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Is Software the New Barrier to Entry? PI41
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The New Barrier to Entry?
We start off with Rick trying to dial back his (seemingly) hatred of the French but then he turns his attention to the Basque region of Spain. But, hey, he does an Irish friend. If you’re familiar with the other podcasts that Tony is involved in, you’ve gotta be shocked that he is the voice of reason and sanity on Polarizing Images!
And don’t forget the new segment! Send us the name of a drink via our Twitter account – @PolarizingImage – and we’ll have Rick drink it through a Red Vine straw. Remember to tag the Tweet with #RedVineDrink.
Anyway, lots of good stuff in this episode once you get past our usual goofiness (A.K.A. the reason you keep coming back). Topics today include:
- Do we really expect Tony to do any heavy-lifting? *Can* he?
- If E&J is good enough for us, it’s good enough for hillbillies. Let’s just call it “domestic”… I wonder if Rick is blind yet?
- With the cost of software, does that make it a barrier to entry? How about the learning curve of software?
- Does keeping on top of software updates prevent the guys from updating their gear?
- Is there a perfect tool or piece of software?
- How terrible or lazy are actions and filters? (hint: Rob has changed his opinion)
Even just 20 years ago, it was quality camera gear that posed the greatest barrier of entry to being a professional photographer. You would never have dreamed about becoming a wedding photographer with “just” a 35mm camera and a couple of inexpensive zoom lenses. Today? Different story! But you need something for post production. Whether you’re buying high end applications like Photoshop (still the “gold standard”), paying less for a more appropriate version of Light Room, or stand alone apps and filters, your collection and library of software is going to grow and, regardless of how much you spend (or don’t) it all takes time to learn. And that doesn’t even take into consideration the time required to hone your craft as a photographer!
Our Artists
Starting with our photographer, we look at Italian photojournalist Clay McLachlan. Want to see how a working (and successful) photojournalist sets up a seemingly easy food shot? Check out this behind the scenes video called Blue Bottle.
As an homage to Rick’s father, Rick chose the German-American architect, Helmut Jahn. Jahn was the architect behind the United Airline’s terminal at Chicago’s O’Hare airport. And yes, at one time, O’Hare was an example of modern architecture. Chicago is a city filled with architectural history and relevance but, beyond that, a city of artistic importance. Anyone who wants to be a travel or architectural photographer will, at some point, need to travel to Chicago and see the works of influential designers such as Jahn.
Posted in Podcast
Also tagged Actions, Amateur, barrier to Entry, Business, Clay McLachlan, Comfort Levels, Critique, editing, Facebook, filters, Future, Helmut Jahn, hybrid photography, Like, obsolete, Photography, Photoshop, post production, Professional, Software, Techniques, Twitter
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It’s All About Context… and the French – Episode 40
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Context is King
Okay, for the record, Rick does not hate the French. He seems really intent on convincing us that he doesn’t.
Too few photographers look at their work in the context of the subject or client. What makes an image important to the client or viewer is the broader context and meaning of the photograph. For example, would the picture by Addie Adams of the young Vietnamese girl running down the road after her village was hit by napalm be as powerful or have such impact if not set in the story of the Viet Nam war?
Topics today include:
- Really, Rick doesn’t hate the French
- “Dry Ginger” is not the porn name of one of our hosts
- Context is key
- How arrogance and fear prevent a lot of photographers from reaching their potential
- Developing relationships with your subject or clients is critical
- Surreal photographs existed before Photoshop!
- Could the iPod have existed 20 years ago, even if they had the technology?
- No, really, Rick does not hate the French!
© Jerry Uelsmann
Our Artists
This week’s photographer is Jerry Uelsmann. In particular, we were struck by the image shown here – created in 1969 and done entirely in the darkroom. So, for the post-production haters who think Photoshop has created too many “artists”, we’ll point them to Jerry and say it was being done before Photoshop. Beautifully developed as a black and white image, his work straddles that line between realism and abstraction.
Our other artist is Sir Jonathon Ives of Apple. Ives is the Senior Vice-President of Industrial Design at Apple and is responsible for some of Apple’s most iconic interfaces. Rick, an Apple fan boy (an “Apple-lyte” as Rob calls him/them) since the 80s, waxes poetic about Ives’ influence on design and suggests (correctly, Rob and Tony think) that the same design principles used by Ives’ can be used in photography.
“The word design is everything and nothing. The design and the product itself are inseparable” – Jon Ives.
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Also tagged Context, inspiration, iPod, Jerry Uelsmann, Jonathon Ives, Photography
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When Does (or Should) Your Photography Hobby Become a Profession?
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Photography: You Ready to Go Pro?
Holy shit, this sucker is one long show. Two freaking hours! Anyway, this show is based on a question that Rick and I (Rob) get on a regular basis. It usually goes something like “I’ve been shooting for a while and I get lots of positive comments on my photography and now I’d like to start charging. Am I ready?”
Ugh.
It’s a tough question. Hell, we don’t mind answering it and for sure as shit’s sake we’ve been there, too. Rick and I are certainly tainted by their own experience, having been through the school of hard knocks, and would love to tell everyone asking this question to hang tight for a bit. But we also know that they won’t, so we try to talk about what we wish we had known and what we think every new photography professional needs to know before diving in. Here’s a hint, it’s a business so treat it like one!
Ugh.
Just as we were wrapping up the show, Rick asks an “innocent question” and then he and Tony start arguing for another damn half hour while I played Words with Friends. I think, dear listeners, that if you can make it through to the end of the show, you’re going to tilt on either what Rick says or what Tony says!
Our Artists
Since wedding photography is often the attempted path into professional photography, we look at one of the best wedding
Adrian Newey’s Red Bull RB&
photographers in the country, Chicago-based David Wittig. David’s photography shows his depth of experience with the wedding niche, an ability to connect with clients, and an ability to shoot great photographs that are unique to his style. If you’re thinking that wedding photography is an area you might want to get into, David Wittig is a photographer you need to be aware of.
Tony, never wanting to do anything normal, chose Adrian Newey as this episode’s artist. Newey designs Formula 1 race cars. They’re pieces of beauty and he creates game-changing designs.
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Also tagged Adrian Newey, Business, David Wittig, Fine Art, hybrid photography, Meetup, Photography, post production, Techniques
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Photography Today, Is It Killing Off the Dinosaurs? Part 2
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Photography? No, really, we do talk about it eventually! As usual, the guys take the long way around to getting on topic as we have our usual discussion about what we’re drinking, why Rick will eventually play all seven dwarfs, whether Rob or Tony has the larger breasts and, well, you know by now…
Oh, and thanks to Mr. Sadie Breeze for preventing brain damage.
Photography, Dinosaurs, and When You Won’t Change
After the last episode’s emotional tirade about whether or not the photography industry still needs a traditional sales force, things come down in this second part. Instead, we talk about whether the film shooters and even the dSLR users today are being left behind by the advances of technology. Is there still a place for traditional print portraits? Is there still room for the fine artists? How about the RAW vs JPG argument: is that argument going to be irrelevant in the near future? And what about those guys who insist on only selling prints and not providing CDs? That’s an issue we need to deal with.
Let’s face it, photography is indeed changing and, as much as we want to believe differently, we don’t have the actual answers about what will still be viable five years from now. But one thing is clear – if you’re not going to be a visionary in photography then you’ll end up a dinosaur and, historically, we now how that ends.
Artists of the Fortnight
Tony points us toward the amazing photography of Dennis Hopper. Sadly, Dennis is no longer with us but his work in photography remains with us. Rob believes that actors often make great photographers because they live their lives being creative. Regardless of why, Hopper himself has a body of work that is poignant and strong. Anybody who wants to get into the fine art side of portrait photography would do well to take a good long look at Dennis Hopper’s work.
For our artist, we look at the well-known Rembrandt. If there was ever a true Renaissance Man, Rembrandt was it. Schooled in math, science, art, literature and history, Rembrandt used that learning to develop a style of portraiture known for its sharpness and, of course, it’s lighting.
Don’t forget – Our Photography Book Review
Head on over to www.PolarizingImages.com now and take part in our book discussion, The Art of Photography!
Posted in Podcast
Also tagged Business, change, Dennis Hopper, dinosaurs, editing, Fine Art, Future, History, hybrid photography, inspiration, Meetup, obsolete, Photography, Photoshop, Podcasting, post production, Rembrandt, Twitter
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Episode 34: Photography Is All About… SQUIRREL!
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Elisha and Anne: are you available next week?
Tony is out sick for this episode and it’s left to Rick and Rob to record the show. Listen to what happens when two guys with attention deficit issues try to remain focused on a conversation. Witness for yourself Rob’s amazing talent of taking 5 minutes to set up a 5 second answer or Rick giving an awesome answer that has nothing to do with the question.
It’s a rather personal show, with R² (that’s shorthand for Rick and Rob) discussing their goals for 2013, their regrets of the past year, and their dream assignment. Of course, there is the usual oddball stuff liberally strewn throughout.
BTW, since we forgot to do the opening segment, Rob was drinking whiskey and Rick was drinking his homebrew. So now you know.
What else do we talk about? Well:
- The difference between allowing mistakes and accepting mistakes
- How the business of photography interferes with the art of photography
- Can a style atrophy if you’re not careful?
- Buy stuff from our CafePress Store (it’s a recurring theme)
- Will Rob continue with figure studies in 2013?
- Why photography can still be a viable profession
- How the opening sequence to our first episode was like Masterpiece Theatre… on quaaludes
There’s neither a featured photographer nor artist this week but that will be back.
Happy New Year and, before we forget again, it’s absolutely critical that you never, ever… oh look, a puppy!
Regrets About Your Photography? If You Could Change Anything…
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Do You Have Regrets About Your Photography?
We regret nothing! That’s a crock of shit, yes we do! Okay, maybe this isn’t so much about regrets but, knowing what we do now about the photography industry, if we could go back 10 years, what would we do differently?
A slow start as we have to do a debrief on Tony’s trip and we have a hard time focusing (don’t worry, it’s just the booze talking) but we eventually get down to an excellent discussion about what we wish we could go back in time and what choices we made that we’d like to do over. We’re typically in agreement that we all wish we had adopted a digital workflow a lot earlier.
To sum it up, Rob wishes he had gotten into digital earlier, Tony wishes he had learned Photoshop earlier, and Rick wishes he had learned to drink Negronis a lot earlier. But we might be wrong about that. One thing for sure, Rick doesn’t regret his lack of use of social media!
How about you? If you could go back and change any choices you made, what would they be? Let us know!
Our Artist of the Fortnight
Tonight, Rick introduces us to Cindy Sherman, well known for her self-portraits. But don’t dismiss that, she’s an original and they are not the kind of self-portrait that you’re likely thinking of! Some absolutely amazing work but to fully appreciate some of her pieces, you’ll need to get used to her style first. Go ahead and do that, though, it’s worth it.
Tony (surprise, surprise) chooses another musical group. This time, he takes a band from Akron, OH, the Black Keys.
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Also tagged Art, Business, Cindy Sherman, editing, Fine Art, Future, History, mirrorless versus dSLR, Photography, Social Media
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Art – Can the Creation Of It Be The Actual Art? Episode 18 Says “Yes”
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Art – it’s what this is all about, right? Damned straight, skippy!
We get off to a slightly rough start this week, but there’s a reason – Rick was drunk and Rob wasn’t. After we get the universe sorted out, we quickly get into our usual flow and have an amazing discussion (if we say so ourselves) about whether or not the mere act of creating art can be the art itself.
What, exactly, makes something “art”?
Never let anyone say that a portrait can't be art
After watching a documentary on Spencer Tunick’s Naked States – a state by state journey through the US photographing everyday (yet remarkable) people – Rob was struck by the number of the subjects who talked about how posing for Tunick’s art project was a healing and powerful experience. And that got him thinking (which always is a good idea, right?) If the therapeutic aspect of the project was in the creation of the work then maybe, from an art therapy perspective, the real art is in the creation and not necessarily the final print.
That leads us down some interesting paths as we talk about whether a blind person can create art if they are not physically engaged with the medium and the healing power of being an art subject. Rob opens up about the real strength and joy of his work!
Our photographer and artist of the week
Tony introduces us to the wonderful work of Irving Penn. From his Wiki Page:
(June 16, 1917 – October 7, 2009[1]) was an American photographer most known for his fashion photography, portraits, and still lifes. Penn’s career included work at Vogue magazine, and independent advertising work for clients including Issey Miyake, and Clinique. His work has been exhibited internationally, and continues to inform the art of photography even after his death.
Our artist of the week is the well-known and very talented jazz musician Miles Davis. Considered to be one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, his penchant for creating something new from nothing is an inspiration to all artists, including photographers.
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Also tagged Art, Boudoir, Comfort Levels, Fine Art, inspiration, Irving Penn, Miles Davis, Nudity, style
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Do I Suck? Maybe…
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Liam from the Isle of Man drops by to hang out with us this week to discuss a topic that haunts everyone: self-doubt. Topics include planning the next five years, overcoming doubt, and not charging enough. Just cash the fucking check and deal with it!
Today’s featured photographer is John Hyde and the featured artist are the Beatles. No link for the Beatles because if you need a link for them, you shouldn’t be using a computer.
BTW, check out Liam’s podcast, Uttabull.
Posted in Podcast
Also tagged Collaboration, Comfort Levels, Confidence, Criticism, Critique, Doubt, John Hyde, Landscape Photography, Nature Photography, Photography, post production
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People On the Other Side of the Lens
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Holy shit – almost an hour and a half?! But it’s worth it, trust me… Topics today include dealing with the different types of people who land in front of your lens and how to help them relax and enjoy the photo shoot. Rob surprises an unsuspecting and long-lost friend and then Tony asks her to reveal what would creep her out. Surprise, she answers!! Sorry, B_Mo, no Van Heusen shirts here! Internet “models” need not apply.
Posted in Podcast
Also tagged Andre Carl, Artistry, Boudoir, Business, Comfort Levels, Fine Art, inspiration, Models, Nudity, Photography, Podcasting, Professionalism, Studio, style, Techniques, Terry Richardson, Wannabe Models
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