35mm – Derek Woods Photography

3 Sixty 5 Photography: 044 Me. Yosemite.

Welp, turning 31. For me 30 and now 31 feel like a time of taking accounts. As with most people, I suspect, birthdays make me think about what I’ve accomplished and what I still and striving for. It centers me to push myself further for more.

Most of you likely don’t know this, but, my day job I run the LA branch of a tech consulting firm. I’m extremely fortunate to have been able to build my own team of literally my favorite people in the world and to be able to work with those people every day. Not only that but I have AMAZING clients that I have great relationships with in helping their companies do more with technology; and often times playing a key role in shaping how their companies view technology. But at the end of the day it’s all about connecting with people. Finding not necessarily what they want but what they NEED and guiding them to it.

My photography, has a similar goal but different means of getting there. Truly I see the places I travel and the people I meet through the lens of my cameras. I obsessively capture my world. I love inspiring people through those photos and getting to work with amazing people along the way that inspire me. I’m extremely fortunate there as well.

Those that have been following for years probably noticed that Julie and I have had less shoots. Life, as it does, took over most of 2014 with lots of work, moving, and traveling. It didn’t leave us a lot of time to schedule, style and shoot the work we ultimately love the most. That’s the life of living the duel existence of job and passion. Photographer and consultant. The duel life that seems the be the corner stone of this generation is kind of a blessing and a curse. We can do more and be more than before; but the question that inevitably comes up is: if I am doing both am I doing both of them justice?

The answer is: I don’t care! I love doing both. Having a “real job” let’s me keep my photography exactly the way I want it. It’s an immature perspective, but I want my photography to be ONLY what I want it to be. I know so many people who kill their passion by making it a job. Not that they all do, I know some people who find the unicorn of existence and have their passion and their job rolled into one. One day I’ll get there, but while I work to it I’ll sleep less, work harder, edit photos in the early hours and late nights because I love what I do, I love the people I work with, day and night, and I love all of you people that I get to connect with.

So I say if you have a passion that you don’t think you have enough time for, sleep less, work harder, make time. You will find a truer happier form of yourself in the pursuit and the lack of sleep will be filled with the pure energy that comes from creating what you love; that and LOTS of coffee!

Have a job, have a passion, have a side project, a secret identity, whatever you want really, grab hold of that thing that makes you happy and fight for it. (This is mainly a reminder to myself! Haha)

So here’s to it. 31.