by Gavin Seim: Help a friend this season. Camera abuse will effect over 950 million people (probably a lot more) this year alone. It most commonly occurs when a person buys a camera, makes business cards, a website, and decides they should start pressing random buttons, as they pretend they suddenly understand a skill that takes years to master.
We understand, as cameras are really cool. But aside from the suffering the camera must endure. Children, individuals, couples and families, will be subjected to poor lighting, posing, composition, false confidence, bad retouching, and often outright lies, as an abuser pretends to know what he or she is doing. While the abuser may trip over a few good photos. Tears will flow in the end.
Stop Camera Abuse. Help the victims and help the abusers. It’s cool that they love their cameras. Just help them learn to fly before they jump out of the airplane. Send a friend educational books, to real workshops, or to long hours of practice, before unleashing them on the masses. Take the batteries out and even burn the business cards, if it’s bad enough.
Art is subjective. Experience is less so. It’s time to be honest. Friends don’t let friends camera abuse. Spread the word and start change now. History will thank you. And your friends will too.
This message brought to you by Gavin Seim and Pro Photo Show. Note: Please be careful when burning business cards. Fire is also awesome, but can be dangerous. Check local laws.
You worry and complain far too much about “newbs” with rebels. Seriously, these guys should not be your competition. If they are then maybe you need to reevaluate what your doing. The clientele that are hiring the rebel toting $500 craigslist photographer would never have considered you in the first place. In the mean time these guys will take care of themselves. They will either improve and become good photographers, or will cease to get clients and go out of business. Either way, it should have absolutely no effect on your market. If your losing business to these guys, your doing something wrong. Maybe spend less time writing articles on the injustice of rebel shooters and more time educating your clients on your value as a professional. And if clients are hiring photogs without seeing their work they deserve the bad experience they are likely to receive, and next time they need a photographer maybe they will be more discerning. When did you become so jaded? Everyone has to start somewhere, and the bad ones will fail on their own.
Tim I’m not jaded. I’m being realistic, and trying to spark a bit of conversation. And this is after all “Pro Photo Show”. I have other journals for my causal ramblings and studies.
If you listen to how I write, you’d know I’m not against newbies. But newbies need to understand this as well if they want to be serious. They need to understand what’s happening and why the photography industry is cracking down the middle and they need to stop thinking they can be a photographer simply by owning a camera. It’s a disservice to them and their clients in my opinion. They need to understand that it will take time and they need to keep raising their standard and if we want photography to maintain as a solid profession.
The $500 photographer is not my competition. You’d also know that if you knew me. But that does not mean that this new low standard of it’s good enough” does not hurt every facet of photography. Including the higher end work. We all need to raise the bar and bring value back to photography. It’s becoming little more that snapshots.
I agree with Tim’s main point. Photographic Masters don’t really spend that much time whining newbies. I’ve read Joel Grimes’ blog; no talk of newbs at all. Chase Jarvis? Nada. Photographer Dave Hill? Nothing. David Tejada, a master photographer as well as master of teaching and dispensing knowledge and learning? Not so much.
Tim has an extremely valid point: it’s a little embarrassing that you feel so threatened by newbs. Or, if you’re not threatened, why on earth do you unleash so much hot air attacking them?
There is no doubt that Gavin is better than the average photographer and miles better than anything coming from Craigs List. But masters of anything rarely get sucked into squabbling matches like this. And seasoned teachers/bloggers that truly have something to say (Jarvis, Hill, Tejada, Grimes) usually focus on what matters most: photography.
I just don’t feel your being realistic. I mean these are just my opinions, but quality is a real issue on this business. If your not aware of that you must not be in the business. It’s severely damaging the market. You seem to take the tone of “Gavin is being mean” yet ignore the reality that clients are being hurt and so are the people that over extend themselves when their not yet ready. Have you read a wedding board. You can find bride after bride who’s in tears over how her photos turned out.
Now this was meant to be a little fun, but still a fairly accurate depiction of what we’re dealing with. This is after all a site meant to talk about the state of the industry and the things we’re dealing with. Everyone on every level is feeling it. Am I competing with the cheapo photographer. No, but that does not mean the degradation of quality appreciated does not effect the upper end as well. I’ll be a little hard on newbies in the sense that they often overextend themselves when not ready. If you knew me, you would knew that I’m very helpful to newbies. That said I don’t play games and pretend photography is in a different state than it is.
Also what you say in not entirely true. If you go back and read Ansel’s books, even as far back as photo magazines from the early 20th century, you’ll find topics like this. It’s just much worse now than it has ever been before.
It’s inaccurate to compare this blog to the personal blogs you mention. This is not my personal photographic journal. I have those too (ie, f164.com) and I take a different note with the topics. But this is PPS. While topics are open, part of what we do is discuss and sometimes debate, are industry issues. I welcome your opinions. That’s what we have PPS LIVE episodes for. Come join the next one and make your case in a less anonymous fashion. Instead of just saying I’m being mean, let hear your ideas and solutions for the industry. I’m not closed to alternate opinions or to changing my views… Gav
I have to agree with Gavin on this. I used to own a shop on Etsy, and spent many hours (yes, hours) perusing the site, photography in particular, and it is amazing how many “self-taught” new photographers are selling their work. Some of them are nice shots but of most I want to ask them “Seriously? You want how much for a snapshot?”. I am an aspiring photographer myself with a very long way to go before I am anywhere near the professional level. While I conceed that digital has opened up a whole new window in photography and photoshop has helped even the rank amateur make their photos look better, there is still the misconception that the inexperienced photographer can become a pro literally overnight. It has become a saturated market so to speak, and digital has made it more difficult for an inexperienced eye to differentiate between the shots of a pro and that of an amateur. I would love to be a pro photographer someday, but I also have enough brains to realize that goal is a very long way off yet. Unfortunately, not all newbies feel the same, and I feel it is hurting the photography field.
Bliney time flies, it seems like only yesterday since you took up a camera Gavin, what’s it been now, 5-8years? Don’t forget… you’re still a newb yourself
Actuality about 15 years Jonathan. Technically 20, but I only count from when I got serious about it… Gav
Read Gary Fongs Rock Star photographer. He has some great insight as well.I think Gary and Gavin are on the same page and have valid points.