Shifting Focus

Shifting Focus

 

I started this blog, last year, as I was beginning my foray into turning photography in to my full-time profession. The idea was that I was going to post about the trial and tribulations, the successes and the failures I had along the way. To in some way, pass on information and lessons that I learned in the process. I would still love to be able to do this, but I learned one very valuable lesson along the way.

There are no instant lessons. The learning process for each and every piece of information doesn't happen overnight and as expected, there have been more failures and setbacks than successes. The lack of posts along the vein of running a photography business is simple due to that. Whilst I have learned an extraordinary amount, I cannot pass on what I've learned with the risk that it is mostly unproven and potentially dangerous to whomever might read it. That would just be plain irresponsible and quite the antithesis of the ideals of sharing.

Because I do want to maintain this blog and I don't want to inadvertantly sabotage someone elses career choices and therefore their life in even the smallest of ways, I will be shifting focus of this blog a bit. Instead of trying to write about the runnings of a photography business, which I am unqualified to do, I am going to return to the much simpler format of writing about photography. My photography, the photography of those around me that I admire and respect, the goings on behind the images and occasionally, I might still be able to brush on the topic of photography as a business.

So in the coming weeks, I will be sharing with you some of the fabulous times I've had over the past several moths and I will also be sharing with you the people that I admire, the friends I have made and the one's to look out for as they, like myself, set out on their quest to conquer the world!

As these changes are taking place, I've changed the title of the blog and I have also changed the URL. Please, make sure you update any bookmarks or feed readers to ensure you still recieve your subscriptions! The new address is http://johnmcintirephotography.blogspot.com/

The goal of this change is to enable me to provide interesting content on regular basis, so I do hope you'll be sure to keep an eye out for my posts as they start rolling out very soon!

Here I Go

Here I Go

It's been a good while since I've had the opportunity to post here. The last several weeks have been a veritable roller coaster with all the ups and downs. A lot of highs a merciful amount of lows.

The biggest news of the lot would be that as of last Friday at 2PM, my employment in the textile manufacturing industry officially ended. I now have no other source of income other than my camera.

Now other than my continued full time employment, there's the multitude of things that kept me from posting here as I would have liked. Of the many things finished and started over the past few weeks, this is but a quick breakdown:

• Business Plan Complete
• Several Meetings with a Business Advisor
• Several Wonderful Photoshoots
• Marketing Plan Complete
• Press Release Complete
• Several Events and Fairs Scheduled
• Found a Studio Space
• Lost Said Studio Space
• Finished Full-Time Employment (Did I mention that yet?)

Now I plan to touch on a lot of these topics in future posts, as this is still a blog about my endeavour to make a career out of my photography, but for now, I will just leave you with a couple recent images whilst I begin to plan what is next to come.

Flickr Friday: Phil Winterbourne

Flickr Friday: Phil Winterbourne

Okay, it must be time to stop talking about myself again:

For this week's installment of "Rampaging Ferrets Meandering Through The Cotswalds In Rickety Skodas" I would like to fully divert your attention to the wonderfully varied and visually euphoric gallery of Phil Winterbourne

Once you find your eyeballs burrowing deep within the photographic awesomeness that is this photostream, you will, hopefully, quickly come to realize exactly why I've sent you there!

From stunning landscapes to phenomenal gritty editorial fashion and portraiture, it is clear that this guy loves his camera and that it also loves him back. Seriously, after having a perusal of Phil's stream, I challenge you disagree that this stellar body of work really serves to illustrate the passion of the man behind the light-tight box.

Enough! Onto examples:






Images © 2009 Phil Winterbourne. All Rights Reserved. Published here with explicit written permission.

Well, I honestly hope that this have served to entice you into visiting Phil on Flickr!

And for an even more enjoyable experience, do visit his website at www.philwinterbourne.co.uk

Oh, and a little side note, if you're familiar with my work before visiting Phil, you may very well recognise some of the models he has worked with.

Flickr Friday: Molly Wassenaar

Flickr Friday: Molly Wassenaar

Okay, so this week it's Sunday. I'm less than pleased about that; however, with the week I've had I will allow myself a slight slip there.

Anyway, this week on Flickr Friday I have a real treat in store for you. One of the most talented photographers that I'm aware of, Molly Wassenaar has a photostream to die for.

HDR your thing? She adopted it early on and her stream is full of masterpieces! Medium format film your thing? Her Hassy will kick the Hassy out of your Hassy.

I'm seriously going to stop talking now.

Seeing is believing and you really really have to see her work! Here's a few examples:






Images © 2009 Molly Wassenaar. All Rights Reserved. Published here with explicit written permission.


That should have got your attention. Go, give her the attention her absolutely inspiring flickrstream commands!

This Past Week

This Past Week

This past week, all of it, has been slightly mental! Between mentoring proposals, days off, being called into work, shoots, cancellations and viewing absolutely wonderful studio spaces, I really haven't had a chance to let my brain keep up; nevermind keeping up with everything else!

So not only do I have a few posts to write, but I have to sort out what's in my head. Probably the most important of these is that Wednesday, I was shown a studio space in the town centre that is exactly what I've been dreaming of. Not only is it in a wonderful historic building, but the way that building has been refurbished is beyond imagination! It has all the modern accoutrements one would expect in a 21st century hub but not only that, it is literally 2 minutes from the train station and the rates are absolutely dead cheap.

Right.

That's me needing to get on top of my business plan, setting up meetings with business link, registering as a sole trader, opening a business account and somehow convincing a bank I am more than worthy of a business loan in this dire time of economic woe!

I can do this, but it's not me that I need to convince!

Flickr Friday: Amanda Recker

Flickr Friday: Amanda Recker

Okay, so it's actually early Saturday afternoon. I learned a valuable blogging lesson this week. That is to make sure that these weekly features are planned well in advance. Flickr Friday WILL appear on FRIDAY next week!

Now, on with the show!

One of my favourite aspects of photography on the internet is watching people grow as photographers! So this week, I will be sharing a someone from my contact list who's stream shows incredible growth as a photographer.

Amanda Recker

Amanda's photostream is a joyous conglomeration of many different types of photography: Portraits, still life, weddings, art, etc etc. Certainly, there is something in there that will catch your eye.

A few examples:


Some lovely floweriness:



Some thoughtful self-portraitiness:



And a cross between artiness and self portraitiness:



Images © 2009 Amanda Recker. All Rights Reserved. Published here with explicit written permission.


If that's not enough to catch your interest, than I must apologise; however, if it has headon over to her Flickr account and show her some love.

For even more of Amanda's goodness, be sure to check her blog and for all the tweeples out there, follow her here: @amandarecker

Enjoy!

Who Do You Take Photos For?

Who Do You Take Photos For?

This is a question I've been dwelling on quite a lot recently and after a conversation on twitter with @bburzycki and reading a related post on Chase Jarvis' blog I thought I relate my thoughts on the issue.

With all the instant sharing capabilities of the internet, we as photographers have a near infinite selection of methods for instant feedback on our work. This, of course, is fantastic; especially for those just starting out trying to learn the ins and outs of their light tight box.

For example, we have DeviantArt , usefilm , pbase , www.fredmiranda.com , PhotoAnswers . Then, for those brave enough to the terms of service, there's the less obvious choices of Myspace and Facebook and many many more.

Great! We have many wonderful channels to share our work and get advice as we progress!

The Forum Trap

If it seems to good to be true, than it must not be true; right? Does all this instant feedback and critique come at a price to our artistic integrity?

I mean, picture this: You're a self-professed n00b armed with a new camera and a teach yourself photography book. You've scoured the pages thoroughly and have already taken hundreds of photos you are well aware should never see the light of day. All of a sudden something clicks and you just sit staring at your monitor. You did something right and the very first photo that you're really proud of is staring back at you. Hastily, you post it to one of the online forums you've been lurking on, yet have never posted. You come back an hour later to find three comments. The first one says "That's pretty". You're now beaming. Scroll down. The second says "It's nice, but the white balance is off." Okay, you understand that because you've been brushing up; something to note for later. You scroll down to see the third comment is from one of the forum's veterans that you've noticed a lot of activity from. You get excited and start to read. All of a sudden, you're photo is torn apart. Nothing about it is right. Everything is completely screwed up and it should be binned.

In that situation, I've seen people react in two main ways. Either they give up or they turn around and and try again making absolute sure that everything that was nitpicked is fixed. Why? Simply because they want that same person to turn around and approve of what they have done.

Again, for someone starting out, this can be the boost they need to start piecing everything together. However, I've seen very experienced photographers fall into the exact same trap. Essentially, they'll have stopped by to test the waters in a new forum and got sucked into the trap of bending over backwards to meet the standards of another faceless photographer.

What's the Price?

From here, let's exclude the people starting out. For the most part, the information they can get can prove invaluable. Let's stick to the many of you who understand the relation between aperture and shutter speed, who live by inverse square law, who know that the rule of thirds isn't a rule at all.

By far, my favourite photography related adage has to be "How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? One. Then another ninety-nine to say how they would have done it different."

Anybody, armed with the knowledge and the right equipment (yes equipment does absolutely matter depending on the task at hand) can take a good photograph. My issue, is what happens when that photograph is "finished" and posted to a forum, or similar outlet? I have seen far too many photographers who DO know what they're doing and who DID know what their exact intent was turn around and be bullied into either removing the image altogether or going back and completely changing it, losing the original intent altogether. Why? For the sake of positive feedback from other photographers.

My own personal definition of art is something you create to your own standards. My definition of craft is something you make to someone else's standards.

By my reasoning (Oh and I don't claim to actually know a thing so take this with a grain of salt) when someone turns around and changes the content of an image, or removes it entirely, based on the critique of someone else, they are actually bastardising their art and betraying their vision for the sake of feedback. No longer is it a piece of personal expression, but rather it is a craft work designed to appease the masses.

The same applies to those who make images with the sole intention of gathering bajillions of comments on Flickr or those who intentionally set out to make it into explore. They aren't taking photos for themselves. They are making photos for an audience. More power to them if that's exactly what they want to achieve, but have you ever spoke to some of these guys and girls. Some of them get very disillusioned very fast.

It's a Double Sided Coin

Here, I am going to contradict my entire argument.

There's always two sides to every story and this one is no different. In the examples above, I honestly believe the whole personal aspect of photography as an art is being obliterated by people trying to achieve mass appeal.

Is this neccasarily a bad thing. No.

Obviously, when it comes to selling photography as a commercial product, one of the boxes that must be ticked is "mass appeal". So these guys and girls in my Flickr example are potentially placing themselves in a situation that might just be preapring themsleves for a place in a very competitive market.

Then again, they might not be. Referring to my original point, the "masses" of Flickr tend to be other photographers.

The general rule that people need to remember is that photographers don't buy photography. So if you're trying to market yourself and make photographs that appeal to buyers, why on Earth would you seek approval from someone who wouldn't buy it in the first place?

Yes, feedback is nice. Very nice. As is networking and sharing with like-minded individuals. However, that doesn't mean that photographs should be made for that purpose.

Who Do I Make Photographs For?

Since this issue has been on the forefront of my mind for quite a long time, I have given it some very strong thought. My own personal decision has been to forego forums altogether, at least for now, as I was fairly prone to that trap myself.

I have decided that I will make my photographs to the standards of three groups of people:

Myself, My Models and My Clients. Any other feedback is an added and welcome bonus!

So far, I have had the great pleasure, from both my models and clients, to be able to make photographs for them to my own standards for the most part. That in itself, is quite the honour and one I hope to have for some time in the future.


*DISCLAIMER* I at no time actually claim to know what I'm talking about. This post represents my opinion based on my experiences and should under no circumstances be taken as gospel of any sort. Simple food for thought at the very most! Also, this was by no means meant to be critical of anyone. I do not presume that I can or should tell anyone else how to conduct their own personal matters. This is only my own thoughts as of how to conduct myself.

Flickr Friday: Tara Leigh

I've decided to start my first sort of regular post by featuring my favourite Flickr streams here. So, every Friday, I will be showcasing a Flickr stream of some of the greatest people in my contacts list.

You may have noticed that I have recently taken issue with some goings-on regarding Flickr. I am, as of yet, undecided about what to do, but in the meantime will carry on with this feature.

Of course I needed a title for this new feature and I had some thoughts. Possibly:

"Rampaging Ferrets Meandering Through The Cotswalds In Rickety Skodas?"

No?

How about:

"Freshly Featuring Fantastical Flickr's Finest Fuzzy Flickrites Fleeting Frivolously For Fruitcake Flavoured Furballs"

Nah.

We'll stick with "Flickr Friday"

On with it anyways.

Today, the spotlight goes to . . . *drumroll* . . . Tara Leigh!

Pilfered directly from her profile, this snippet of self-assesment says most of what anyone should need to know about this gem of a Flickr user:

"i'm silly. sometimes a goofball and full of energy. it's a personal problem really, i'm thinking about seeking treatment (via sugar)."

Tara's stream mostly contains portraits and what a collection of portraits it is. She always manages to get the best out of her subjects resulting in some beautiful, vibrant and personal images! Here's a taste of the wonderfulness in store should you choose to visit her stream!





In the random and cataclysmic event that you should think that a collection of beautiful portraits of beautiful people isn't your cup of tea, than switch to coffee. Ha, no seriously, I promise you will find many other jewels of photographic juiciness in store! For example:



By now, you should be thoroughly convinced, CLICK HERE and give this wonderful woman all the credit she is due. I promise she doesn't bite; well, maybe a little, but don't let that deter you! :)

Also, be absolutely sure that you have a gander at her main portfolio as well! www.taraleigh.com Oh and subscribe to her blog while your there! Oh and while your at it subscribe to this one as well at the top of the screen!

Images © 2009 Tara Leigh. All Rights Reserved. Published here with explicit written permission from the copyright holder.

I Love Dyed Hair

I Love Dyed Hair

After reading a blog post by a good friend of mine, Jennifer Brindley, where she outlined her thoughts on dying her hair orange (she's also quite the talented portrait photographer herself), I instantly remembered how much I love hair dye of the extreme variety. I always have; from my long-haired teenage years to these days as an aspiring fashion photographer. I love it.

It's true. I absolutely love vivid colours. A weird thought coming from a guy who's entire wardrobe is almost exclusively made of black, blue, dark red and dark green. When it comes to photos; however, the brighter, the punchier, the more vibrant the better. When it comes to fashion, there isn't much better.

Here's a selection from my portfolio:

Red:



Black, Pink and Platinum:



Blonde:



Very Red:




Very Very Red:



Blue (Okay, this one's a wig!):



Pinkness:



Orangeness:

Yes Sir, I do love some brightly coloured hair!

Oh and Jenn, I have a suspicion that Milla Jovovich might be solely responsible for all of this!

8 Reasons Why It's Good To Be An Amateur

8 Reasons Why It's Good To Be An Amateur

We should all know that the quality of photographic imagery has absolutely nothing to do with someone's professional status. Easily, some of the best photographers in the world are full blown amateurs and the fact that they're not making their living off of their craft has no effect on the quality of their images. In fact, I think most everyone should agree, that being a successful professional photographer has absolutely nothing to do with how good a photographer one is. It's all about the business skills. Need proof? Google professional photography studios in your area, you should find the number of sub-par portrait studios to be mind-blowing. But these guys and girls make their money. Not because of their artistic merit, but because they know how to flog themselves.

Let's get back to the amateurs though. Yes, there are a lot of people for whom photography is a passing hobby. They make a few pictures when the whim strikes and never really care for technical excellence. More power to them. Then we have the guys (and girls) who obsessively pore over every technical and artistic detail. They eat, sleep and breathe their passion, never allowing the slightest flaw or discrepancy. They constantly and consistently churn out quality work at a standard many professionals still strive for.

This may sound a bit counteractive to the purpose of this blog (my struggle to become a professional photographer); however, it always serves one well to keep your feet firmly planted in the present whilst looking ahead to the future. It's about balance.

So here are 8 reasons why it's great to be an amateur photographer:

1) You can shoot what you want.

Picture this: Here you are, you just spent a weekend on the coast passionately photographing sunsets and what not. You went on the trip for no other reason to please yourself. You got some great photos and you're diligently working through the editing and retouching process. After a while, you take a short break and have a browse of Flickr. There you see a wonderful flower macro that just suddenly lights a previously unknown fire in your gut. You've never shot flowers before, but this one is just phenomenal and you have to give it a go. You stop what you're doing and head to a florist.

You're free to do that, because you have no responsibility to anyone but yourself. One week you shoot landscapes, the next portraits, the next insects. Your not bound to promoting a single speciality. You're free to embrace all aspects of the craft without having to tailor yourself to meet a client's needs.

2) The only deadlines are those you set for yourself.

The contact sheets need to be on the Art Director's desk by close of business tomorrow. The client wants to see the proof's the moment they come out of the camera. The test shots need to be on the agency's website ASAP.

Let's face it. A photo can never be perfect. There's always something else that can be or could be done to make it better. As photographers, we're always the most critical of our work and we strive to do everything we can to present our images the very best we can. However, when someone is beating down your door asking for the images "now," it's virtually impossible to get things to your standard. As an amateur or enthusiast, you're not bound to these time lines. It's done when you say it's done, whether it takes five minutes or two weeks.

3) You're free to experiment until you turn blue in face.

"What happens if I just move the light a bit this way and throw the lens out of focus a little bit? Oh, that's nice!" Before you know it, you've lost several hours tweaking and fine tuning, on a whim, something that nobody will probably like. But who cares, you've not used anyone's time or money but your own and you've had a blast doing it and you've probably learned a lot along the way.

4) When someone asks you to shoot their wedding, you can say "No"!

Okay, this goes for some professionals too, but in this economic client, someone trying to pay the bills with their camera would struggle to actually turn down work. I know several people who don't shoot weddings that have actually had to reconsider their stance when asked if they shoot weddings. Of course, it doesn't just apply to weddings, it goes for anything you don't want to shoot. As an enthusiast; if you don't like it, then you don't have to do it. No second thoughts.

5) You're free from the expectation's of others.

This ties into experimenting and shooting what you want, but it has it's own intricacies as well. It's only human to imagine something far greater than is actually possible. Flights of fancy spring wild with our imaginations as we wonder what something can or will be like in the end. Often times, the result is disappointment. So, when a client starts seeing visions of Vogue quality portraits at a school portrait session, they will ultimately be let down. This is through no fault of your own, but to them, it reflects on you. They didn't get what they expected, so it must be the photographer's fault. Guess what: when you're shooting for only yourself, the only delusions of grandeur that you have to deal with are your own!

6) You can freely offend people with your work.

I can see the confuzzled faces now. "Why on Earth would I want to offend someone?" The purpose of art is to make a statement. Whether it's a statement of joy, or peace, or politics or what not, art is designed to invoke a response. A wholly valid intention is to shock people into seeing the intended message. Think Robert Mapplethorpe or Joel Peter Witkin. Or maybe none of that. Maybe you're just a huge fan of B horror films and that whole subculture and you just want to create images that reflect your interests. It's hard to do that kind of thing, as a portrait photographer for example, when you're supposed to be marketing your work to the masses. No mother wants to take her newborn baby to a photographer who's portfolio is full of bullet-ridden zombies, or blood drenched vampires, no matter how stunning your normal portraiture is. Fortuantely, you lovely amateur you, have none of those concerns. You can break out all the chainsaws and severed limbs you want and still know the mortgage payment is being paid next week.

7) When you're in a slump, the bills still get paid.

Demotivated? Nothing to shoot? Tired of your style? Need a change? The rest of life too stressful? No worries. Put the camera down for a bit. the urge will come back. It always does and you don't run the risk of ruining your passion, your obsession for yourself. Take a week. Take two. Take six months. Rest yourself. You can. You can take all the time you need to revitalise yourself because your not forced to plough through hundreds of mundane portraits and product shots that you detest simply because you want to have electricity next week.

8) You're actually relieving stress!

Amateurs do this because they like it. It brings them joy. It's how they unwind after a long day. It clears your head of the drudgery of everday life in today's broken societies. It relieves stress. Now picture this: You have to shoot a new line of lingerie for a the website of a boutique. The client is tight with their cash and refuses to pay for more than a single full day rate for the shoot itself. Ten models, four outfit changes each, three photos of each outfit, two make-up-artists, one overbearing art director and eight hours. Stress free?

Of course, this is certainly not any sort of dig at the people who have successfully turned photography into a career, rather an introspection, of sorts, for all the amateurs who dream of changing their careers as quickly as possible. Slow down. If you really want it and work for it, it will come. Yes, life can be great as a Professional Photographer but it can be just as great as an amateur as well!

Modestly Operating

We all see the PR announcements and subsequently read the reviews of all the latest equipment with all the shiny, new, show stopping features. This is all fine and dandy. It's healthy to lust after new gear, is it not? Well, sometimes no.

I have a tendency to decide that I "need" something in order to carry on and then obsess about it, getting nothing done in the process, until I have it. A short burst of productivity ensues and then I find that I "need" something else. Thus, the vicious cycle repeats itself.

Of course, it would be easy enough to say: "I don't need anything else; just keep on keeping on." But that isn't true either.

That's the catch 22.

I do need the new gear. I do need new lenses. I do need a new camera. I do need more strobes and modifiers. I do, absolutely and desperately, need a new computer.

What I need to learn and beat into my skull, is that whilst I need all of these things, I also do need to carry on with what I have, because if I don't, then there will be no productivity whatsoever.

Fact: I have no disposable income worth mentioning. Thus, it is quite literally impossible for me to make any significant investment in gear or equipment. So the conclusion must and can only be that I have to either make do or give up.

I'm not giving up. I'm not.

So here's what I have to work with to carry on in this journey. Hopefully I will be able to add to it in the future, but for now, this is what I'm taking with me on my quest to become a full-time professional photographer:

Photographic Equipment:

1 x Canon EOS 30D
1 x Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
1 x Canon 50mm f/2.5 Macro
1 x Canon 80-200mm f/4.5-5.6
1 x Canon 430EX
2 x Tripods
1 x Bowens Espirit Gemini 500
1 x Bowens Beauty Dish
1 x 40" Translucent Umbrella
2 x Portaflash 336VM
1 x Portaflash Softbox
1 x Portaflash Silver/White Umbrella
1 x Portaflash Silver/Gold Umbrella
1 x Portaflash 5-In-1 Reflector
1 x Background Stand
3 x Background Paper Rolls (Grey, Black, White)
1 x Dedicated Studio Space in my Loft
1 x PC with broadband access
1 x eeePC with mobile broadband access

This may seem a lot to some people, but please trust me, when your taking your inspiration from the likes of Vogue and you have to regularly produce varying images for model portfolios and what not, the limitations of this set-up are quite abhorrent.

But I will not let a lack of what I think I need to hinder me any further. This is what I have now and will likely be what I have for a while, so we shall see how I carry on in the near future!

Getting it Together

For too long now have I stated to myself that I would take this photographic obsession-cum-passion to the next level. For several years now, I have continually told myself that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I have talked and ranted, incessantly, to those around me to the point that they refuse to listen any more. I have dutifully and miserably drudged my way through several years of soul destroying manufacturing work only to deprive myself of energy and motivation. This has long been my main excuse for not taking myself to the places I want to be in life. No longer.

This is it. It is time for action.

No more excuses, no more procrastination, no more.

This blog is here purely for me to chronicle this journey I am about to set myself on. It is a place for me to, centrally, collect my thoughts, display new work and, most importantly, detail all of my successes and all of my failures and all of my strengths and shortcomings in order to better myself along the way. Ultimately, it will also serve as information to others who would walk the same path. After all, if someone can learn from my many, many mistakes, all the better!

There will be a myriad of content in the various posts here. I will talk about burning issues that I have my own opinions on. Obviously I will regularly post photos. I will discuss my favourite Photoshop techniques and I will also try to feature links to people's work which inspires me. So, hopefully, there will be a great deal of value for time for anyone who decides to stop by!

Let's roll!