Children Hunting

This is hard one and I think it is more an issue for the parents than the children.  It goes back to my previous post on Paradigms and your own belief structure.  I personally believe that children who are exposed to hunting have a much more healthy connection to animals and nature.

That being said I'm still not sure that every child should be exposed to the act of killing another creature until they are ready.   This is obviously different for every child and it is up to the parents to gauge this. However wrapping your child in cotton wool is not healthy also.

I personally wouldn't let my children pull the trigger on an animal yet.  This is nothing to do with their age and everything to do with their education.   My children are from the inner city and have yet to fully appreciate the complexity behind the decision to take a life and I do not want to trivialise it.  I would however allow them to witness others doing this as part of that education.

This is debate that could go on for ever and is quite high on the agenda in my house at the moment.

A Townies Paradigm Shift

Before we start I think it would be a good idea just to explain what a Paradigm shift is.

Being a photographer I like to explain this using a camera lens as an example.  The way you view the world seems correct until you change the lens you view it through.  Changing the lens allows you to see things you never saw before and opens you up to new options and possibilities.

If you are brought up viewing the world in one way it is very hard to naturally understand why people do things in a different way to you and therefore and you will consider that that way to be wrong.  This built in to your personality and is a result of your education and upbringing.

Think of a Paradigm Shift as a change from one way of thinking to another.

WE ARE NOT HUMAN BEINGS
HAVING A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE
WE ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS
HAVING A HUMAN EXPERIENCE

I live in the town and never grew up with a paradigm of a Countryman, however I am doing my best to understand the reasons and motive behind field sports.  I do not have any trouble accepting the things they do, however I have come up against others who refuse to shift their paradigm.

The Typical Townie Paradigm,

Hunting is cruel and unnecessary, human beings do not hunt for food any more therefore people who hunt just love to kill animals for sport.  They use gun because they like shooting things, this is probably the best way to kill lots of things.  I do not know why they don't just leave the animals alone and enjoy them.  Killing is wrong, hunters a murderers.  I understand that some animals need to controlled but this can be done humanly by professionals using traps and poisons.

A True Countryman's Perspective,

I have barely even scratched the surface exposing the depths of the Countryman's Paradigm.  However From what I have seen a true Countryman loves nature and all of Gods creatures.  They consider what they do to be responsibility to maintain a balanced eco system  and to assist rural eccomony by providing pest control.   I have never personally seen a true Countryman take a life in vien or disrespect a life after it is taken.

There is quite obviously a big difference in these two perspectives, and feelings on both side run deep with conflicting myths and half truths.

I'm looking forward to learning the truth and perhaps educating other as I continue to shift my paradigm.

Field Sports Newbie,

It was just only 6 weeks ago that I had my first taste of the world of field sports.  I attended a Pass It On day mainly for the kids but also because I wanted to have a play with the guns and this was the first time I ever used an Air Rifle or shot gun.

Whilst I was growing up in the intercity, having an air rifle just simply wasn't even a consideration, however that's not to say I didn't want one and in fact I can still remember drawing up a design for one using a Coke bottle and some valves.  This was a little beyond my 8year old engineering skills at the time but I did make a succession of catapults, bows and cross bows.  Being from the town wanting or using such things just meant trouble, I mean why else would you have a weapon.  

However to this day I still look at a Rifle, Pistol, Knife, Bow etc and dont see anything scary, I just see a tool much like a hammer or a screw driver.  Yes a Rifle, Pistol, Knife can kill but so can a hammer or a screw driver, it just depend on the user and what you get that tool to do.

Anyway jumping forward to today, I am just getting into field sports.  I was so impressed with the Pass It On Event that I offered my services as Secretary which they accepted. It is through that Role and my growing friendship with The Old Hedge Creeper (Rob Collins) that I have got more interested and it has opened up my eyes to some new passions I never knew I had.  I am also now a member or the Famous, Wood SpringsPigeon Shooting and Wildfowling group too and the proud owner  a very nice Air Arms, TX200 MkIII and a Crossman 357 Pistol.

I am really looking forward to where this takes me and the things I will learn along the way.

So where do I go from here,

I can't run, I'm finding it hard to find the time to cycle. What am I supposed to do?

Bowing out gracefully

I wrote this in January of this year and did not want to post it until now. Today was my last weeding.

Bowing out gracefully.

I wanted to write this to prove that the events of the next 12months were all in my control and that I’m not one of those jokers who say “well that’s what I planned” after the event has transpired. In the past 12months my love of photography has faded to a mere interest due to the fact that it’s turned into a slog.

The market within the lower end of photography is overcrowded by people who jump in with no sense of the task involved. As these newbies do not understand what is required in providing a quality service they quote very low prices and scratch there head as to why other Pros charge so much. Once the enormity of task dawns on them they soon find themselves unable to cope and get out of the business, hopefully before they have done any damage but normally after they have made a huge mistake. Whilst you can look at this and think that there is some Darwin rule of natural selection going on and that the best rise to the top and are rewarded, the truth is that it is wrecking the whole industry.

Those photographers who operate within the lower end of the market (me being one) and who have spent thousands on equipment, insurance, do our taxes and invest our time in training are always brought down by this. Some would say “well what you need to do is moved into the higher end of the market” this is great advise, but don’t you think that every legitimate photographer from the lower end is trying to do the same thing and the mid/high end are have the same problem with have photographers who are punching above their weight.

The truth of the matter is that I pushed my paid work because I needed the money and that tainted my love of my hobby. In addition to this my time with the family is now more valuable to me than the amount people are willing to pay for my work.

So over the next year I plan to wind up my business, not to close it, as I may wish to return to it and to be honest I am still very proud of what I have achieved. The work I have booked for 2013 will be completed in the same exceptional standard and then in 2014 I will take a break from it to concentrate on some personal projects. To achieve this I will not be taking any bookings for 2014.  I  will also not engaged in social media as much and limit my networking.

This decision has not been made to cover the fact that I have failed or even that I have got bored but, merely that I want to love photography again and I cannot work at it and love it in this current market.

I cannot make it a chore and then covet my time with it.

Please note I have a good day job so can afford to make this decision, to those who have to do this to pay the bills, I have the utmost respect.

Good luck to you all.