Being a photographer – pro or amateur – can sometimes be a lonely trade.
You go to the client. You prepare. You set up the shoot. You do the shoot. You pack everything back down. You go home. You back-up you images (you really should … learn how here) You edit and retouch the images. And finally you deliver the images to the client.
Everything you do alone. You, and just you.

This is no unlikely situation even for me, the happy amateur with the in between paying clients.

But yes I do not feel alone, though you might think I would.

Peers

I have them ... likeminded photographers I dare call my friends. Real friends. 
I know this for a fact ... because we see each other often – but I bet if you ask each one of us separately we'd all answer: not often enough :D
We see each other over photography. We travel together to get amazing photos. But most importantly ... we are together. And this might sound a bit Brokeback Mountain to you, but we really enjoy the company of the others.
Photography may be our main interest, and for the most of us, what brought us together. But we have so much more to give to each other than just that.

But we do spend a lot of time together focused on photography. We have one-day trips to places here in Denmark.
And we take longer trips to places in Europe.
And we also do these get-togethers where we share our experiences and ideas. We teach each other how to master Lightroom. We give challenges to the other. We share dreams and hopes. Ups and downs.

And besides having a great time, doing what we love … we learn. Boy do we learn – I know I do!
Being 4 different guys shooting and seeing images differently really teaches you a lot. Seeing how others work. Seeing how they approach a “scene” or a “subject” is really educational. Because no two people do things the same way. So I learn a great deal from those guys … and I hope it’s the other way around too.

More than images

Though photography may be the reason most of us know each other, we do so much more. We even have a small "film club" where we take turns to share a movie with the others. We go to the movies. We share music. We drink rum.
And we just have fun. And that last thing … I really treasure that. Because having fun recharges your batteries like nothing else.

So my advice to other photographers would be: Surround yourself with friends – likeminded so you have the possibility to share your experiences and ideas amongst you. You all benefit immensely from that. You'll definitely become a better photographer ... but you might even become a better man (woman).

Thanks guys ... you know who you are

Merry Christmas