I am sure when reading the title of my little diatribe, (not sure if that will be the case) you are probably thinking, "is this guy bi-polar or what?". Well, both my partner and myself have come to the conclusion, that in order to succeed in the Arts today and specifically as a commercial Fashion Photographer, you have to become as homogeneous as skimmed milk.
I have noticed the literal hundreds of pages of fashion spreads that look like they could have been done by the same photographer but were done by literally a cast of hundred or even more. They all look the SAME! Of course the styling is somewhat different. But the style is undeniably "Homogenized".
I would go as far as to say, that being different and original is no longer an asset, but a major hindrance to success, as most do not want to take the risk of not looking the SAME as everything else that is produced. It is in THAT sameness that the advertisers and most main stream magazines take solace in the continuity of what is acceptable and not disturbing.
There was a time in Fashion where if you were not original, your chances of getting published was rare. Now I am NOT saying that there are not incredibly creative individuals out there producing outstanding work. What I am saying, is that it is becoming more and more difficult for those individuals to succeed in what is becoming a very difficult metier to survive in even under the best of conditions. Playing it safe has become the norm an those with enough courage to express something other than the drab porridge being doled out daily, risk being considered as artistic mutants worth of surviving on the periphery of the Biz.
I guess, what one must strive for is a balance between being too avant guard and too mundane, if they wish to be able to look at themselves in the mirror and feel somewhat good about themselves.
Just to end this little rant on another Note and no pun intended, but the Music Industry, the Arts and Cinema all seem to be suffering a similar malaise. But there is some light at the end of the tunnel and I believe that once the economic nightmare that most of us are going through (that is other than the 1% that control 50% of the money) does end, that being creative will become an asset again rather than an inconvenience for those not wishing to shake up the status quo.
I am just wondering…How many shades of Gray are there? Or is that Grey?
Well, I guess in general you might be right, but it also depends on your clients.
The same for wedding photography, still there are people taking alternative approaches and managing, even if it's not to everybody's taste:
//www.juliabailey.com/
Then, some would say that 'Arts' and 'commercial Fashion Photographer' don't belong to the same page, or even the same book.
I would be inclined to agree, but when you see some work of Avedon, Bailey, Blumenfeld, Dahl-Wolfe, Frissel and so on, well, one wonders..
Thankfully it's not an issue for many of us. Amateurs don't have to really be concerned with whether they pull in any income or not.
not always true. I dont consider myself a pro by any means, which means i'm an amateur. I'm concerned about bring in money. photography is something that i want to support myself with eventually and its important that i get jobs, paying jobs, now.
photography is something that i want to support myself with eventually and its important that i get jobs, paying jobs, now.
Then you are not strictly an amateur. I define do not define an amateur or pro by skill, but by whether you generate all of some of your living with it. Since you wish to make your living with it someday, you lean towards the professional side of things. You do have to be more concerned with having salable work than I do.
