Who are your audience?

The people in my office who are so bored with what I am saying that they look around at the photos on the wall.
 
Other than myself, there are the people who read the weekly newspapers we publish, and yes, we still do publish black and white photos shot on FILM. There are also the members of the local volunteer fire company - I've been documenting their work for more than 35 years - that translates to books of photos as well as several walls covered. Finally, there's my wife, who has to suffer through the 'look what I just printed' and is gracious about it.
 
This is really interesting question. I live in a small rural community and teach in the local public school. I started shooting the local sporting events when my kids were in high school. The small community and school ties gave me access that some did not have. I suppose my audience has been the local youth, their parents, and the local community - in addition to my family. My youngest is about to graduate high school now and I have found myself exploring photography in new ways. I guess I am on a quest to find a new audience or purpose to drive my photography.
 
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A million or two per week.

My first job was at a small bimonthly magazine with a circulation of 16,000 per issue. The first three months every assignment I did I photographed the way I thought my editor wanted. The kind of pictures people on forums like this and fredmiranda and dpreview rave about. Then one night I got called for a last minute assignment and I was feeling lazy, I decided if my editor is going to call me at the last minute when I'm not in the mood I'm just going to do this assignment the way I want to do it.

I got a call the next day from my editor and I thought I was going to get chewed out. turns out he was really excited about the photos. He's like "this is exactly the look we hired you for." Sometimes I forget that lesson and let the pressure get to me and photograph to make my editors happy. And every time I do I feel disappointed in my own work. The bottom line is if I'm not photographing for myself first. If I'm not happy with the images, no one will be.
 
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My photoblog is visited 3-5 times a day. Don't know who these visitors are. Mainly I shoot for photos on the wall or photo books. People can see them if they visit me in my apartment.
 
After reading most of the posts, I get a sense that most of the audience to our photos are 'obliged' to look at our work, they don't demand it.

This raises an important question for me about still photography, who demands to look at still photos anymore? Is there a demand?
 
I recently started writing about photography and found most of the people who want to look at still images are the ones making them. If you look at the magazines and the web sites that centred around photos and even art they're supported by artists and photographers.
There is also a shared interest among other artist. I know sculptors, potters, and oil pastel painters and we all enjoy each others work. Interestingly enough with digital photography becoming more popular I've found more people are interested in photography, and by extension some of the great photographic works of the era.
I think there will be a demand for still images for a long time.
 
paulfish4570 said:
my bride, in general, likes all of my stuff, including the minimalist work and other such things.
my daughter and her husband especially like my people work.
various friends like my work - even street stuff - when they have a chance to see it. i don't post to facebook any more, so they don't get to see much.
mostly, i shoot for myself - and you guys here. y'all have good minds, good eyes and some wits about you ... :)
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I am with you. I shoot for myself. I take pictures of what I want, when I feel like it. I would hate to do photography for a living, the fun and enjoyment would be gone.
I put my photos online so others can see them, especially my underwater stuff. I do that becasue a photo is only useful if it can be seen. Although many of my underwater photos are published, I have never entered a photo contest or had an exhibit.
 
paulfish4570 said:
my bride, in general, likes all of my stuff, including the minimalist work and other such things.
my daughter and her husband especailly like my people work.
various friends like my work - even street stuff - when they have a chance to see it. i don't post to facebook any more, so they don't get to see much.
mostly, i shoot for myself - and you guys here. y'all have good minds, good eyes and some wits about you ... :)
Click to expand...

Add us to the list for sure Paul.

I shoot for myself. I really don't have anything I prefer doing better in my really free time. I'm an introvert by nature, but when I'm in the street shooting, I kinda go into a zone where I have no inhibitions or fears, and it's a gradual strengthening the longer I'm out there shooting. It's weird for me. It's a form of therapy I suppose.

Winogrand said it's the closest he came to not existing. That can me intoxicating I think.
 
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