(Personal non ranty update at the end)
Well you all know how much I like getting involved in the forum debates, I've tried to avoid posting much on them recently mainly because I don't have the time to argue and I have better things to use my energy on than random online critters however one thread has sparked my interest. Seeing as I don't have the time to argue or the energy I thought I would just air my thoughts on here instead rather than verbally argue with people I will never agree with (and they wont agree with me) so its pointless even trying but given that some folks have an interest in the inner workings of my noggin here are some of my thoughts on the subject of good photographers vs bad ones
To me a good photographer isn't necessarily the ones who shoot the images I'm personally into - they could shoot any style/model/location but in any of their images I see that they have put effort and thought into not only that image but the whole process of photography, they have learned and tweaked their craft to make it better along the way. Its not only experienced photographers either, new photographers with that passion to create and expand their craft are also considered good even if their product still needs work if they put the effort in and soak up everything they possibly can then good luck to them!
Having picked up a few bits of basic photography along the way I know one thing - its not that difficult to be ok at photography. Argghh easy for me to say but its true, or maybe it comes naturally. I don't profess to be great or even all that good but I can tell when something I've shot just doesn't look "nice" and its automatically rejected from public viewing. Why show a substandard product when you can show something worth showing?
Now for the bad photographers (this could go on for awhile) -
I just don't understand them. We have absolutely thousands of articles online at our disposal with advice/tips and tutorials so there really is no excuse other than being unable to read or see. Magazines/online imagery - you don't even have to read if you really don't want to - magazines are a fantastic source of inspiration look at the clothing/lighting/locations and figure yourself out and what you want to achieve. I've picked up a shit load of hobbies along the way in my life - knitting (FAILED), crochet (FAILED), cross stitch (FAILED), Keyboard (FAILED), Guitar (FAILED), writing a memoir book (FAILED *after about 150 pages*), nude drawing (FAILED), Painting (FAILED), making clothes (FAILED) - I think you get my point, I no longer do any of these things because even though I was reading or going to lessons I just wasn't made to do any of the above things so they were a bit of a waste of money and time. I guess if I had the same amount of passion for any of them as I do for modelling I would have been better at them but I didn't have the love in my heart enough to want to be better. Anyway I realised I was shit early on. When I see photographers with years of experience and a portfolio of awful images I wonder why they never realised? I guess we don't really need to be good at something to enjoy doing it but as I said above basic photography is not that difficult, its more difficult to be a bad photographer (in my eyes than a good one).
Picture this - Bright orange model, in a child's bedroom - teddies in the background and a cot. You see a window at the back of her... in that window you see outside to the council house across the road maybe even a reflection of the photographer and the light he is using. Model looks uncomfortable, lighting has picked up every single uneven fake tan streak she has, pose looks awful and there is shit cluttering up the badly decorated children's room. So photographer picks that image, then goes on to edit it adding a nice big chunky frame and throwing some italic lettering in as a logo then he gives it a nice gaussian blur and saturates it even though it was set on the wrong WB anyway making things more orange than they really were - but brings out the whites in her eyes and adds some fake make up to an already overdone model. Why would anyone think thats a good image? by any stretch of the imagination? I can understand maybe a first timer getting it so wrong but after years and years of experience you would hope someone would automatically just know that their concept is shit, their model doesn't look as good as she could, their editing has done nothing to enhance the image if anything he has done the impossible task of making it much worse. So imagine a portfolio full of this shit, all similar in tack. His portfolio notes say "professional/experienced" maybe a few lines about being published and having 25 years of experience in the industry, offers portfolios for new models... WHY?
Another why would be models - WHY? a tf should benefit both people, if he is going to make you look like shit should you really work with him? will it benefit you at all? will it even benefit him? its not like he is planning on getting any better so why update the portfolio bad photographer? your work is still the same bog standard as it was when you started only difference is now you have more than one hideous picture as evidence to your crimes against photography.
I know I sound horrible but it really gets to me, if anyone dares to insinuate someone with such poor standard of work is a GWC then they get pounced on for "looking down their noses" at these people or labelling them. Sorry but nobody is beyond the stage where they need to learn, especially a bad photographer. If they are not GWC's only interested in seeing a pair of tits then why don't they stop shooting naked models and start reading up on what they are supposedly there to do - which is photography like I said its actually much more difficult to be so dreadful than it is to be good.
Anyway its now 2am, I spent about 9 hours doing my house up today (technically yesterday) and I'm off out again at 7am to do it all again for a mammoth 12 hour shift.
I'm sorry if my post offended anyone, I honestly don't think I'm great.. I just wonder why people don't put the effort in or they care so little for the people they work with that they would photograph them so crudely.
Night folks xx
(this was what my post originally started like)...
Anyhow I've done very little modelling in the past few months, focused totally on my new housey. I did mean to do a "trip blog" but haven't had many images back from it so might just randomly throw the ones I have got back into a blog every now and then. House things are getting there although if I had a pound for everytime someone asked "do you regret buying it?" or "when are you moving in?" I would have enough money to afford to do everything which needs done before I can move in.
I have bruises all over my legs, the cold air then jumping into the warm air conditioned car has left me with really sore red lips (and below my lip) its horrible and sore. I had some awesome clique lip cream which worked a treat but I put it somewhere safe and can't find it so every day I'm trying different lotions and potions to try and heal the stingy'ness but usually it just results in more discomfort. I have trapped my fingers and random bits of hand between wood at least 5 times now and got into a nasty fight with a broken hoover but I'm still alive just have a few more cuts and grazes than normal.
Good blog Chrissie, and I mostly agree, one small point though....those hobbies you 'failed' at weren't really a waste of time and money. You gave it a go and found out it wasn't for you, you'd have picked up some knowledge and that's not a waste. In my opinion its far better to go try doing stuff that you always wished to than being too scared to try in case you fail.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to seeing the flat, and the evil hoover!!...lol
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ReplyDeleteIndeed, not sure about being difficult to be poor at what you do but it really is difficult not to be able to learn a lot in a short time and improver if you want to, but I think maybe that it is the "if you want to" bit that is the point, some just don't seem to want to and just do the same thing over and over, that is a waste of money, more so than trying something and identifying that it isn't for you.
ReplyDeleteOne thing is certain, you do have a good eye for photography, maybe in part due to your modelling experience and very capable with a camera.
We all mess up at something or other nor and then regardless of skill or experience, it is learning from that that is important.
Aside from the question of WHY do or continue like that, WHY NOT at least try to improve? Rhetorical, I think I know the answer :)
The sad thing is that the photographers who this post is aimed at won't realise it's about them!!
ReplyDeleteThe only good point is that their money does help keep more models in business than the market would otherwise stand, so if they realised and gave up then there would be less models for the other photographers to shoot. But maybe it would be the rubbish models who gave up, so there'd be less models to go around, but they would be of much better quality.
Have fun with the house.
Reminder to self, sort through images of last shoot with Chrissie, as I recall there were some cracking images, a couple on a par with the spiral staircase one IMHO.