Freedom from our selves and the "rules"?

Hamish Gill

Tech Support (and Marketing)
We have touched on this a few times around the place, just thought it about time we delved into it a little more!

As i mentioned in another thread my confidence as a photographer (especially with weddings) waxes and wanes like nothing else in my life ...

I spend half my time following my own rules, making my own style, being comfortable in my self and enjoying my job, and the other half hating everything i do, wishing i was more like this photographer or that (Asun Olivan for one ... damn you ;)).

When I followed my interest in hifi a lot more, there was always a sense of trying to reach the unobtainable perfect hifi ... Now i dont follow it as much im very happy with my hifi!

I seem to feel the same about photography ... im working toward entirely unobtainable perfection!

We are tainted by each other in equal measures to inspired!
The bit of the brain that allows one to work freely is inspired by others work
and the bit that sees that others as better is tainted ...

How positive is this relationship we have with each others work?

My guess is that we need both reactions and emotions to help us get better...
We need the wax and wane to batter as when we are down to make us improve, but we need the confidence in what we do to keep us going ...

ultimately maybe the best way to be a photographer is not to be one at all ... look at what Kevs kids churn out ...

DSC_0026.jpg


Great, unusual, interesting photos taken with a freedom us "Real Photographers" can never again achieve ...
Or maybe we can?

Enough of my ranting!
what are your thoughts?
 
This is odd that you should bring this out again, I believe. I made a conscious decision only the other day to stop looking for that perfect shot and allow myself to enjoy photography again, you know not being overly critical of myself and to stop doing that 'Nah the light isn't right' stuff. The kids I work with have a freedom, they don't know the rules, I try not to tell them, because I don't want them to be tied down by them. Yes, in real life we have to consider them, but there's plenty of time for that, I think. Photography, like all the arts is subjective, just because its a 'perfect shot' technically and compositionally doesn't mean everyone will like it. I heard someone on the radio the other day, a big name in music, Paul somebody. I think he was one member of a big band back in the sixties, oh yea that's right Paul Macartney, He was talking about his new Ballet, his first, he said, 'I like it, we like it, and that's good enough for me, if other people like it then that's a bonus' That is the philosophy I want the youngsters I work with to feel, and ultimately what I want to feel. If it's good enough for Macca then who am I to say his philosophy is wrong? We should always seek criticism and advice, purely so that we can learn and hopefully create that something that others like too. Because although subjective as it may be, we all like to have our work admired and liked by others. I think Hamish we can all have that freedom again we just need to break the shackles occasionally. I would be very interested in hearing what other members feel on the subject. Kev
 
This is what I am always telling people! A photo is good if you think it's good, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks ... As He says, if others like it it's a bonus! I think I said that very sentence to Pete just the other day!!
That really is one of the core messages I wantthis forum to get across!

The problem comes, for me at least, when other people liking it is important ... It shatters my confidence across the board sometimes! Drives me potty it does!!
 
When I do stuff for other people I try to tell them before hand, this is what I do, what I can do and what I don't do, if you want those then you best go to someone else because I can't do those.

It may not be the best business strategy but then I have to be honest with myself as well as them.

I am going to see a couple next week re a wedding they want me to do, I'll tell them exactly the same thing and show them and ask them, then they'll sign to say that it what they have booked me for.

Then its down to me to do what I said I would. But that goes for everything I do when Money is to be exchanged...

But that said it is still a major worry on the day.........which is why I don't like doing them, too many variables that I have no control over.
 
I've always tried to follow my own path in whatever I do and photography is no different, I make shots I like, ones I want to look at and if other people like them and get anything from them then I am very happy, even if it isn't what I set out to achieve.

Dj'ing is very similar in that you have to live and die by your own style and own feeling... as someone once said " Be yourself because everyone else is taken "
 
I think that everyone should just do what they want to do, who says it is right or wrong? if you think that you have reached perfection then you will never improve. !Today it is so easy to take(and I mean take not make) an image via a camera, phone, ipad etc. but it does not mean it is a great picture, since the onset of digital (in all forms) the quality of pictures, typesetting, word processing, design and advertising etc. has fallen beyond belief, it's the old story of "if you see it enough it's right" In that case then would you speak to anyone face to face the same way that you would text them?
 
I think it's very important for photographers to have projects to work on away from their main line of work, where they are free to experiment without it having a negative effect on any sources of income. I think if you don't, you'll just stagnate and turn out the same work over and over, which might line the pockets but won't stimulate you, and I think that's just as important in what's supposed to be a creative industry.
 
since the onset of digital (in all forms) the quality of pictures, typesetting, word processing, design and advertising etc. has fallen beyond belief


I really can't agree with you there, if quality has fallen it is due to the general lack of imagination that people display... the average person doesn't want to stand out because being different is not seen as a good thing, There was a lot of crap before digital as well.

i can only thank god I was brought up to express myself and trust my own judgement
 
I Agree Davie, I asked someone the other day, as part of a workshop, Do you like "Picasso's paintings?" the answer was "Yes" I replied "why?" "because they are worth a lot of money" was the response, so I asked again, "If they weren't worth all that money would you still like them?" "No, they're crap and don't look like anything" was the new reply. Subjective as all art is, it is only as good as the viewer thinks it is. I sold a picture a while ago because I was passionate about it, I said "see this, this is great stuff I reckon its the best thing I've done, I really love it" "yea its great can I have one" I think the point I'm trying to get over is that not ALL art forms are Great, not all are Crap...........it's all in the eye of the beholder, but you have to like it yourself first.

As Davie says....."Trust in your own judgement first"
 
Just been lecturing Tom and Dan in whatsapp ...
Neither of them seem to have any bloody confidence ... Dan says he doesn't want to post his wedding shots because he has seen mine! My response is "do you think I don't feel like that about other people's work" ...
I think the point is, we are all in the same boat! We all just need to realise we are in the same boat!
We can talk the talk about freeing our selves and following our own stylistic paths etc etc ...
I couldn't agree more! But if any of you tell me that you never loose faith in your own path I'd not believe you!
I'm really happy you can all feel positively about this thread and post with the creative side of your brain (the free side) .. But I want to hear about the times you loose faith, this is god damn collective therapy I'm talking about here (Hehe ;))
 
I really can't agree with you there, if quality has fallen it is due to the general lack of imagination that people display... the average person doesn't want to stand out because being different is not seen as a good thing, There was a lot of crap before digital as well.

i can only thank god I was brought up to express myself and trust my own judgement

Yeah... I think I agree Davie, it's perhaps not that quality has fallen, more that there is more opportunity for more people to make crap. The good stuff is still there, it's just harder to find behind the tides of less good stuff!
Digital has brought stuff to the masses on a huge scale... Its bound to lower the average, but id definitely say there is good still being produced!
Just because we have text messages doesnt mean we don't have articulate and intelligent conversations as well ... We just communicate more, and the average quality of the communication is lower... Right??
There is a point that "text speak" is entering language, but as mr Fry was sayin on tv the other day, it is just part of the constant development of language! It might not suit all of us, but it is inevitable ad it has been happening since man first spoke (or te tower of bable - depending on your religious views)

Anyway, drifting slightly there, but it is a workable analogy ....
 
I think it's very important for photographers to have projects to work on away from their main line of work, where they are free to experiment without it having a negative effect on any sources of income. I think if you don't, you'll just stagnate and turn out the same work over and over, which might line the pockets but won't stimulate you, and I think that's just as important in what's supposed to be a creative industry.

Yep, I think this place and the increase in personal photography it has caused me to churn out has actually kept me sane... And I've definitely got better at what I do for it ... I loath a lot of my work from a year or so ago ... But that's a whole other convo ... "dealing with your own past "attempts"" it could be called ;)
 
A long time back, I used to hang out with Barry Tuckwell at the time that he was considered the heir to Dennis Brain as the top horn player in the world. The French horn is a bit of a devil to play (Swann and Flanders),

http://youtu.be/WHWnFJ4_61U

One time I asked Barry when the moment came when he knew the note he blew into the mouthpiece was the note that would come out the other end. To my astonishment, he said "Never". He mused on, that the horn plays in harmonics, so if he misses the note, what comes out usually sounds OK. He added that only a few in the audience will know the whole score by heart, and they tend to be forgiving since they are sophisticated enough to understand the problems the instrument poses.

Horn players are generally regarded as nutz—way over the top in bravery. Brain loved fast cars and never knew his limit. He was killed when his Triumph TR2 lost a high-speed battle with a tree on the A1 road opposite the north gate of De Havilland Aircraft factory at Hatfield.

A few nights later, Barry was to perform the Mozart 4th with the London Symphony Orchestra under Andre Previn. We were hanging out back-stage when he said for me to go into the hall—and watch him "freak out Andre". He played the entire first movement without touching the keys!! All with the chops and stopping the bell. Andre is pretty cool, but he went through an incredible number of changes during that movement! That is not just cool—that is Kelvin 0,000—absolute zero! Cooler, you can not get.

The bottom line is that the horn is all but unplayable by mortals. You do the best possible performance under the circumstances, and if you are Barry, you can push the edge a bit farther. When I take on a shoot, my goal is to produce the best content with the best image quality that circumstances permit.

Last weekend, late on Saturday night, I was photographing bison in the dark—at best with car headlights. I had not anticipated it, but even if I had, it was way over the edge. I got a few keepers, but they were too poor to show. Such is life.

The next day, I was in a beautiful forest park with loads of dinosaurs. No problems, shoot the same shot as all the tourists—boring. I had the D700 and the 28-300mm, so I could regulate the depth of field. I shot twigs with autumn leaves, but in the background of every shot was an out-of-focus dinosaur! Some got it and were highly amused, others did not. Ah, well...

Autumn?A Somewhat Different Approach

However, for the ones who did not, it seems they also liked the images. Ah, well.

I try—whenever possible—to find a fresh approach. Prior to shooting the bison in the dark, I visited a beautiful little city, Camrose. I photographed the Canadian Hot Air Balloon championships. Great material, but somehow in spite of my 14mm lens and the rich colour and forms of the balloons, it felt a bit like I was shooting for a newspaper again. I let it fester for a couple of days, and decided to go with my photo-aquatint technique. I had shot a couple of shots with a little old gal in the foreground using a P&S. Once converted to the aquatint, I copied what she was likely getting and mapped it onto her monitor. I posted on Facebook and it generated a whole pile of 'likes' and comments.

Balloon-Championships.jpg

While in Camrose, I had the window down and was shooting while the car was in motion. Saw a picture-postcard scene, and nailed it. It generated even more Facebook traffic. I know it is good, but it is also closely approaching cliche. Straight shot, decent composition, but something most anyone could have nailed.

None the less, it was the best one could do under the circumstances—which I feel is the realistic goal of any serious shooter.
Camrose.jpg

Push the edge when you can. Find something fresh when the other alternative is the obvious shot. Exploit the content with an alternate technique when the content will support it. Go with a simple, straight forward, honest shot at the highest possible quality under the circumstances—which is always safe and completely truthful, if not exactly original.
 

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I really can't agree with you there, if quality has fallen it is due to the general lack of imagination that people display... the average person doesn't want to stand out because being different is not seen as a good thing, There was a lot of crap before digital as well.

i can only thank god I was brought up to express myself and trust my own judgement

Yes, I don't think that I made myself clear enough on the quality point, I meant that now that digital is available to all and sundry everyone is an expert yet that "expertise" results in lower quality being produced by Joe Public and lower quality becoming accepted by Joe Public.

Yes, there is still great stuff being produced by the people who do have the imagination it is just unfortunate that the people who are not blessed with it assume that their stuff is earth shattering because they have a digital camera, Photoshop, Elements etc. and can knock up a brochure via templates in word processing programmes. :)
 
Do you have a design service Joan?

I know exactly what you mean ... 1 third of our business should be print design ... but its not, people constantly question why it takes so long to design a logo
We have had clients say "but i could do that in a few minutes in 'Word', why would i pay you hundreds of pounds"
Its actually a surprisingly difficult question to answer without just saying "because we know what we are doing and you dont" ...
Joe, our designer has a degree in design, yet he still has to justify his self to clients!

examples of joes work

port-graphics-02.jpg


(This was for a games show in germany, thats why it has funny spelling)
port-graphics-01.jpg


Why should we need to justify our selves when we do stuff like that??
we shouldnt have to, but we do, because every one "knows" how "easy" it is ...
 
Yes, we do offer a design service for anyone who is having leaflets printed with us but still get asked why we charge for it...I don't think that there is an answer to the question either because if they can't see the difference in a professional designers work and their own efforts they will never understand anyway, but heyho we will live to fight another day.
 
You are not alone in the world.

Clients From Hell

Designers suffer the same client-experiences as photographers. The site is a must-read.

Phone rings: "Hey! I like your work. My kid's birthday is on Saturday and you can come and take pictures. I'll buy you a roll of film."—for real. Also why I never did retail other than when I was just starting out.
 
The few people I have dealt with(mainly rockabilly women) have all been lovely but then they all know i'm a stroppy get and will do it the way I want it lol
 
I used to have my own Design Studio many moons ago so I know and appreciate "The clients from hell" feeling..................I too had the offer of a free film as payment if I "just took snaps of all the rooms" in their bed & breakfast for a brochure that they would be ordering from templates on a cheapo print site.peerleezee..
 
The artwork produced by children can often be refreshing because they have a complete lack knowledge of the rules and and therefore freedom. Adults try to ignore the rules but many of them are enforced on an intuitive level and therefore just fall back on lasiness.While everybody is entitled to an opinion of what they like and dislike people that have actually studied design or art know how to put context into their work. If someone says I can design a logo on word in ten minutes, why should I pay loads of money to have someone else do it the answer is simple. Anyone can potentially design something that may look good but what does it say. A logo is a visual tool to quickly get a message about your company across in less than a second. Without understanding how to convey the message through the logo it's just a little picture and one that people won't engage with and therefore probably forget as soon as their eyes' leave it.
 
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