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Archive 2014 · Will your images stand the test of time?

  
 
canerino
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Will your images stand the test of time?


I know we all really want to say "OF COURSE THEY WILL YOU BIG DUMMY!". But I've been thinking critically about my own images lately in the context of 'will my clients love these photographs 20...30...50 years?'

I arrived at another thought that I think is associated with this question. Do photographic organizations such as Fearless put external pressure on photographers to receive "you killed it, bro!" type comments from other photographers? Does the search for other photographer's validation make us lose focus on the client?

Just some musings....curious about your thoughts on the topic.



Mar 24, 2014 at 01:42 PM
TRReichman
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Will your images stand the test of time?


canerino wrote:
I know we all really want to say "OF COURSE THEY WILL YOU BIG DUMMY!". But I've been thinking critically about my own images lately in the context of 'will my clients love these photographs 20...30...50 years?'


Personally, yes - that's the primary goal.

canerino wrote:
I arrived at another thought that I think is associated with this question. Do photographic organizations such as Fearless put external pressure on photographers to receive "you killed it, bro!" type comments from other photographers? Does the search for other photographer's validation make us lose focus on the client?


Yes. Photographers tend to care more about what other photographers think than clients in this new era of celebrating the photographer's ego above all else.

canerino wrote:
Just some musings....curious about your thoughts on the topic.


The move away from timeless work makes my job easier, so I kind of love it.

- trr



Mar 24, 2014 at 01:44 PM
dhp_sf
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Will your images stand the test of time?


1) Yes and no. The majority of the work I do throughout the day favors towards simple storytelling. Occasionally I experiment and these are the ones that may or may not stand the test of time, but may be interesting/compelling in the now.

2) I think that a push towards ingenuity is a base-level human desire. These organizations feed and encourage that desire and I wonder if the desire towards "new" clouds the way people see fundamentals (content, expression, etc). I feel like a lot of the posts I see on these groups (not necessarily the award winners, but the ones that try) are over-eager to make something aesthetically "interesting" but often fail in the emotionally interesting (which in my view should be a key component in wedding photography). Personally, I'd rather have a simple photograph rich in content over a "pretty" photograph that tells us nothing.



Mar 24, 2014 at 02:01 PM
Ziffl3
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Will your images stand the test of time?


Over the course of the last 3-4 months, I have been having this conversation with a couple of other members here on fred.
The conversation is more focused on what the clients generally want.
This includes coverage of reception lighting to style of photo editing.

I have been reviewing my own work and seeing how I can blend what I want to do with clients wants/desires in coverage.

There is a part of me that really wants to have a fearless award. It would be cool.
But as I progress thru my journey in wedding photography, if it does not help the bottom line or fit in with the desires of the client, then it is become less important to me.

I still want to keep learning and pushing myself in my craft.... but for me, I want to keep my clients desires-wants as a main focus.

I would like to enter a PPA or WPPI print competition as part of pushing me. In the next year or 2.

Edited on Mar 24, 2014 at 08:10 PM · View previous versions



Mar 24, 2014 at 02:06 PM
JakAHearts
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Will your images stand the test of time?


Do any images stand the test of time? My father and his brother literally wore the outfits from dumb and dumber for his wedding. One pale blue and one pale orange. Back then, the images were probably cool and hip. Now, their hilarious but still worth the same in terms of emotional and documentational value.


Mar 24, 2014 at 03:06 PM
dhp_sf
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Will your images stand the test of time?


JakAHearts wrote:
Do any images stand the test of time? My father and his brother literally wore the outfits from dumb and dumber for his wedding. One pale blue and one pale orange. Back then, the images were probably cool and hip. Now, their hilarious but still worth the same in terms of emotional and documentational value.


I think that is more an issue of the style of the attire/people as opposed to the photograph. I think Chuck is referring to things like edgy crops or shooting through foreground objects or over-use of backlighting everything/silhouettes... essentially photographic techniques that are in vogue now but later down the line will people look at them and say, "why the heck is there all this blurry stuff in the image?"

Content that includes emotion and storytelling I think will always be timeless as it relies on empathy and connection to the photograph rather than aesthetic preferences (which shifts over time). That's not to say that artistic photographs and story-telling/emotion have to be mutually exclusive...



Mar 24, 2014 at 03:15 PM
SloPhoto
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Will your images stand the test of time?


No,

Right now my processing is a bit over stylized IMO. Likely to cover up the fact that my content is not as well developed as I would like.

I am making progress on both fronts though.



Mar 24, 2014 at 03:21 PM
zalmyb
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Will your images stand the test of time?


Yes and yes


Mar 24, 2014 at 03:21 PM
Jon-Mark
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Will your images stand the test of time?


A key question is: Are we artists creating art or service people providing a service? Sometimes what they client wants will not stand the test of time. Maybe that shouldn't matter?


Mar 24, 2014 at 04:39 PM
zalmyb
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Will your images stand the test of time?


I'm with Jon-Mark. But I guess if you want the clients to love the images down the line you should/could somehow market yourself to clients who understand what is a fad and what is timeless.

I really hope my clients (as well as myself) will really appreciate the photography down the line.



Mar 24, 2014 at 05:06 PM
SGallant
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Will your images stand the test of time?


I'd like to think mine stand the test of time. That is certainly my goal.

I believe organizations like fearless do tend to put pressure on photographers to please other photographers. Best thing I ever did for myself was to stop giving a crap about what other photographers thought and started shooting for what I and my clients like.




Mar 24, 2014 at 05:19 PM
IrishDino
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Will your images stand the test of time?


Maybe, maybe not.

The #1 goal in business is to follow the money and right now, at least in my area, the money is gravitating towards VSCO-ized editing and Pinterest-ized concepts.



Mar 24, 2014 at 06:21 PM
TRReichman
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Will your images stand the test of time?


Jon-Mark wrote:
A key question is: Are we artists creating art or service people providing a service? ?


I think the key question is why people insist that there is a dichotomy between those 2 things. Or that service and art exist in opposition. The difference between art and service is the audience. You need to know who your audience is.

- trr



Mar 24, 2014 at 06:59 PM
DannyBostwick
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Will your images stand the test of time?


canerino wrote:
I know we all really want to say "OF COURSE THEY WILL YOU BIG DUMMY!". But I've been thinking critically about my own images lately in the context of 'will my clients love these photographs 20...30...50 years?'

I arrived at another thought that I think is associated with this question. Do photographic organizations such as Fearless put external pressure on photographers to receive "you killed it, bro!" type comments from other photographers? Does the search for other photographer's validation make us lose focus on the client?

Just some musings....curious about your thoughts on the topic.


I saw someone refer to (I believe at least) one of Jon Mold's (sp?) photos as, "Good 50 years ago, good 50 years from now". I honestly think that is the ultimate compliment and really the ultimate object of our career. Do I feel mine are that way? I don't know to be honest, if you ask me, I am a total fraud and the worst one on here, but I DAMN SURE try.

As for the fearless thing, I think there is 2 sides of that. Competition is good, getting a push is good. I daylight as a coach at Crossfit gym, and that intensity and that push is what gets progress. Clients (generally speaking) are pretty easy to please. I saw an interview or a video or something with Spencer Boerup (pardon the spelling if it's wrong) saying that it really isn't that hard to please his senior photo clients. They want really good photos in good focus and good color, and kind of creative (paraphrasing that, of course as I don't really remember the source or the interview). So I fear that it could possible be easy to get complacent in your work. I have fought that a bit, personally at times.So, I think it's great to have a site like fearless for myself, and other photographers to go see INSANE work to give us a push to be better and give there clients better work, that's where the focus has to be. That being said, spending your days looking at fearless, and drooling over epic portraits from Mold, Hoffer, and incredible documentery work from Merkle, Anerino, Duy Ho (who has an epic blend of both) isn't incredibly healthy either. In fact, when I look at a Hoffer engagement session, then check out one of mine, I usually get depressed and that can be debilitating for some, it was for me at times. It's good to be inspired, but there's a fine line between inspiration and plagiarism in my opinion.

Edited on Mar 24, 2014 at 07:22 PM · View previous versions



Mar 24, 2014 at 07:18 PM
DannyBostwick
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Will your images stand the test of time?


dhp_sf wrote:
I think that is more an issue of the style of the attire/people as opposed to the photograph. I think Chuck is referring to things like edgy crops or shooting through foreground objects or over-use of backlighting everything/silhouettes... essentially photographic techniques that are in vogue now but later down the line will people look at them and say, "why the heck is there all this blurry stuff in the image?"

Content that includes emotion and storytelling I think will always be timeless as it relies on empathy and connection to the photograph rather than aesthetic preferences (which shifts over time). That's
...Show more

THIS^^^^^




Mar 24, 2014 at 07:20 PM
Jamesbjenkins
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Will your images stand the test of time?


I definitely find myself getting quite bored with the same old traditional photojournalism looks that I think of as "timeless".

Whether it's coming from my own subconscious desires, or the state of the market here in Dallas, I definitely feel the need to push the envelope and go for the WOW.



Mar 24, 2014 at 07:59 PM
Mark_L
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Will your images stand the test of time?


As a business person I wonder just how important this really is anyway.

dhp_sf wrote:
Content that includes emotion and storytelling I think will always be timeless as it relies on empathy and connection to the photograph rather than aesthetic preferences (which shifts over time).


Great content for want of another word in the picture trumps all. A picture like that is about the people not the photogs OCF lighting, tilt/shift lens, VSCO actions or who knows what else is trendy right now. A lot of 'epic' shots I see the b&g could be just about anyone.



Mar 25, 2014 at 08:11 AM
Inku Yo
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Will your images stand the test of time?


I don't see why, as wedding photographers, we can do what pleases the client AND what pleases us. It's a long day. There are lots of opportunities.

I mean, there are things that I prefer not to do, but if it's the day of the wedding and they drop a "Oh, we really want a jumping/gazebo/peeking from behind the tree shot..." I'll try to do it in a way that's consistent with my brand/style. It just won't ever see the light of day on my website. It may or may not even make their online gallery, but I'll deliver it. Hahah.



Mar 25, 2014 at 08:36 AM
JakAHearts
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Will your images stand the test of time?


dhp_sf wrote:
I think that is more an issue of the style of the attire/people as opposed to the photograph. I think Chuck is referring to things like edgy crops or shooting through foreground objects or over-use of backlighting everything/silhouettes... essentially photographic techniques that are in vogue now but later down the line will people look at them and say, "why the heck is there all this blurry stuff in the image?"

Content that includes emotion and storytelling I think will always be timeless as it relies on empathy and connection to the photograph rather than aesthetic preferences (which shifts over time). That's
...Show more


I understand what he is asking, but I was referring to how fads and styles come in and out, photography and attire alike. Like was mentioned by a few people, the emotions are what will hold. The image styles will probably be different.



Mar 25, 2014 at 08:55 AM
MRomine
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Will your images stand the test of time?


No matter how awesome we think the photo is or how awesome our colleagues think a photo is and our clients my even think a photo is awesome but the bottom line, clients still want great portraits of them with their family members. They want to be able to clearly see the faces of those who they love. The most artsy fartsy, creative clients still want those great family portraits.


Mar 25, 2014 at 09:57 AM
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