be so incredibly different without it.
I am really hoping that it will last for a long time to come. Things are quite different now to when I first begun but we must roll with the changes and adapt to them, right? I never thought I'd see the day when there are 33+ staff photographers (I'm sure I have missed some in my calculations). Working along side some of the most inspiring people is just one of the benefits of being an SG photographer.
Of course, every job has it's downsides. All jobs do. There are struggles and things we'd rather not happen, but that is life. Without it jobs would be predictable and easy and that certainly doesn't shape a human being. I don't want to be the kind of person to pretend that it is all perfect and happy because that just isn't reality.
Many of you have followed my own personal struggles I have had in the past year with rejections and frustrations and creative blocks, and that is just one more thing I am grateful for. The support I receive and encouragement to keep going and do my best is overwhelming.
I really feel like I have come through it all stronger and now more than ever I am excited to be a part of this. I am inspired to work harder and produce the thing that you want most; beautiful photos of beautiful people. I feel as alive and creative as I did four years ago, perhaps even more so. I know more now about my art and myself and I really think that helps improve my work.
Some of the early years...
(don't laugh at the photography)
I decided to take it up to the sets I shot at the Italian Villia. I went to Italy about a year and a half after I first started working for SG. These aren't all the sets I shot in that year and a bit, just 26 of them. It was difficult to choose one photo from each.
I have tried to post them all in the order I photographed them and not in the order they were posted to the site.
If you go back to all my sets before the villa ones (everything before Sheena's "Alone in the Dark") which is your favourite?
http://suicidegirls.com/members/Cherry/photography/page6/
http://suicidegirls.com/members/Cherry/photography/page5/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
k i n o t r o p i a
VIEW 25 of 79 COMMENTS
My Aussie mobile died last week and in a brain flash I charged up my Canadian phone (which still works) and I had a trillion messages on it. One of them was from Matt from back in August about driving me to the airport and as I listened to it I was overcome with homesickness and missing you guys.
I'm sending you a separate message as well.
xx