Just put the flah on a monopod! That Strovist guy is simply a genius!

I used to hate shooting portrait. Well, I did not HATE it. It's just that I was a bit afraid. I did not know how to direct people and I was not confident enough with my off-camera lighting.  Thanks to my internship at the Ottawa Citizen, the Edmonton Sun, my summer job at the Windsor Star, and to Strobist, I know what I am doing and I am not afraid of doing it. I can do some cool light trick and create something out of a white wall. When I have a portrait assignment, I'm nervous no more. I just know I can come back with a neat picture.

Now, I can enjoy it. The fun part is the people you meet. They are very cooperative because they are ordinary people who did something extraordinary, and they want the world to know it, or went through a lot of hard time, and they want the world to know it.

In the last few weeks, I met a veteran of Dieppe raid who was held prisoner by the German for 2 years ("Yea, we knew it was a suicide mission. But we had to do it"), a guy who was hit by lightening and survive with only a burned feet, a guy who run the marathon at 75 years old - and the only one to do it under 3 hours in his age category, an international Lebanese student who fears for his family back home, and the list goes on.

When asked who has the luckiest job in the world, people rank photographers in second position. How many time have I been told: Oh your job must be so cool! And yes, it is. More than you think.

We meet people than most people will meet. We go to places that most people will never go. And we see things than most people will never see.

I saw a guy nailed into a fence by a bull. I met Big Show, a guy I used to watch wrestled every Monday on TV. I visited a recycling plant. I saw a bunch of Brazilian celebrating their own defeat at the World Cup ("Brazil lost the game, but they won her heart," their were saying while applauding cars with French flag passing by). I saw an open heart surgery just before my very eyes. I saw protests. People crying. People cheering. People angry, people overly joyous. I saw cute moment. I saw some very odd moment.

And you know what?

I'm paid to do it.

New-York Times Assistant Managing Editor for Photography Michele McNally will answer reader questions this week about photography at The Times. Interesting!

If you are a working or wannabe photojournalist, the Strobist blog is a must. An absolutely must. I really mean it. Everything you need to know about off-camera lighting! Start with the Lighting 101 and proceed to On Assignment - Learn More where David explains how he shots some of his best pictures. Read everything. Did I say it loud enough? READ EVERYTHING!