back alley
IMAGES
i'm strolling through the outdoor farmers market this morning and i pass a tent with photos for sale…i hobble over to take a closer look…the framing was interesting, prints bonded to metal with bent edges to add some distance form wall to frame when hung.
the prints themselves were nice…well executed, printed etc…
i looked at the photographer's written material, a short who am i and why do i do this statement…this is where it got very interesting for me.
one of the things he said about himself was his ability to convey something different/unique in his work…
not really! bike against a wall, old trucks…nothing unique here…nice images but not very different from what many folks shoot.
what was different was that he was offering these for sale and seemed that he was full of confidence about his endevour!
to be honest, my stuff is at least on par with his but mine isn't displayed for sale at the market.
so what is the difference between the 2 of us?
i'm sure many members here are in the same situation…creators of good images but not offering them up for sale, not seeing them as unique or different…
is this guy just arrogant or maybe a good judge of what people will buy?
the prints themselves were nice…well executed, printed etc…
i looked at the photographer's written material, a short who am i and why do i do this statement…this is where it got very interesting for me.
one of the things he said about himself was his ability to convey something different/unique in his work…
not really! bike against a wall, old trucks…nothing unique here…nice images but not very different from what many folks shoot.
what was different was that he was offering these for sale and seemed that he was full of confidence about his endevour!
to be honest, my stuff is at least on par with his but mine isn't displayed for sale at the market.
so what is the difference between the 2 of us?
i'm sure many members here are in the same situation…creators of good images but not offering them up for sale, not seeing them as unique or different…
is this guy just arrogant or maybe a good judge of what people will buy?
burancap
Veteran
Reminds me of some fleeting past comment by Jesse James, of motorcycle fabrication fame. He said something like: "people just love to pay"
It was not so much what he said, but how he said it. There was that immediate *click* that he was absolutely correct and knew it and, of course, was confident enough in his product to say it.
It was not so much what he said, but how he said it. There was that immediate *click* that he was absolutely correct and knew it and, of course, was confident enough in his product to say it.
YYV_146
Well-known
If he's selling, then he's a good judge 
I don't see what I do as being different from other photographers (because it's not), but as an extension of certain photographic cultures. That is, I am making contributions to a tradition which also happens to have personal value.
I don't see what I do as being different from other photographers (because it's not), but as an extension of certain photographic cultures. That is, I am making contributions to a tradition which also happens to have personal value.
mfogiel
Veteran
Most likely you are both, just like the rest of us, victims of overconfidence.
back alley
IMAGES
no problem…
i was struck at how he sees his stuff as unique...
i was struck at how he sees his stuff as unique...
walnuts
Member
Don't worry, I'm sure someone thinks the same about you.
back alley
IMAGES
the difference is i am not advertising myself as unique...
daveleo
what?
Extremely extremely few 2D still photos are unique. IMO everything in this arena has been done, done well, done very well a thousand times over.
This guy's opinion of his (?) own work is his opinion and that's all it is. My guess is that it expresses his personal vision well, so he believes that makes his work "unique". Okay, let him call it whatever he desires. It is what it is.
When you see something truly unique, unless you have a very open mind and give it the time it deserves to sink in, you probably won't like it.
This guy's opinion of his (?) own work is his opinion and that's all it is. My guess is that it expresses his personal vision well, so he believes that makes his work "unique". Okay, let him call it whatever he desires. It is what it is.
When you see something truly unique, unless you have a very open mind and give it the time it deserves to sink in, you probably won't like it.
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
The only judgement will be how many pictures this "farmer" do actually sell.
We have gallery tour every year around Milton, very gifted artist shows their paintings, sculpture and crafts.
Last time I bumped into couple of photogs showing their prints at small community center, together with traditional artist. Photos were very amateurish, comparing to what I have.
But they made it to be accepted and displayed, while I was just visiting...
We have gallery tour every year around Milton, very gifted artist shows their paintings, sculpture and crafts.
Last time I bumped into couple of photogs showing their prints at small community center, together with traditional artist. Photos were very amateurish, comparing to what I have.
But they made it to be accepted and displayed, while I was just visiting...
back alley
IMAGES
We all see things differently
…very true.
sometimes i look at my stuff and i think i'm pretty good.
other times i look and see just plain crap.
Darthfeeble
But you can call me Steve
Talent is nice, but brass will take you further. I don't know how many folks I've come across with great talent but no idea of how to promote themselves. The hype your photographer put out will probably sell a couple of pix just because some know nothing buys in.
back alley
IMAGES
..with great talent but no idea of how to promote themselves…
that would be me…
that would be me…
back alley
IMAGES
oh yeah, this guy was taking names and email addresses so he could invite those interested to his next 'show'...
Bob Michaels
nobody special
Could it be that some of us simply refuse to evaluate the merits of our photography with what people are willing to pay for it? I know that if I were to photograph to please other people instead of what I feel needs to be done, there would be absolutely no relationship between that work and what I currently do.
Using sales as the metric, Thomas Kincade "painter of light" was the greatest artist of all time.
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icebear
Veteran
Attitude makes all the difference ... .
.Colin Corneau
Colin Corneau
The difference is he went out and did it.
An old joke about photography is that the way to make a small fortune as a photographer is to start out with a large fortune.
Photographers who make money from their work consistently spend a lot of time on marketing and business...and surprisingly little on actually photographing.
I've heard almost every sucessful photographer who talks of this subject say the same thing.
An old joke about photography is that the way to make a small fortune as a photographer is to start out with a large fortune.
Photographers who make money from their work consistently spend a lot of time on marketing and business...and surprisingly little on actually photographing.
I've heard almost every sucessful photographer who talks of this subject say the same thing.
mfunnell
Shaken, so blurred
If my photography were unique, I'd only have one photograph...
...Mike
...Mike
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
Ever noticed the way McDonalds tell us how fantastic their food tastes ... but in reality it's just soggy, greasy tasteless crap ...
... that people queue up to buy none the less!
... that people queue up to buy none the less!
bobbyrab
Well-known
Having them for sale doesn't mean he sells many. I always think photographic prints from unknowns are a difficult sell.
I'm 52 and I've been in a great many peoples homes, and prints that are not personal to the owners are a rare beast, I've come across photographs, but it's surprising how often they are name photographers, partly because they're great images, but I guess having a value would also be a consideration. Photographs seem to need more of a provenance than paintings for example.
I'm 52 and I've been in a great many peoples homes, and prints that are not personal to the owners are a rare beast, I've come across photographs, but it's surprising how often they are name photographers, partly because they're great images, but I guess having a value would also be a consideration. Photographs seem to need more of a provenance than paintings for example.
bobbyrab
Well-known
Ever noticed the way McDonalds tell us how fantastic their food tastes ... but in reality it's just soggy, greasy tasteless crap ...
... that people queue up to buy none the less!
I love a McDonalds, in moderation what's not to like?