[sykotoy]

G'Day Fellas and Gals from Australia.

I need your guidance please, thank you for your comments in advance.

After growing up in sales and playing football for 10 years in England i moved to Sydney where Im a 43 successful business owner now ( I have a private college full of oversea's students) , with a Divorce coming up in the next year and the wife wants half. Fair enough, she deserves it.
So at this stage of my life I'm facing finding a new direction, career and future.
It's been a bit scary TBH. But im confident in my abilities.
I've struggled in the last few months demanding from myself i figure out a new profession, and quick.
Photography has been a hobby up till now, mostly in the area of sports, cars, but love caputring emotions from people, stirring feelings, just love that stuff.
My passion and obsession in this area is leading towards to the start of a business, suddenly in the last 3 month without trying, Ive had a pic published In Australian Mens fitness, got and completed a 3 day Contract for Reebok, where my pics are now on their world website for this sport and soon some pics i took on the street published in a national newspaper.

Capturing peoples love, pain, despair and joy to create emotions in the people that view them is what i want to do and create.

Weddings is also something I'm very interested in. But of course have no experience in.
I see the value of becoming a Photographers assistant. A pal who is red Bulls Preferred Photo Jock in oz suggested my biggest obstacle in becoming an assistant would be the Photography business owner may well feel in some way threatened by me, and my business experience. I am a bit larger than life, full of beans, and you can hear MY RS4 coming a mile away.
I was thinking of writting to a few local wedding photographers offering to be an assistant on weekends for free, a second camera at weddings ( i here is common now).
He gets twice the coverage, better chance at good images and my biz/marketing/sales brain ( if he needs it) for no charge, i get to be his goffer and learn the ropes.

What do you think ?, i have my own ideas, but any thoughts on how best to approach them being that some of you already ARE THEM, would be greatly appreciated.

Where do you pro's out there see my value and how would i best market myself to you?

Thx guys.
This website is amazing.

Rich