In Big Bend NP once again, Gavin is working in the field and musing about how much we can gain by stopping, taking a breath and thinking about our scene before we release the shutter.
Photo Couch is the companion podcast of Gavin’s f164 project. Sort of an audio journal. Nothing fancy here. Just short musings, tips, and thoughts on photography. You can listen below, or subscribe for free and get all the latest episodes. If you want more, you can also check out Gavin’s full podcast, Pro Photo Show.
Ready in 60 Seconds: After you choose the subject but before before you release the shutter, try taking a full minute to think about your scene and how you’re about to capture it. Really. Don’t just look at it. SEE IT. Sometimes we feel pressured to click. But even with a portrait, learn to take a little time and you’re images WILL improve. With some scenes you can even spend longer. Check out the 111 Project.
Sparks: I stood outside well before the exit. Experimenting, considering the scene, trying to predict the light. The effort paid off with a great candid from a challenging scene.
Cut The Trash: I know, you’ve already taken 60 seconds, you have a plan. But look again. Maybe even take a test frame. Controlling tone, removing clutter and distracting elements is one of the most neglected elements in art making. If something is not adding to the image, it should not be in the frame. Either you move, move it, or it will move the quality of your final image down to LOW.
So after shooting the clips for the promo, Ken just say down with me and chatted on various topics I prompted him on. I’ve pretty much removed myself from this video and what remains is about 17 minutes of gold, as this renowned portrait photographer talks about out craft and how he see’s it.
Ken’s a really neat guy with more photographic awards than you want to count. But he’s always eager to learn new things and share ideas. It’s really cool. You can also view the HD version HERE.
Note: This post was copy-edited and re-shared in MAy of 2018. Ken passed away in November of 2016, but I left the tense and language as it was when this was originally written.
So what’s five dollar fandom like? It’s just like buying advertising, right? Well, I have to confess something today. I did pay for Facebook fans. I know, sick, right? No, I don’t mean I bought an ad in order to get people to my page. That would have been fine. Wait, is it any different? Well, yes. When you pay someone to spread the word in order to gain “real interest,” it’s different. It’s like paying for an ad in the personals or joining a dating site. It may be a little cheesy at times, but it can still be genuine, and sometimes it’s a working approach.
But that’s not what I did today. I went to a site called Fiverr. It’s an interesting place where anyone can sell pretty much any item or service for five bucks: bracelets made of soda tops, video promos, ads on Twitter accounts, people suggesting Facebook pages to their friends, etc. Kinda interesting.
Then I found an offering that promised more: an immediate growth in fans. The one I picked promised at least 250 +Likes for just $5.00. I know, it was self-serving. But 250 fans? I paused. I’ve always been about good content. The slow nurturing of quality followers. My Seim Studios photography page already had over 1500 real fans. But I wanted to know how this worked. I wanted a taste of rapid growth. So I did it. I bought into five dollar fandom. And I got what I paid for.
A couple hours later, my fans skyrocketed. Yep. Just as all the previous buyers on this offering said. It was for real. In about two hours, I went from around 1510 to 1776. Passing by two centuries in a blink. I had done it. I had new fans, and I was flying. Flying…but not so high. In fact, for a few moments, I was flying low enough that I think my belly button was skimming the weeds. I even confessed to my wife. The reviews didn’t mention that the fans gained were completely without gratification.
It was like a time machine in a bad movie. I may have arrived at the destination, but the plot was no better when I got there. I felt dirty. As though I had paid for fans… Wait, I did pay for fans. I keep telling myself I did it for you. To test the waters and make sure it was safe. To protect you from…. O.K. Honestly, the business side of me simply could not resist the idea of so many new fans, in so little time.
So, what’s the scoop? As far as I can tell, this is not some hacker. The new fans come from FB accounts that have few friends and odd foreign names. And they come fast. I’m guessing there are either a ton of accounts owned by one person (yea, shady), or some sort of fan network where people agree to fan pages for each other. Either way, these people have no real interest in me and will probably never think of me again.
So, the bottom line is this: it’s NOT the best way to gain fans. Yes, you can grab some quick cred on your page. Particularly if you have a new page, this is VERY tempting. It’s not illegal or anything like that, but I speak from today’s experience. It does not feel gratifying. I have pages like Seim Effects with more than 5k fans, fans I worked to get by offering value and sharing ideas. That feels good. Buying fans, not so much. My studio page is still a quality place. These irrelevant fans won’t change that. But every time I look at my numbers from now on, I’ll be mentally deducting those 250 or so fans that “didn’t really count,” and I’ll never be able to forget that I paid for for it.
So is buying ads and trying to gain reach all bad? No. But few things are free, quality clients least of all. So think about what you really want. Will numbers really satisfy you or do you want real people who actually are interested in what you do and will spread the word to others? That takes time. But as for me, I plan to stick with quality +Like’s from now on. That’s not to say I won’t ever buy advertising (though it doesn’t usually work that well either). But I want followers that actually are relevant and who are interested in what I do. On that note, if you want to read my notes for cultivating a quality page, read my 10 Tips for Taming the Power of Your Facebook Page.
My confession has ended. The grimy weight is sliding off my shoulders as I strike these square keys. I am moving on.
Gav
UPDATE/TIP:
At this same time of my craving for fans, I spent another five bucks on another promotion. Five dollars to have someone actually suggest my page to “their” friends. I gained another nice chunk of what seem to be “real fans” from this. Nothing like the 200+ useless fans, but 20-30 actual users, which is far better. The difference is that this is not a promised number where non relevant profiles +like your page, simply for the sake of your ego. Those are real Facebook users, who saw my page suggestion on the sellers wall and decided to +Like it. Would I sell a page suggestion on my personal profile for $5. Not a chance, but I see no problem with buying one if someone is offering it. These seem to be honest-to-goodness people, who, if you provide relevant content, may take a genuine interest in your page. Just like buying an ad.
Something one often hears tossed around in this industry is the word ‘style.’ “It’s my style” or “love your style.” Sometime it can get pretty funny: “My style is, uh, everything.” Now, this is not a bash session. We’re all at different levels, and that’s OK. This is just another post to get us thinking, something to get us all to raise the bar. I think the idea of style bears consideration and refinement. So let’s start where I often start, with the word, itself.
Webster’s Dictionary – Style. 1. a distinctive manner of expression (as in writing or speech) 2. a distinctive manner or custom of behaving or conducting oneself 3. a particular manner or technique by which something is done, created, or performed.
Hunters Bridge - 2009, HDR Portrait.
SO perhaps a photography style is just what you thought it was. But look carefully. “Distinctive, distinctive, particular.” I see photographers (especially new ones) frantically trying to define their style. But they don’t. It may change from week to week and month to month. If you go to their site right now, that high contrast, over saturated look is their style. But really, it’s probably because they know nothing else or saw someone else doing it. Your style is a big part of your brand. But developing it is not quick or easy. It’s a process.
NEXT let’s get one thing out of the way. Just because you do something does not make it your style. The most common “style” I see is “high contrast” or “edgy” or “bold” or “fun”. Now all those things can be a style, but they’re generally non-distinctive and used by people who don’t really know their style. Sometimes these vague styles are used by photographers who are inexperienced and use “art” or “style” as an excuse for their work. (I.e. “The high contrast look is my style” or “The flat light is my style” or “The blown out highlights are part of my style”)
NO. Those are not your style. You just don’t know what you’re doing. The first step in developing your style is to STOP trying to be something you’re not. It takes years and years to become a good craftsman. If you’re a new photographer, stop trying to fake a style that you don’t really have or convince people that that thing you do (because you don’t know any better) is your style. Don’t do it. Using style as an excuse just slows your career because it allows you to make excuses and avoid learning to things properly.
BUTÂ can’t high contrast, blown out, journalistic, be a style? Sure. But often it’s not, because people who are comfortable, experienced, and have really found a style generally know better than to take the cliches and call them a style, because the result tends to appear like a generic copy of everyone else.
SO WHAT makes a style? Sure, it can be somewhat subjective, but let’s go back to the dictionary for the facts. A style is “distinctive.” It’s “particular.” That means it has the ability to stand out on its own. So based on that, if your style looks like 80% of the rest of the world’s photographers, it’s not much of a style. That is, not unless you call your style generic, which does not sound too appealing.
Now, I’m not saying a style can’t be inspired by the work of another photographer. In fact, it’s almost impossible to do something completely new. But there’s inspiration, and there’s outright copying. Most photographers don’t have a style because they have not yet taken enough time to refine their craft and develop that style. This can apply to a newbie as easily as to a 25 year veteran.
A STYLE is not simply taking photos. It takes something more. It requires thought, planning, and skill. But even further, a style is your brand. It can be combined with your personalty, the products you make from your photos, and the way you present them on your website. It does not mean being in a rut or always being the same or applying a particular technique to everything. It’s a process.
WHAT is my style? I’ve been making photos for over 14 years now, and in just the past few, I’ve started feeling I understand my style. It took me that long. I know what I do, and I know how to make it come out nearly every time. I feel I have a style, but I’m still improving on it.
If you were to go to my portrait or wedding site, you might see me describe my work as “A natural cinematic style inspired by the masters and tempered with modern flair.” But the text is merely the beginning. I have an visual in my mind of the kind of image I make, and while every one is different, I have a focus. Also, the way I display my final prints as carefully crafted wall portraits is a very relevant part of my style. It’s taken me about 13 years to pin myself down this much. And I’m still discovering and refining my style.
WHAT does all this this mean? Well, my goal here today is not to say you can’t have a look, or that you can’t describe your work. It’s not to make this style thing abstract and confusing. Maybe you’ve truly found your style, maybe not. But my intent is to get us all thinking. To raise the bar on our style, study, and practice, and become such proficient craftsman that we truly understand our medium and our style. Maybe you’ll be faster than I was, maybe not. But either way, it’s a process. A valuable one.
SO, STYLE is important. But it’s not something you can simply make up. Before you can really define your style, you have to know your craft well enough to understand what you’re doing with it. You have to have worked enough to find that distinctive consistency in your images. Imagine a singer. A singer does not have a style until they learn to sing and perform. It takes time. They have to work it out. Photography is no different.
WHY do most NOT have a style? Because they’ve not refined their craft . It does not mean they’re all bad photographers. But in truth a lot of photography today lacks distinction. Admittedly, it’s hard. Finding your style take more than just doing a wedding every weekend. It takes more than copying the latest trend you see your friends using.
I often see photographers who are really busy with jobs, but it’s all they can do just to keep up and get the jobs out. They’re generic. If you’re paying the bills that way then fair enough. If volume is your business approach, it may work for you. But it’s not usually distinctive. Rushing offers too little time to experiment and define your work. You probably want something more. To define a unique style, you have to take your extra time to study and refine what you’re doing until you draw out something unique about it. Until there’s a pattern. Until it becomes a style, not just the latest fad.
How to Find Your Style. A style is images, personalty, presentation, branding, and more. Really finding it takes enough experience to know what you do and how you make it unique. I think the way to find your style is to stop looking so hard. Stop trying to rush to having it all figured out, and spend more time figuring. Study your craft and be content with the fact that you’re making good images and improving. Forget about your style for a while and learn how to style better. In time, you’ll find your own unique approach. You’ll find your STYLE naturally.
WHAT AM I GETTING AT? Stop having confidence? Stop charging for quality? Heavens, no! I’m not even saying at what point you have a style. I’m just saying slow down and think about it. Take the time to make images just for the joy of it. Explore ideas and techniques, read books, go to workshops. Do that, and your style will blossom, as will the quality of your work. Photography is not a quick journey. It’s a long one. It’s OK to be starting out. Just be honest with yourself. Keep working on your craft and always raise the bar.
By 
