Here it is:
http://fstoppers.com/the-photographers-you-idolize-are-no-better-than-you

Interesting quote from that article:


"I’ve heard so many stories about some of the biggest photographers alive today not having a basic understanding of lighting, their camera or post production ... the last giant fashion campaign was shot by someone who doesn’t understand what ISO is."


There's a BIG NAME world renowned photographer around now - not gonna mention her name - whose work I've looked at a bit and I've seen some critique of that work which does really make me question her technical skills. For me, I just assume (maybe wrongly) that having a mastery of the technical aspects is a pre-requisite to success.

tl;dr have a crew and staff that know's what they're doing

I regularly assist on major national photo campaigns when they shoot in my area, and all this is true. . However, it is only half the story. Top end photographers are chosen for their vision, not their technical expertise. They have talented technicians on set who materialize their vision and finalize their composition with lighting schemes and camera settings. These photogrpahers often visualize the shot, then come in and press the button after the assistants have built the shot they have described.

ChrisDM wrote:
I regularly assist on major national photo campaigns when they shoot in my area, and all this is true. . However, it is only half the story. Top end photographers are chosen for their vision, not their technical expertise. They have talented technicians on set who materialize their vision and finalize their composition with lighting schemes and camera settings. These photogrpahers often visualize the shot, then come in and press the button after the assistants have built the shot they have described.

You have to hand it to people like Joel Grimes for coming up with a concept, shooting it himself with assistants acting essentially as nothing more than roadies and then editing all his images himself. I guess it's the rare person who is both a technical wiz and an artistic visionary.

In a similar vein: http://lucimablog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/tip-of-day-add-value-ii.html

Thats an article that I'll save and refer back to.

Mark_L wrote:

In a similar vein: http://lucimablog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/tip-of-day-add-value-ii.html

Thanks!

This line caught my eye on the linked blog post:


"What specific value do bring to the table? The more specific and unique the better. Every formula for success must be different. Otherwise you're just competing with everyone else for the same tiny piece of the pie."

Deebo wrote:
That's an article that I'll save and refer back to.

My thoughts exactly.

I think of it like the richest and most famous musicians often not being the most technically good or accomplished.

Jeremy Cowart told an amusing story in his creativeLIVE class. He once went out with some other photographers and later commented to a photog friend how these guys were all nailing their exposures. After some further discussion it turned out he had no idea that cameras had light meters in them to assist with exposure.

Interesting discussion. I started as a kid eating, breathing and sleeping photography. I would say i was technically accomplished.
But it wasn't until a local photographer who's studio I would walk by at night and study the images in his window, took me on as an unpaid apprentice, that I really grew. He knew very little about cameras and equiptment and never talked about that stuff. But how excellent his direction skills and attention to detail were. He would sit and critique every image after I did a shoot. His portraiture is beautifully done and with extreme efficiency. Normal sessions 10-20 shots. No spray and pray with him.
That experience humbles me today as I work to emulate what he achieves with ease day in and day out. He's not famous outside our area but his work stands the test of time and is treasured by his clients as family heirlooms. One thing he told me was "if you like people they'll like you back. And if they like you they'll like your pictures. If they don't like you, no matter how great the picture is, their not going to like it!

Tom Robinson wrote:
One thing he told me was "if you like people they'll like you back. And if they like you they'll like your pictures. If they don't like you, no matter how great the picture is, their not going to like it!

I wish I understood the psychology of how that works.

I remember one guy here - marti - said he had this guy working for his studio. marti would send this guy out shooting weddings by himself. marti said the guy was not very good at taking pictures, was below average, but the clients were very satisfied because they enjoyed so much having him as their photographer.

Still can't understand how the client wouldn't like a good picture even if they don't like you.

^ It's really high school all over again, in pretty much anything in life that involves popularity. Photography for fun doesn't require popularity, but photography for money does.

Saw this on Petapixel.

Seth Godin: "When everyone has access to the same tools then having a tool isn’t much of an advantage. The industrial age, the age of scarcity, depended in part on the advantages that came with owning tools others didn’t own.
Time for a new advantage. It might be your network, the connections that trust you. And it might be your expertise. But most of all, I’m betting it’s your attitude."

It rung particularly loud today for me as I was at a Christmas tree lightning event with my family. GWACs & Momtagraphers everywhere. All kinds of gear abounds. Ironically my wife asked should I bring along the camera. I took out my Nexus phone.
Also met a girl recently asking me about camera advice. Found out she wants to buy a camera to go pro.

D. Diggler wrote:
Tom Robinson wrote:
One thing he told me was "if you like people they'll like you back. And if they like you they'll like your pictures. If they don't like you, no matter how great the picture is, their not going to like it!

I wish I understood the psychology of how that works.

I remember one guy here - marti - said he had this guy working for his studio. marti would send this guy out shooting weddings by himself. marti said the guy was not very good at taking pictures, was below average, but the clients were very satisfied because they enjoyed so much having him as their photographer.

Still can't understand how the client wouldn't like a good picture even if they don't like you.




I have a former friend like that. Her pictures are average in quality, and too photoshopped for my taste, but she knows everyone and networks like crazy, and she is constantly busy. She has delivery times a couple months out in many cases, but people love her so she gets business because of her personality and networking.