Come on you guys, seriously.
Inspired by my recent post on the latest promotion *craze*, the Behind the Scenes video, I received a series of rants yesterday from a photographer who is concerned about the current obsession with things that don’t have anything do to with the real work of being a photographer. He is taking aim at Blogs, Twitter, FB, point and shoot cameras and BTS videos. And if half of his stories are true, he is completely right to rant.
Jesus H Christ, do I have to actually tell you that the most important thing is that you have kick ass images in your book? Do I need to spell that out every time I talk about promotion? That should be a given! If you aren’t doing good solid work (mid tier) or super interesting work (top tier) then put down the laptop, pick up the camera and go fucking shoot something fantastic!
And then there’s just a lack of professionalism: Assistants who tweet a shot they’ve grabbed on set with their iphone while they are “working”? You’ve got to be kidding me! Photographers who stop mid-shoot to whip out a little video camera to capture something for their blog? No way! Tell me this does not happen.
Look, I’m going to keep talking about ways to promote yourself because I can offer some Behind The Scenes of my own- how Art Buyers relate to different kinds of promotion should be valuable to you. But the most important thing is your unique vision. This vision takes time to develop and, with a few exceptions, it does not happen on your blog.
(Although, let’s not kid ourselves, there are some shooters who will get jobs just because they are good at promoting themselves and despite the fact that there is little depth to their work. Sadly, not every job is awarded on merit alone. If that’s your fate, ie. you’re an OK shooter but a fantastic blogger and self-promoter, then go for it. But young photographers shouldn’t ever get distracted from developing their eye and their style. That’s crucial.)
So let’s all get back on track- if you are an assistant on set and reading this right now- I want you to throw that iphone of yours against the wall and tape down some cable or something so the client doesn’t trip again- do you think it’s easy for her to walk in those shoes?
And on a less-bitchier note, thanks to everyone who sent in their BTS’s. They will be posted shortly.
{ 40 comments… read them below or add one }
Hahahahaha, I love it!
I’m glad you’ve addressed this issue Heather. All the peripheral stuff about self-promotion etc. can get a bit overwhelming at times and the attention given to it can, frankly, be a bit depressing. Seeing great photographs got me into this and continue to inspire me. Making the best pictures I can is what it’s all about for me.
In the in end, it’s all about the work. A good question could be, how do creatives WANT to be reached?
My web site shows my work and that’s pretty much it. Uncluttered and no fluff. There’s a link to my blog if someone wants to know more. They can experience the work however they choose.
Well said, and not said often enough. The content has to be there along with the promotion.
Oh my!
Amen!
The most refreshing post I’ve read anywhere in a while. Nice.
GREAT ARTICLE!!! Seems like there’s more and more people who aren’t good photographers and aren’t even very good bloggers, but they are regarded as experts because they talk a lot.
Tnx Heather!!! with this blog I inmediately put you under subscription!!
Great to back in the real world, where craftmanship, hard work, producing and vision counts!
I don´t like women in comfortable shoes tho somehow :-P
Vincent
Thanks for the clarity your post offers. The problem most of my clients face is the shifting landscape, that much of the work they used to gain from art buyers has dried up, regardless of their great imagery. What they’ve found is an increase need to “brand” and to differentiate themselves to gain attention. With the waning of agency work, and the increase of attention on social media, artists who are dipping their toes into the medium can add the experience to their pitch. Many brands are asking for web video in tandem to their still imagery. It’s this new emerging market, and how those contacts are finding artists that beckons the creation of behind the scenes videos. In a way the era of the portfolio has been shredded into multiple facets, some people prefer print promos, some email, some PDF, some video. Its good to know there are Art Buyers such as yourself who drill to the core. This new arena requires a faceted approach to make sure all bases are covered.
This is my favourite post of yours ever.
Yet this is the where the failings of the internet are shown. I want to read his rant. Why does he remain anonymous. There is a hell of a lot of anger out there, most directed towards ‘the industry’ – Heather nails it here. It is easy to be two faced online behind a mask.
It should be about the best picture always but let’s get real, it is about so much more. Those who are early adopters to new mediums and who are willing to take risks with promotions and marketing often come out on top. It’s called Darwinism and it works in business like it works in real life. Clearly angry dude feels threatened. Hey look what happened to Kodak when they thought the short term future of photography was the APS. If I were a share holder I hope Darwinism worked there and some heads rolled. Marketing regardless of medium used IS about photography. Look into Margret Burke White if you need to.
And tweeting shots from set? Worthy of canning in my books. Those of you new to the game remember what you are assisting is often not meant for public immediate consumption. Ditto for the blog thing mentioned. If it is not meant to be seen till launch then you had better keep it that way. While the AD there may not necessarily mind the client may flip and be rest assured they have more say in your future than you are willing to think.
You are my hero. Tell it like it is Heather!!
haha brilliant!
I understand the industry is changing, and everyone has to change and adapt to current technology and marketing or risk being left behind but seriously, know your limits. I have seen too much client and/or boss bashing via Twitter and FB. Its not like venting to a friend, and someone WILL find it. This reminded me of a previous post by A Photo Editor. http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2009/04/22/facebook-and-twitter-lost-me-an-advertising-shoot/
There are two things I love.
1. The smell of napalm in the morning.
2. A pissed off Art Buyer.
Just gives me goose bumps to even think about it.
Success in photography is like any business. You need talent, business skills and a personality. And, just like any business you can be stronger in any one of those categories and weaker in the other and still be very successful.
I think people get caught up in the peripheral stuff because it’s really difficult to make your pictures better and really easy to change the color of your logo… or send out tweets or make a bts video.
You cracked me up…. I needed that. But you left me with one question… What does the H stand for?
Rhetorical question… just messin’ around… back to work everybody!
Rob- you’ve summed it up perfectly. Thanks for that.
Nice to see you chip in Rob. You and Heather are my must read blogs. It’s nice to see you both in the same place, on the same subject.
What bothers me these days is that everyone is so intense and serious – “must do a Blog, must do a video, have to be on Twitter”, etc., etc. It’s like there’s a funnel channeling everybody to the same place.
Enough already. Where are the creative individuals who marched to their own drummer and defined this business? I’m long enough in the tooth that my heroes were guys like David Bailey who was half drunk for some of his most memorable work, or Guy Bourdin who seemed to have contempt for almost everyone. If someone ever questioned Jay Meisel, his most common answer was, “your f*****g problem, not mine”
This business was built on originality of vision and personality – some of it good, some of it, not so much – but it was original. Because guys like Jarvis and Hetherington are doing well with their Blogs and videos doesn’t mean that everyone has to do it. For those who do and do it well, kudos. The rest of the world needs to find their own voice and personality.
I immediately thought of Wedding Bells Magazine’s twitter feed/Twitpic’age:
http://twitpic.com/photos/Weddingbellsmag
So many shots from set…not sure whom they are by.
Well said Heather. I’ve seen “tweets” from other wedding shooters that post stuff during the wedding day! Talk about doing a disservice to their client!
Glad I saw your post today..someone had to say it.
Heather,
Reading this series of posts reminded me of an issue Julia Cameron wrote about in “The Artist’s Way”. Essentially, when artists aren’t doing the work they’re supposed to be doing they get cranky and start looking for and creating issues to be disgruntled about. I’ve certainly found it to be true in my life.
So whenever I see someone being a crazymaker for other people I’m urged to give them Julia’s advice, which is in a nutshell, “Shut up and go do your work.” As Andy Ptak said in an earlier comment, go find your own voice and perspective.
Thanks for doing your work so well and for bringing fresh insights and connections to so many people in our creative profession.
Charles Gupton
http://charlesgupton.wordpress.com
“how Art Buyers relate to different kinds of promotion should be valuable to you.”
It is truly invaluable. Please keep it coming, because I am just about to spend some scarce money on a printed promotion… and I want to do it right.
That was a breath of fresh air. Thank you!
All business owners are required to do a multitude of things, but to be a photographer you have to be able to do almost any task that presents itself. Most of the time all of us are learning these tasks on the fly and making things up as we go. Our communication methods change daily and photographers have a tendency to get caught up in really geeky tech talk. I am guilty of this and I think this could explain many photographers obsessions with what Rob coined as “peripheral.”
I have found the best solution to this is to disconnect myself from computers and phones at least one day each week. No email, no web, no voicemail, etc. It’s amazing how this affects my overall well-being.
thank you!!! please tell all my wedding photographers around the US this..
jose
I found your piece refreshing, honest and it hit home for me. You articulated for me why I don’t tweet, hardly FB and blog when I have something to show or to say and I think a long time about it.
This doesn’t apply to wedding photographers. Why? 1. The bar for entry is so low. 2. Typical clients don’t know the difference between a good photograph and a mediocre photograph. They only know what they’ve seen in magazines by someone doing fabulous work, like Jose Villa. Rob Haggart said you need business skills, talent, and personality. Sadly, the wedding photography industry lets people get by on just one of those skills.
THANK YOU FOR THIS. I am forwarding this post to EVERYONE. Thank you thank you thank you.
@Heather – Thanks for posting this.
@Stella – While I agree with you that the barrier of entry for wedding photography is low, there are plenty of clients out there that seek out art and will not settle for the same old cliché wedding images.
Riccis
I am new to “industry” photography & I really appreciate this post. It’s refreshing to be encouraged to just develop my style, instead of “How to Promote Yourself 101″ or “How to Stay Exhausted Without Ever Snapping a Picture.”
Inspiring.
I think there’s nothing to complain about showing the process to the masses during a shoot. If you’re worried that these simple goings on are effecting your images it’s not the images you’re worrying about. I can see where the professinalism thing comes into play, however needless to say it just seems like bitching. That’s just me. I like to make shoots relaxed and personal to get “something fantastic”. I tweet during my own shoots and I’ve never had a client give me a weird look or say anything. My consultant even encourages it.
-Mitch
Thanks! I’ve been hearing so many people say the business ‘isn’t about making great images- it’s about branding/marketing/selling etc’. But I always ask ‘really?’
I mean to some extent they are totally right- but unless you learn to create something totally unique, something that’s better than others, then how can you plan to continue to get people to hire you?
I guess it’s a mix- and the battle is just keeping a balance. I know plenty of artists who are amazing- but don’t know how to turn a profit. So it’s not enough just to have great work. But the main thing needs to remain te MaiN ThinG!
Great post! My friends & I agree. I gotta share this with more people!
So true!!! I noticed a few blogs the other day that had no weddings or shoots posted but all kinds of random other stuff. And totally agree when you are working a wedding you shouldn’t be tweeting or working on a promo, be creative and shoot thats what people are paying you for.
Great post! I recently got sucked into a “blow-by-blow” behind the scenes of a large-scale commercial shoot only to find that it was actually a marketing campaign for the product the photographer was shooting. He had built up such a huge following through social networks that, my theory is, company X actually hired him to shoot the campaign AND blog the whole thing as an advertising tool.
christopher, not sure who you’re talking about, but someone asked him on his blog about that, about showing the images on his blog before the ad campaign came out, and he apparently avoided the question altogether. the client must have been in on it from the outset — a normal client would be very upset.
MY KIND OF POST! Thank you!
Great post Heather! You said what needed sayin’.
@Christopher
If you’re talking about Chase Jarvis’ Sandisk shoot in New Zealand, then my 2 cents are that its freaking brilliant… of course he couldn’t spill the beans before the announcement was made by the client but lets face it… advertising photography is just that, advertising. If the shoot itself and BTS video is part of the ad, more power to him, I hope he’s billing extra for it.
Lots of successful photographers have endorsment relationships with equipment companies… As long as the relationships are clear and there isn’t any overt claim of objectivity, then go for it. When Chase revealed who the client was, everything was pretty obvious from that point on. I think it was rather elegant actually.
Cheers.
thanks for bitchin, I need a good bitch slap to clear the blog fog tweet cloud today!
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