At times I feel like I’m on a safari.  I sit in relative safety and look for game to hunt.  I think it would be more accurate to say that I am usually the photographer, however.  The basics are the same but the end action is different.  I learn where the game lives and how they function, but instead of going for the kill, I’m documenting information.  Information that may be used for later.  The thrill is not so much in going for the proverbial kill, but rather in the actions that could lead up to it.  Being an information broker, I can learn all that I need to about anyone I meet.  I rarely use it for ill, but it is a satisfying feeling to put them in my viewfinder.

No piece of information should be overlooked.  Adjectives alone can speak louder than nouns.  Sometimes people will reveal the most intimate details out of trust.   Sometimes they try to be vague, but reveal much when they search for “synonyms”.  Like animals that we hunt, people have patterns and vulnerabilities.  The thrill of the hunt is in putting the pieces together in order to find the right place and the right time to pull the trigger.

Information brokering is more than simply identifying the weaknesses of others in order to establish gain from them.  It is essential for protecting oneself.  I am constantly wearing a mask with those around me.  I may wear it better than most, but I do not delude myself into thinking my mask will never slip.  By gathering information on those around me, I can not only more easily identify whether they perceive my mask, but I can also use that information to perform damage control, if necessary.

Whether I am carrying a camera or a big game hunter’s gun, I am still watching your every move.  The typical person reveals so much of themselves without ever saying a word.  Most of the time, that information will never be used.  Most of the time, others are simply in my viewfinder rather than my sights.