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Thanks in advance for reading, this is a "getting something off my chest" post. A short while ago I got into a casual email exchange with a well known photographer (will remain nameless, please don't guess publicly on the thread). They are advanced in years, and they rely I believe on income from instructional sessions, affiliate links and selling guides to everything photography under the sun. We were just chatting about photography locations and I included a link to my Flickr space to illustrate something. Well, surprisingly to me, I get hit by a hard sales pitch for their instruction sessions. I was told most of my photos have "serious flaws" and I "should be making better images with the gear I own" and that I have "only one good pelican in flight image". And then of course "I am 100% sure that I could help you become a better photographer". Then in a separate email, I was asked by this person why I hadn't used their affiliate links for a recent purchase. The individual took the time to scan affiliate link purchase attribution to knock me for engaging their content and not sending a % their way. (the answer to that was I had a direct credit with the vendor and wasn't going to complicate the transaction with affiliate links, plus I do get more value from other pros out there that I choose to support)
I was taken aback, and frankly was bummed out because I had respected this person's work. Have you ever run into a sketchy website on your browser and seen a pop up "your iPhone is infected with viruses and you must click here to rectify" or similar? It felt like that...Click here immediately to fix serious flaws in your bird images! Now I actually have a decent thick skin. I in NO way have a problem with critique, or advice or even "I just don't like your image". My wife says that all the time when I ask her to help curate my annual top 12 for a calendar I print to help note my progression year over year. I recall the advice of Simon D'entremont (who I deeply respect) who said be ready for people who don't like your photos, and that's ok, your photos should speak to you.
Then I thought more about the photographer with whom I had the email exchange. At one time (years back) they won notable awards for their work. Since then, in my opinion, their focus has shifted to a never ending effort to create more technically "perfect" images. They hop from system to system and chase the newest tech. They obsess about gear and about editing: important no doubt, but as Annie Liebowitz once said "if that is what you are thinking about, you are not taking pictures". Don't get me wrong, I love gear, talking about it and getting something new when I can. But I prefer to focus, as best my meager skills and time allow, to try and capture moments, to tell a story with images. I am just getting to that point in my amateur career. (I'm a librarian by day) I absolutely love the guidance offered by photographers like Tin Man Lee who encourage us to create images that evoke emotion and tell a story. One of the photos that moves me the most is of an artic hare. It was taken in horrid conditions, wind blown snow, etc. Not sharp, possibly not perfectly exposed, but my does it make me admire the resilience of this brave little soul that lives in a challenging place. I'm not a great traveler, and I'm awful at planning travel. But as my buddy tells me, be careful buying ever more expensive gear rather than booking travel with that money; I will end up with just better and better images of the ducks at the local pond.
I could tell more stories about this photographer, who I have seen get into verbal altercations with other photographers while running a workshop! I couldn't imagine spending a penny for that time given that one observed incident, and then now this odd hard sell approach. I'll save my money for photographers like Steve Mattheis, or Evan Watts who clearly align with my goals of growing both in technical and artistic proficiency, and at the least just plain enjoying the place you find yourself and the critters we pursue.
So keeping making images YOU enjoy making and looking at. Enjoy the process of making them, whether out in nature, a rock concert, a car race, whatever. Chase the light, chase good stories, evoke emotion in your viewers and don't let anyone get you down! Thanks for reading, just writing this made me feel better. Photography means a lot to me, and I do want to improve, but I'll find my own path to get there.
I was taken aback, and frankly was bummed out because I had respected this person's work. Have you ever run into a sketchy website on your browser and seen a pop up "your iPhone is infected with viruses and you must click here to rectify" or similar? It felt like that...Click here immediately to fix serious flaws in your bird images! Now I actually have a decent thick skin. I in NO way have a problem with critique, or advice or even "I just don't like your image". My wife says that all the time when I ask her to help curate my annual top 12 for a calendar I print to help note my progression year over year. I recall the advice of Simon D'entremont (who I deeply respect) who said be ready for people who don't like your photos, and that's ok, your photos should speak to you.
Then I thought more about the photographer with whom I had the email exchange. At one time (years back) they won notable awards for their work. Since then, in my opinion, their focus has shifted to a never ending effort to create more technically "perfect" images. They hop from system to system and chase the newest tech. They obsess about gear and about editing: important no doubt, but as Annie Liebowitz once said "if that is what you are thinking about, you are not taking pictures". Don't get me wrong, I love gear, talking about it and getting something new when I can. But I prefer to focus, as best my meager skills and time allow, to try and capture moments, to tell a story with images. I am just getting to that point in my amateur career. (I'm a librarian by day) I absolutely love the guidance offered by photographers like Tin Man Lee who encourage us to create images that evoke emotion and tell a story. One of the photos that moves me the most is of an artic hare. It was taken in horrid conditions, wind blown snow, etc. Not sharp, possibly not perfectly exposed, but my does it make me admire the resilience of this brave little soul that lives in a challenging place. I'm not a great traveler, and I'm awful at planning travel. But as my buddy tells me, be careful buying ever more expensive gear rather than booking travel with that money; I will end up with just better and better images of the ducks at the local pond.
I could tell more stories about this photographer, who I have seen get into verbal altercations with other photographers while running a workshop! I couldn't imagine spending a penny for that time given that one observed incident, and then now this odd hard sell approach. I'll save my money for photographers like Steve Mattheis, or Evan Watts who clearly align with my goals of growing both in technical and artistic proficiency, and at the least just plain enjoying the place you find yourself and the critters we pursue.
So keeping making images YOU enjoy making and looking at. Enjoy the process of making them, whether out in nature, a rock concert, a car race, whatever. Chase the light, chase good stories, evoke emotion in your viewers and don't let anyone get you down! Thanks for reading, just writing this made me feel better. Photography means a lot to me, and I do want to improve, but I'll find my own path to get there.
