I was talking to my friend yesterday, and the conversation went almost exactly like this.
He asked me not to mention his name…. possibly because he’s married and LDS.

My friend: I love the nudes you do. They’re so beautiful… I mean, I would love to shoot like you.

Me: I don’t know if you really would.

What do you mean.

Well, you have a family.

Yeah, but you like what you do, and you’re lucky. Most people don’t have that luxury.

I disagree. Most people don’t put the time and effort into getting that luxury…. but be careful what you wish for? Nudes get old.

What do you mean? You don’t like shooting nudes?

I do, but they’re not my favorite.

Really?! Fuck! What’s your favorite?

Photos of my kids, family vacations, and landscape nature. Shit like that.

Haha! Really? I just assumed it would be nudes. Is there a reason?

Yeah. Lots of reasons. They’re stressful to shoot, and I feel like they take the life I want away from me and give me the things I don’t want.

What do you mean by that?

I just want a simple life. I want a family, I want to drop my kids off at school in the morning,  I want to go home and do work and kiss my… “The wife I don’t have” on the forehead. I want to take my family on hiking trips, go to those kid events, and do all that fun, stupid shit that everyone else takes for granted.

Then why do you shoot nudes bro?
Because it’s the thing I know best, and it’s also a means to an end.

What do mean by that?

If I shoot nudes and grow my magazine, then I can step out of the role of a photographer and step into the role of an organizer/editor. Maybe, it’s not too late the have the life I really want.

 

 

We finished talking, and I hung up the phone. Someday soon, I will pick up my camera, I will walk out of my house, and I won’t shoot nudes. If I’m lucky, someday, I’ll have my dream.. the one above.
Maybe, your dream is to shoot nudes, and that’s cool. My dream is different.  My dream is probably what you wake up to everyday. Don’t you find that strange?

Thank you for taking the time to read. I appreciate it! Visit my IG to see more of my work. I also sell art on Artfinder.

Ikon Republik- I am a photographer based in Salt Lake City Utah.

I am the founder of VEGA Magazine. I like to write. I like to play guitar. Most of the time my life is pretty awesome. I offer photo sessions and I teach personal photography lessons. Please message me for a price list. Heads up! I have 5  more than 50%  off sessions to offer in March.If you are one of the first you might get a session for $200.  I have two workshops that you can join right now! The Intimate Portrait Workshop or The Basic Workshop for beginners.

Message me!

Ikonrepublik@yahoo.com.

Please give me about 3 days to respond.(I’m currently  not working on getting better at checking email but sometimes it might be the same day!)