Ponderings on the business of photography

So, about photography. Making pictures of whatever catches my attention is one of the most enjoyable things for me. Needless to say, quite a few pictures get to appear on my Facebook wall - people love to share things they like, and I'm not an exception. In fact, quite a few people actually tell me I'm good at it. As I tend to skim through my Facebook news feed quite often, there are certain types of posts I see more or less often. One of those in the category of posts I see every day has to do with making money out of photography. Nowadays, every person can start that, if, of course, he or she has a camera. Preferably, a good one, to make the whole thing look very professional. Then I think to myself: maybe I should do that too? A lot of people I know do that, and not having finished any kind of course that has to do with photography works as well. A couple of photo sessions with friendly people, a dozen of recommendations and boom - you have your own successful business! But then I think to myself: there are plenty of photographers, plenty of photo-models. I guess I should at least get a university degree first. Maybe then? Naaah, I'll come up with something else.

The profits of writing a food diary/counting calories

Since the summer is getting closer and closer (it's almost here actually), for the past three months I have been trying quite hard to get fitter. What I began with was sports: jogging, exercising, running, walking etc. Then, after some time, I did a research, looking for tips and tricks on the internet. And then I found this picture.

And that is where it got really interesting. It wasn't all about sports anymore. As time passed, more and more people were starting to live, eat healthier. This sort of became a new trend, so there were plenty of tips and articles I found everywhere even without any special effort: Facebook, Weheartit, Twitter, and so on. So I made a lot of research on healthy lifestyle and balanced diet (if you are interested in what I found, you just have to ask for it, and I'll write more blog posts about that), gathered everything in my computer and started changing my eating habits.  I bought much more vegetables and fruits, changed white bread and rice into their wholegrain equivalents. I also read that if I wanted not only to prevent weight growth, but to lose some, I had to reduce my calorie consumption.from 2000 a day to at least 1500. But how do I know how much I consume? There was a way to do it. I started a calorie journal. Every day, I made a schedule, trying to eat at the same time every day, four times a day, following the balanced diet tips and, of course, counting calories I have consumed. What made it a lot easier were different websites for calorie counting, such as http://www.caloriegallery.com. So, I went for 1500 calories a day and wrote the journal for about a month. Then, quite recently, I stopped doing it, because there was no need to do it anymore. My body got used to it and I am pretty confident I do not consume more than that. Of course, I can never be sure, but I eat way less than I used to before, and I'm happy with it. I still jog and exercise daily, and so far it is working :) So, my advice is to keep the food journal in the beginning and to just stop when you feel it's not so relevant to keep note of what you eat anymore. This way you will get used to eating regularly and less, and, what is more, you will have evidence to be proud of :)

Hundreds and hundreds of roses

So, this blog post is going to be about something that tends to occur on my Facebook news feed more and more frequently:  pictures of girls with enormous numbers of roses in their hands- usually anniversary gifts from their beloved ones. Of course, there is no way I am going to say this is wrong or inappropriate, I wouldn't mind receiving one myself. What is more, reading comments below those pictures is also something that makes me smile. Cute, cute, cute, that's what envious girls tend to write there. It really is cute. Talking about guys, although they do not usually post comments under this kind of pictures, we can all understand that seeing it on your girlfriend's Facebook wall makes you insanely proud of yourself.
But there is always a 'but'.
To begin with, this kind of gift is very expensive. We can all understand that all those flowers appear in a trash container only a week after they are received. Of course, there are people who can afford this (and not only once), but the point I am trying to make is that this kind of gift is not the most valuable thing you might spend a big amount of money on. Again, I am not saying you should give this money to charity or donate it to someone who might 'need it more than you do'. Every guy should try and make his girl/woman happy, and one mustn't forget about anniversaries. But now I am turning to guys who are not in very good financial state. What should they do? I am sure that seeing your beloved girl posting comments under the pictures with those huge bouquets and knowing you can't afford one hurts, but is it really all about pride and Facebook posts? It seems like we are all starting to believe that yes, it is. But think about it this way: if you are with someone who can't afford that, this, of course, doesn't mean you must hide your high expectations and thoughts. However, if I were this kind of guy, I guess I'd feel the pressure of being able to afford to surprise my girl in a way that I could be proud of what I did, reading those comments under the picture of her, hardly being able to hold all those flowers in her hands. But one shouldn't forget - what we see most often is not all there is. Nobody says you must be the one people should get jealous about once in a while (although I bet his feels really good). What's more to add, giving so many flowers could in some cases be considered as buying attention. However, those who do that shouldn't judge. All I am saying is that it's not yet a must, so guys, there is always something more original and exciting to go for.