A Picture is Worth?

Apparently nothing. My friend is having her baby's baptism tomorrow morning and I am the official photographer. My payment is in the form of... oh. Nothing. (That's ok, I actually love being asked to photograph important events) I have a list of all the necessary pictures and all of my photo equipment was cleaned and packed last night. I have added a new weapon to my arsenal, a canon rebel 2000. We will see how it performs under pressure. There will be a small test run today, hopefully all goes well.

Here's the thing about me and cameras, I friggin love them! Except for point and shoots. I would rather throw them into the gutter than use them, especially cameras without any zooms. WTF is the point of that shit? The only point and shoot that I ever loved was my little XA, which is out of production and has to be bought used. That thing is a beauty and many camera aficionados swear by them. Unfortunately I lost mine when my car was stolen (it was in the trunk) and the one I bought to replace it kills all batteries within two hours. Weird. Car stealing bastards!

So, at current time I have a small digital camera in my purse, two cameras in my car (one is stupid defective XA), the digital z1 is at home in it's nice protective case and the rebel is sitting by my side waiting for it's outing and new batteries.

I also own and read obsessively books on filters, creative techniques, shooting methods, digital vs. film, etc. I haven't taken a course in photography since high school but all my friends and family call me for photos instead of hiring someone. I'm even starting to do weddings which is pretty cool. But, well, I'd like to start getting some paid gigs. It would really make this seem worthwhile.

Which brings me to my main point, I NOW HAVE A PAYING GIG! I am taking pictures for a famous makeup artist! He has celebrity clients, and that's right, I am taking the pictures of his models for his portfolio!

I'm getting paid! Does that mean I can have business cards?! Does this mean I now have license to buy more lenses? How about filters? Can I wear all black and run around downtown calling myself an artiste while smoking long cigarettes, drinking brandy and cursing men with five syllable words?

This is the best hobby EVER!