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My life as an invisible photographer.


rk_ny

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<blockquote>

<p>I also agree that your portfolio is randomly arranged,</p>

</blockquote>

<p> <br>

That's pretty fundamental. Nobody can look at the tumblr page and tell what you could do for them. It's chaos. And there's nothing that says what you are doing or looking to do. This is why a website can make a difference. Or not, if you can network. Most of my commercial work comes from networking now. And when people go to my website, even though it's a personal website and doesn't have much commercial stuff, they see what I can do in categories. <br>

<br>

</p>

 

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<p>I'm confused RK NY. You say that you are fine with your work being seen and appropriated by your family and close friends but then you say you are still holding out hope to be discovered. Which is it? I cannot even begin to speculate on why you are "invisible" but there is a lot of excellent advice here for you; especially the need for you to market yourself and create a "brand" for your work. These days, with so many photographers all competing with each other for the few jobs that are available at any given time, I think being a shrewd business person is more important then talent. Networking is where it's at; like just about any other industry, who you know if often more important then what you know. It's human nature to want to work with people one knows. On the other hand, maybe you're just burned out and it's time to think about hanging up the cameras and seeking some other creative outlet. Myself, this is all foreign to me because I got in to photography rather late in life and <br />I've been at it less then 10 years. I've had some success with winning contests and invitations to exhibit my work show up here and there, but I make no assumption about how well known my work is. I simply don't care; I photograph for the sheer love of it. What little success I do get is just icing on the cake.</p>
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<p>Tumblr is just a random photo blog. It's okay but mostly hip only to fellow Tumblrs. A savvy web pundit earlier this year noted rather astutely that Tumblr's core membership prefer it precisely because it isn't mainstream, isn't particularly topical and many Tumblrs seem opaque to outsiders - especially to parents who spy on their kids' Facebook pages, but can't seem to grok Tumblr. The kids like it that way.</p>

<p>Tumblr isn't a great way to showcase your work. I know of a few photographers whose work is very focused and genre-specific, who have either switched to Tumblr this year or added a Tumblr in addition to their existing sites. Personally I find Tumblr less satisfactory than their more traditional websites, particularly for reading narratives accompanying photos. Formatting, font sizes, etc., seem to vary wildly depending on the viewer's browser.</p>

<p>BTW, you can change the default to load only a page at a time. Terry Richardson's is set up that way. Your Tumblr is a bit sluggish compared with some, even on a fast PC with relatively fast DSL. You have a lot of largish JPEGs loading in the background, more than most Tumblrs I visit.</p>

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Just thought I would chime in here.

 

The advice you've been given in regards to whether or not you "really" want to be discovered or noticed is

valuable. It really does just come down to that. If you are, you will do what it takes to get noticed instead of

sitting back and hoping it will happen all by itself.

 

I have been fortunate to have been recognized somewhat in a few competitions, and have shown my work in a

couple of exhibits but I don't think my work is good enough to be noticed by people who could make things

'happen". But if I were serious, if I wanted that, I would do what it takes to get it or at least having failed (which

I think is what would happen) I would at least know I tried. You seem to have access to some contacts, it might

be a good place to start.

 

As far as your tumblr site....I don't personally use tumblr so I don't know, maybe it is cutting edge, but I agree

with the above comments about content and chaos. It really tells me nothing at all about you. I have put in a

link to my imagepro site (that I get for SUBSCRIBING), it suits me well enough and shows off my photos pretty

well I think. I've organized it to show the things I'm interested in and I tell a little bit about WHY I'm interested in

them. Asking for insight as to why you're not getting noticed and then rejecting the observations offered about

your website is counter productive. I asked for advice and took it to heart, made the changes recommended

and it has worked out well. Now I have something I can reference when someone wants to know more about

me and what I can do/cannot do.

 

http://imagepro.photography.com/index?site_id=21941&page_id=187286&preview=true

 

I hope it all works out for you.

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<p>My simple observation of the art world is that the photos that appear in major galleries have a particular concept behind them, which has been worked on very hard by the artist. I got this strait from the photography curator of a major metropolitan art museum in a lecture about art photography. Your photos, like mine and many of us here on pnet appear to be random shots of various scenes. No matter how well done and nice to look at they are, there does not appear to be a centralized "concept." The thing about conceptual work is that it is not always that interesting to look at, but never the less, it is the concept that is what is being considered as the central important theme.</p>
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<blockquote>

<p>My simple observation of the art world is that the photos that appear in major galleries have a particular concept behind them, which has been worked on very hard by the artist.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>But weren't Eggleston's more famous photos more or less "random shots of various scenes"? I'm not contradicting you, Steve, just asking a question.</p>

<p>--Lannie</p>

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<p>Lannie,</p>

<p>Eggleston's photos are of ordinary or mundane subject matter, zeroing in on a very American vocabulary. That's not random. He found photographic riches in non-extraordinary places, framing a simple world into compelling images, isolating spaces and moments we might too easily pass by. If you ever see a well put-together Eggleston exhibit, you won't miss the consistency of his vision, not to mention the very recognizable color style he developed for himself, which seems to find and saturate not just the color but the complexion of his objects and spaces.</p>

<p>The "concept" could be described as making iconic the commonplace. In his own words, which formed the title of a show I saw a month or so ago at the Met, he was <em>"at war with the obvious." </em>He'd skip over the well-lit and well-designed bed in favor of shooting the shoes and dust bunnies under it, or the stark red ceiling with bare bulb above it.</p>

<p>The variety of subject matter doesn't obscure the consistency of vision, style, and photographic idea. IMO, the key to many photographic concepts is to look at, but also beyond, the subjects.</p>

We didn't need dialogue. We had faces!
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Too much talk, not enough action.

It's the same in every field; now and again there might be a superior talent that gets noticed so much so that the Deciders are prepared to

take risks and employ him or her. For probably 99.9% of us though it is a case of marketing and selling. Don't confuse that with

networking. Marketing and Sales means finding out what people need/want and angling an offer to meet that need. Be prepared for the

door to be shut in your face and move on to the next one. This is the same as a request to take your card or saying we'll be in touch.

Networking is passive - marketing and sales is pro-active and the only to get things moving

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<blockquote>

<p>Too much talk, not enough action.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Indeed - along with a somewhat inflated <a href="http://static.someecards.com/someecards/usercards/1340967745945_1427049.png">sense of entitlement</a>.</p>

<p>There are <em>lots</em> of very talented photographers on here - but most know that it they want commercial success, it won't fall into their lap.</p>

<p>Otherwise we'd all have it.</p>

<p>And as to what to shoot - does anyone buy "street", much less gain significant commercial success from it? It must be <em>the</em> most overdone, banal, hackneyed, unoriginal photographic genre out there.</p>

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<blockquote>

<p>Too much talk, not enough action.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>To that end, allow me to offer a few anecdotal observations on the actions my career has required.</p>

<p>After fifteen years of practice and five years of concerted effort in marketing my work, I am just now beginning my first tentative steps across the line which demarcates the unknown from the slightly more recognizable.</p>

<p>Such effects have required an enormous effort: Crossing the country several times a year, showing my portfolio to hundreds of editors, art directors, and curators and accepting volumes of often humbling feedback from these same individuals. Investing countless hours (frequently over the span of multiple sleepless days) into the maintenance of a website, blog, mailing list, Twitter account, and Facebook page as well as the preparing of grant applications, juried submissions, exhibition proposals, and estimates. Spending thousands of dollars on prints, postcards, business cards, leave-behind media, posters, catalogs, custom presentation bindings, consultants' fees, and workshop tuition; all done while simultaneously photographing, teaching, and raising two young children.</p>

<p>It might be clear, consequently, that such a process requires an indestructible resolve, a resolution to oneself, a vow (as it were) that one will find an audience for the work at all costs, a fervent conviction that the story "told" within a given body of work is so critically important that it simply must be seen by as many viewers as possible. I firmly believe that making such a resolution is the first step.</p>

<p>The second step...well, that's a bit trickier. I would suggest attendance at Fotofest (http://www.fotofest.org) in the spring. Meeting Place registration is currently open. At this event, an emerging photographer can receive concise guidance from a broad swath of imaging professionals working in a variety of sub-disciplines. These generous reviewers can help shape a body of work in ways that might be difficult to imagine. One can also interact with hundreds of peers, hearing from them what marketing strategies have worked and venues where they have experienced success.</p>

<p>Should a photographer remain undeterred after a portfolio review of the sort described above, the third step, in my estimation, would be a session with Mary Virginia Swanson (http://mvswanson.com) at either a review event, workshop, or consulting session. Seriously. Meeting with "Swanny" constituted the most valuable twenty minutes I have ever spent at a portfolio review.</p>

<p>Resolve, firmly. Then act, decisively. Don't stop, ever.</p>

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<p>*indignant*</p>

<p>Keith Reeder wrote: "It must be <em>the</em> most overdone, banal, hackneyed, unoriginal photographic genre out there."</p>

<p>I beg your pardon! Street is no better than third, at best! I feel sure that the genre that <em>I</em> do (Photoshopping) is #2, with pornography the easy, far-and-away #1 for banal, hackneyed, unoriginality. And "does anybody buy" that crummy stuff?</p>

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<blockquote>

<p>But weren't Eggleston's more famous photos more or less "random shots of various scenes"? I'm not contradicting you, Steve, just asking a question.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>He used an industrial printing method that made the colors punchier at a time when color photography was relatively new and not common in galleries. The subjects were less important than the process. By today's standards his photos on the web look pedestrian and would not get noticed. When everything else was in black and white, they stood out.</p>

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<p>A very nice summary by Robert, regardless of genre.</p>

<p> </p>

<blockquote>Robert Shults -- <em>"Such effects have required an enormous effort: Crossing the country several times a year, showing my portfolio to hundreds of editors, art directors, and curators and accepting volumes of often humbling feedback from these same individuals. Investing countless hours (frequently over the span of multiple sleepless days) into the maintenance of a website, blog, mailing list, Twitter account, and Facebook page as well as the preparing of grant applications, juried submissions, exhibition proposals, and estimates. Spending thousands of dollars on prints, postcards, business cards, leave-behind media, posters, catalogs, custom presentation bindings, consultants' fees, and workshop tuition; all done while simultaneously photographing, teaching, and raising two young children."</em></blockquote>

<p>Much is contingent upon what type of recognition someone desires. All of it requires the kind of work and dedication that Robert mentions, but who, and how, you make the approach is different. Commercial assignments from clients are different than gallery representation or museum showings. Is the desire for an ad in Vogue or Vanity Fair? Corporate annual reports? National Geographic? An art gallery and reviews by art magazines and websites? Or is recognition -- any kind of recognition -- the main driver? If it's recognition for "personal" work (rather than what is dictated by a client), the gallery/art world route is the obvious choice.</p>

<p>Regardless of the type of work, much of what has already been said remains good advice in my opinion. A viewer friendly website, with images organized by theme or genre. A blog. Going to galleries for the purpose of finding ones that might be suitable for the type of work being done, and then making attempts at networking. And, if one has the confidence and money, the sort of portfolio reviews that Robert Shults mentions above.</p>

<p>And Julie -- I wouldn't get too indignant at Keith's remarks. I understand what he is saying, but the same case could easily be made for the vast majority of photographs in the genres of landscape, wildlife, travel, and fashion photography. We all have our prejudices. Hmmm....maybe a thread on photographic prejudices might be in order. I try not to be disparaging or negative, but if I never see another tack sharp osprey with a fish in its talons, or (my favorite), an angst ridden self portrait by a scantily clad young woman (often photoshopped as hovering in mid-air) -- I would be just fine. </p>

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<p>RK, what strikes me repeatedly as I go through your tumblr is not a lack of talent or a lack of experience, but a sense that you are afraid. Many of these pictures are good, but almost all show a sense in which you left off at a certain place where you had it in you to go further, but did not. </p>

<p>In many cases, I can see where one thing struck you in a situation, and you took a picture *of it*. But really, in art, you are striving for a thematic combination of several things through either chance or deliberate composition. I don't feel that you're trying to tell me something meaningful or extraordinary. This is not however to say that you don't have it in you. I get the feeling throughout that you are afraid to go and do the thing that I think you yourself know you have to do, and most likely have it within you to do. The act of self-confrontation is the most difficult thing for a photographer to achieve.</p>

<p>One is unsure of what else you have in your portfolio, and what some judicious editing might yield. Most of these pictures are not the kinds of pictures you would show someone if you wanted work or a gallery slot. They are neither exactly commercial or artistic. But I wonder, if you were to dig through everything you did -- and I'd wager that's a lot of material -- and come up with the 20-25 most artistic works you've ever done, what would those look like? Being a good editor of your own work is as important as being able to take pictures.</p>

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The desire to become a photographer ( someone who earns a full time living with it ) versus a enthusiatic camera owner (

everyone else ) is not unlike that of the American Idol contestant. The contestant that is standing in line with thousands of

other people has somehow been convinced to risk it all and pursue a dream and often the fire is stoked not by voice

coaches, fellow musicians or other professionals but mom and dad, sis and bro and other friends and peers.

 

So only one person per year wins American Idol....out of hundreds of thousands who were otherwise convinced they were

the next one. So maybe the path you chose stunted your growth, you shot too much for your self and did not learn what

people are willing to pay for.

 

I started in photography at the same age you did. I was no photographic prodigy but I did have a gut feeling that by age

10 it would not only be my job but my life. So by age 13, I had worked hard enough to have saved enough to buy my first

camera instead of borrowing my dad's and was off and running. By age 18 I figured out what pictures that I liked to take

people would be willing to pay for. I did some assisting from age 19-22 and by age 25 I no longer worked at non-photo

jobs and have been a full time professional ever since.

 

It was tough back then and it is far tougher now. Sure you have to market but more than that you have to have carved out

a great niche and be outstanding at it, to the point that people trip over them selves to refer you. But not everyone will make it, because succeeding in photography in 2013 when everyone with a camera calls themselves a "Photograper"?.......just

like American Idol.

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<p>I think the OP, rk ny, is long gone.</p>

<p>Nevertheless, a story: as a kid, I was a great admirer of the photographer Robert Capa, as much for his sheer gall as his photographs. I think he is not well known today, aside possibly from his photos of the D-day invasion, but he had an interesting start.</p>

<p>from: <a href="http://www.photo-seminars.com/Fame/capa.htm">http://www.photo-seminars.com/Fame/capa.htm</a></p>

<blockquote>

<p>When Hitler took over, Andrei Friedmann took off for Paris. There with his Polish fiancée, Gerda Taro, he struggled to get established in the rugged business of free lance journalism. The story of this struggle is recounted in John Hersey’s classic magazine article, "The Man Who Invented Himself."</p>

<p>Andrei and Gerda decided to form an association of three people. Gerda was to serve as secretary and sales representative; Andrei was to be a darkroom hired hand; and these two were to be employed by a rich, famous, and talented (and imaginary) American photographer named Robert Capa, then allegedly visiting France. The ‘three’ went to work. Friedmann took the pictures, Gerda sold them, and credit was given the non-existent Capa. Since this Capa was supposed to be so rich, Gerda refused to let his pictures go to any French newspaper for less than 150 francs apiece, three times the prevailing rate.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>So this is another possible way to advance your case.</p>

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<p><em>"I'm still not sure what a photographic concept is"</em></p>

<p>It's when you go out with an idea of what you want to say or express, and especially when you carry that through a series or body of work.</p>

<p>The concept doesn't always precede the photos. Sometimes it gels as you photograph more and more. </p>

<p>One of my own photographic concepts is photographing middle-aged gay guys, who often find themselves feeling invisible in a community that puts a premium on youth and a certain type of looks. It's, in part, to explore identity and sexuality of aging. Another of the concepts I work with is to portray our personnas and approach my subjects somewhat theatrically in order to uncover certain truths about the way we comport ourselves and the characters we actually are.</p>

<p>If you're unsure about photographic concepts, when and if you strike upon one, it'll likely become more clear. I don't think it's necessary.</p>

<p>___________________________________</p>

<p>Re: the cartoon in your link. It's not about an idea that's never been thought of before. It's about an idea that you can do something significant with, perhaps something personal, something that might transmit some feeling to a viewer. It's not so much about whether it's been done. It's about YOU doing it, and committing to it.</p>

We didn't need dialogue. We had faces!
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<p>I don't think that this is completely off topic:</p>

<blockquote>

<p>"Art is not a democracy, it’s a way of sounding your voice and when you allow others – especially unknown or anonymous others – to determine the direction of that art, you’re allowing it to be diluted. Yes, learn about your art and your craft from people you respect, but that will only take you so far before you stand at the edge of the place where art is done alone, without the input or concensus of others, and you leap."</p>

<p><a href="http://davidduchemin.com/2013/08/winning-at-yoga/">http://davidduchemin.com/2013/08/winning-at-yoga/</a></p>

</blockquote>

<p>--Lannie</p>

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Lannie, great read indeed. Thanks for posting.

 

To Bill C, I am very much here, soaking in the words.

 

This has been a great discussion. I don't agree with everything I've read, but I have been inspired to rebuild my online

portfiolio. I have registered 50f2.com, in honor of my tried and true Summicron...hope to have my photos whittled down, tidied up and posted there soon, in galleries with categories and, *gulp*, thumbnails.

 

I hope others have gotten as much out of this thread as I have. Thanks to all, especially to Luke, who has clearly

encountered the likes of me before.<div>00bwI3-542107884.thumb.jpg.2ecb435d8e7c51a05703c40dd78ca58c.jpg</div>

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