There is one thing I know about the people in my life that inspire me, I do not have to know them extremely well to be inspired by them. The perfect example of this situation would be Leroy.
I met Leroy through my good friend, Leroy’s partner Sam. Yet another former student of The Photo School I was inspired firstly with Leroy’s contentment with the genre of photography he wanted to get into, I get really inspired by people who know exactly what they want and who put them selves out there to get it.
Not only is Leroy pursuing his passion of photography, he works two jobs and still finds time to do the other things he loves including skateboarding.
The things I am pretty certain I know about Leroy is that he works hard, knows what he wants and is passionate about what he wants.
Leroy has a lot to say and a great story, I promise you will feel inspired after reading this, because I definitely did.
How did you get into Architectural, Interior Design and Property photography and did you always know that was the genre of photography you’d like to specialise in?
When I started at Photo School in 2009, all I wanted to do was photograph landscapes, documentary and fine art. Of course, these are also some of the harder areas to actually make a viable income from in the photograph world too, which presented quite a challenge. As I experimented and learnt more about the world of photography over the next few years, I went through many different idea phases. Portraits, weddings, commercial products, music concerts and events, they all were a serious thoughts at some point but they quite often never seemed to go much further than that, always just ‘a thought’ and I would eventually come to the realisation that type of photography would be something I was just doing for the sake of it, and not because I truly enjoyed it.
Fast forward to 2013 and I found myself investigating this new ‘thought’, photographing houses. After doing some research and looking at various photos and videos I found that this interest didn’t actually phase out, it grew and flourished instead. I would hop online and try to take in as much information as I could, and research local and international photographers who were considered top of their game.
After staring at too many amazing and not so amazing photographs of houses and buildings, I said to myself “This is what I want to do for the rest of my life”. It was late 2013 at this point and the holiday season was fast approaching, so I continued to research and plan to start getting some experience and a portfolio together in January 2014.
Throughout this year I’ve photographed a variety of houses and have made some fantastic contacts along the way. I’m now charging prices that I’m fairly happy with and am extremely excited to possibly be taking a life changing opportunity in the not too distant future.
Do you think you will ever go back to study? Maybe get your degree?
I’ve actually considered this on more than one occasion. When my partner, Sam went and organised a meeting with Mel in regards to coming back to Photo School for the Advanced class in 2013, I went along with her as I was thinking about returning too. After the talk, Mel asked Sam what she thought about it all, it was a straight up “Yes, I want to do this”. Me on the other hand, replied with “Umm, it sounds really good but I’m still not sure”. Mel said that if I wasn’t sure, then it’s probably in my best interested if I were to wait and see how I felt next semester and in the mean time to give my full support to Sam.
I completely agreed and didn’t sign up that day.
Since then 2 more semesters have come up but I still haven’t returned and at this current stage, don’t think I will in the immediate future, but of course this could change at any given time.
One of my weaknesses is my commitment and self-discipline to academic learning. I’m usually more than capable of doing the work if I try, however I tend to get lazy and bored after a wee while which will lead to me dropping everything, regardless of how close I am to finishing. Definitely not my strong suit.
I respect and understand everybody who attends a school and encourage people regularly to following their dreams with study, however it’s just not something that I excel at unfortunately.
Where do you find inspiration?
I think inspiration and motivation are two words we commonly use mistakenly for the same meaning.
When we’re feeling motivated, it’s usually in regards to an activity we are either forced to do, or would prefer not to but may be in our best interest. Hence the phrases “I just need to find the motivation to finish it/start it/do it.” Usually the only thing that motivates us is the end product, and not the journey getting there.
Inspiration on the other hand, I see as a strong feeling and emotion that not only excites you to finish an activity, but excites you to spend the time achieving that result.
So what’s my inspiration? Other people.
My partner, Sam is my foundation. She inspires me in so many ways, but one that stands out is our future together. One day we plan to ‘grow up’ and have a family, a home, and other adult things. And my overall goal is for me to be in a job I enjoy (in this case a photographer) and earn an income to be living comfortably. At the end of the day, this will be the most that will ever matter to me in life, and every day she reminds me of what I’m aiming for.
Of course, there is also my family, my friends, and other mutual people that I encounter. However, throughout my short life here so far, some of my more inspirational memories are actually from random encounters with people, that I will probably never talk to again, and they most likely have no idea they’re stored away as a fond memory inside my head.
One encounter that stands out the most, was when I was working at a pick and mix lolly stall in Melbourne Airport. It was the most simplistic of jobs, where I filled up bins of various candy, and pressed 3 buttons to tally how much their total was. On this specific day, it was extremely quiet and nobody was around the stall. Then a man came from around the corner, and was heading straight in my direction. I informed him of how the stall worked, and he grabbed a small amount of lollies for his flight. As I was weighing his total, he asked me about general business related questions, however what followed caught me off guard.
Him: “Do you enjoy it here?”
Me: “It’s alright I guess, it pays the bills.”
Him: “Well, what do you want to do with your life instead?”
Me: “I.. I want to be a photographer.”
Him: “Then be a photographer.”
He thanked me for the lollies, and off he walked, never to be seen again.
It’s the people like this, who make such a minor experience in your life, such a major influence in who you become.
What advice do you have for someone who is trying to pursue their passion?
It’s not easy.
Should that put you off? Of course not. If life and the things you enjoyed were meant to be easy, then it really does create a more boring life. Stress and drama actually makes life interesting if it’s in moderation. It’s when it gets excessive that it starts to get out of control, and that’s where many of us find ourselves.
We also need to remember to keep having fun with our passions. Quite often we get too stressed and unhealthily focused on something that should be fun, relaxing, and just a general positive thing in life.
In my early teens I was watching a video of a professional skateboarder who made his living from nothing but skateboarding and running his skate related business. He said the hardest thing is trying to balance something that was once just a hobby, with the job and business aspect of it. He’d have to continually take a step back, and really look at the situation and remember he was making a living from the one thing he had such a strong passion for.
What got you into photography and what do you love most about it?
You can find Sam on her facebook page 
Aleisha Rasmussen 
