Hi, my name is Samuel and I'm here to share my photography and knowledge to the community.
My journey started in 1990 in Geneva, a city at the end of a lake with a big water fountain. When I was young I used to draw castles and spaceships, I didn't wanted to become an astronaut and I soon realized that being an architect was not my cup of tea. I also crossed firefighter of my list, as I did enjoyed building up little scale models of cities in the chimney of the apartment and setting them on fire.
I grew up with artists parents, my mom was the idealist, the utopist, on the contrary my dad was the pragmatic, analytical and pessimistic. She worked as a teacher, he worked in IT. I remember playing one of my first video game on Windows 3.1, Prince of Persia (what a nightmare). Soon enough I was rail-gunning people in Quake, building up heavily armored outposts in C&C Tiberian Sun and trying to wrap my head around Simcity.
That's when I found out about map editors (in Warcraft and Starcraft, and then later in Counter Strike), I was fascinated by this ability of changing the game. It led me to get an interest in 3D and influenced me to enter art school.
Art school was a revelation for me, I discovered a world and people who were just like me. I studied graphic design and interactive media design, I worked in different companies during my studies (something you can do in Switzerland, you spend 50% of your time at school and the rest in a real job who also teach you practical things) exploring various mediums (photography, web design, 3D, sound, video etc...).
I ended up landing a job as a 3D designer in an agency and worked there for international brands, it was very stressful but also very rewarding and I learned a ton. Eventually the crazy rythm affected me and I did my first burnout in 2014.
I gave myself some time, worked for another smaller company for about a year then went back to the same agency (what a stupid move) only to realize I would burnout again if I stayed. And one evening in 2015 after a really bad day at the office I went to the Botanical garden and shot a series of images that would completly change the path of my career.
The few images I took instinctively that day ended up being shared on various blogs and websites, an editor contacted me, a camera brand got in touch... And at the end of 2015 I was starting a long term project to do a book with those images, I got invited to become an ambassador for Fujifilm and I landed my first client. Three months later I dropped the agency and started working as a freelancer.
It wasn't an easy ride, the first year I got very lucky with finding a few clients quickly and doing projects after projects but then life came into play and my dad got admitted to the hospital around December 2016. And because one thing usually come with another my mom was at the same time in hospital as well but for psychological problems.
I had my father dying and my mother turning crazy (to the point were you don't recognize the person, the very soul who gave you life and raised you). I had to balance between the two, visiting them both frequently. On February 14th 2017 in the middle of the night I received a call, I woke up still groggy and joined my grand-mother and uncle, we walked to the clinic and they make us seat around a table, there was a few plants, I remember the coffee machine, my father was gone.
Photography is all that I had left at this moment, and the project of turning images in a book. I let the rest of 2017 take me with it's current, I kept working, doing projects, earning money by myself. The loss was my fuel, he was so proud of what I was doing and I wasn't gonna let him down. At the end of 2017 I finished all the images of Botanical, my first book, it got published in April 2018 by Hoxton Mini Press. It's dedicated to him.
I do my best to teach what I know to other people, to let them realize that it's possible to do what you love, to help them on their journey. I'm still struggling with depression from time to time, staying motivated and keeping a structure isn't always easy specially when you don't have colleagues, an office or a boss.
I'm not sure how to end this text, I'll just say thank you for reading and that I hope we'll all make each other grow.
Hey, welcome to the club...
And damn I would say You got a lot of luck! After 6 years of my photography trials and boxes of medals no one agency or camera brand have contacted me...
Well, that's how things works in real world :D
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Excellent introduction, wow. Glad you found your passion! I'll be following to see how your journey goes!
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Thank you! I realized only later in my life that both my parents did photography when they were younger, before I was born. Things that you think are your own feelings are sometimes more like a reflection and accumulation of your past, of your childhood or even before that.
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Keep up the great work!
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Thank you so much for your interest!
Hello Samuel, what a touching intro. You'll find a lot of love and support from fellow Steemians here who will stand out by the light that shines through them.
I just checked your website out and you share some beautiful photography. I'd like everyone to see your work here. I'm glad you found Steemit, we're happy you joined us.
I've left out the welcome mat for you so you'll feel right at home! :)
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Welcome on Steemit!
Welcome to Steemit! It's really a great place for the enthusiast writers and for the people who want to share their good work with the world! :)
What a story. I can relate to the drill. Nicely written.
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Thank you!
Welcome Samuel 🌼
This was the best introduction I ever read, so enjoyed hearing about your life Journey and I love photography to and I love your pictures here.
I cant wait to se more of what you have to share. Amazing writing.
Have a wonderful weekend. Cheers!
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Thank you for welcoming me, I'm amazed at the kindness of people here. It's a nice change from the usual social networks!
Your welcome 😉 we all know what it was like to be new and I found a home here and many amazing friends that I cherrish alot.
Never be afraid to ask if you Wonder anything, and just be yourself and do what you love 😊 thats whats so Great with this place.
Have a wonderful weekend and glad to Meet you 🌼 cheers!
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Welcome to Steem Samuel! Have an awesome Steem Journey.
Welcome, @zeller!
Wonderful introduction, and I can relate to a lot of your story, particularly as I'm a fellow photographer and computer geek, not to mention having dealt with my fair share of grief.
My parents were both pianists; my mom classical and my father primarily jazz, and my father also painted beautifully.
In my two turns in Europe, I've yet to make it to Switzerland, but it's on my wish list as it such a beautiful place.
I am a big fan of, and use, Swiss privacy solutions Protonmail, ProtonVPN and Startpage.com. I wouldn't be without them.
Congratulations on the book. I'm currently working on a series of books, though along somewhat different lines, of which I hope to have the first published before the end of the year.
I'm also an artist, poet and musician, and I agree, it is entirely possible to create a life doing what you love. I have a close friend in Florida who has been supporting herself as a working artist since the early seventies. It's not easy, but it can indeed be done, and it is entirely worthwhile.
Best of luck along your journey through the Steem blockchain.
I'm happy to make your acquaintance.
Welcome to steemit @zeller.
Welcome the new steemians. Have a great day!
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