Does everything really look good in B&W?

Reading some articles the past few days, not EVERYTHING looks good in black and white. Some of it just plain pisses me off. Then I step back and think about it a while, and either get more steamed, or rationalize the point being made, compare to my own, recognize the differences, laugh, or just put my nose in the air and sashay off in a huff. I’m normal, I do things like that.

Over the past couple of days, I’ve come across what I believe to be rather biased reports. One from a photojournalistic wedding shooter, and another by a major photography magazine. Let’s take the big fish first.

AMERICAN PHOTO just released it’s list of the top ten wedding photographers in the world.

Nothing hair-raising there, I mean, there’s a top ten list every day, and if you can’t find one, just go to Dave Letterman, he’ll hook you up… Anyway, while there are some INCREDIBLE photographers here, in all honesty I am hard pressed to believe WE have all TOP TEN of the world’s best wedding photographers residing here in the USA… I mean Yervant – is he yesterday’s news? I read LOADS of British photography magazines and see some breathtaking work in them… The American Photo magazine’s article is a wee tad biased, don’cha think? I mean, we DO live in the greatest country in the world (IMHO) but we should allow one or two of the “World’s Greatest” titles go outside our borders… otherwise, none of the other kids will play with us. <grin>

The article can be found here: http://www.popphoto.com/americanphotofeatures/5260/top-10-wedding-photographers-2008.html

Do a search on TOP 10 WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS 2008 – and you can also find this (2007 had a VERY different outcome…): http://www.popphoto.com/americanphotofeatures/3854/the-top-10-wedding-photographers.html

I suggest you peruse the work of the honored individuals. I believe they do require some serious recognition, as the work of each and every one of them is beautiful. I’m partial to one Jim Garner, as he hails from Seattle, therefore I must root for the home team. :O)

The OTHER bee in my bonnet was provided by a friend. The article can be found here: http://www.wedpix.com/articles/015/wedding-image-manipulation.html

Maybe I took the article the wrong way… maybe not. However, after reading this post, I felt insulted, as an artist. First and foremost, I believe as photographers, we are artists. Some of us more creative than others – depending on who you ask, because in the end, beauty and art rest in the eye of the beholder.

The opening paragraph states:

We’ve all seen them: vignettes and faux hand-tints; cross-processed images that overwhelm the senses with an unreal look; a heavy-handed use of flairs, starbursts and diffusion effects; cheesy frames. They cry for attention, hijacking the image in the photographic equivalent of a velvet Elvis wall hanging.

Where is the value, the poignancy, and the essence in these photos?

HEY! I LOVE my velvet Elvis, it’s right next to my velvet matador and poker playing dogs in my sport themed basement! GIMME a break!

I seem to remember MANY photographers (FILM) using star filters, soft focus filters, and oh – those of us who’ve been in a real dark room often loved a sloppy artistic border, or a polaroid back’s tattered leavings…

The article goes on to talk about “The proliferation of the third-party market in Photoshop filters and actions could be cited as watering down the overall quality of the community of professional photographers, wedding photojournalists included. Some contend that this development has created a class of relatively inexperienced and incompetent shooters who can pick up jobs on the basis of others’ talents” .and such things as “Wedding photojournalists have an obligation to help clients understand what is good and what is going to last.“

Wow, that’s pretty powerful stuff. How can you state you use NIK filters to bump contrast and boost color, yet show disdain for anyone using third party product plugins, actions, etc…?

Ahhh, so I see the only ones in the industry who are qualified to teach clients what is good and timeless would be Wedding PJ shooters? This is a bit presumptuous, if you ask me… Of course, I have only been shooting professionally for a short time, and I am one of those “dissed” people in following commentary found as I read on…

One photographer comments “Anytime you see what’s been done to the picture before you see the content, that’s when you’ve gone too far. <snip>” Hmmm, does this mean that artistic vision is not allowed? Are we only allowed to capture and process exactly that which we see, with no enhancement?

The article also states the shooters have seen images ruined by over processing. I think the term should really be “improper” processing. Over processing is a relative term, and governed by both photographer and client. I/YOU may consider an image to be over-processed… meanwhile, at Studio XYZ, there is a client paying several thousand dollars for a 20×30 canvas of this same “over-processed/ruined” image to hang above his/her bed/fireplace.

If you hate Picasso, and I stumble across one accidentally placed in an estate sale for the whopping price of 5k, you’ll think I was a fool to buy it; however, a true Picasso fan will envy my great find, and gaze adoringly upon the art. My feet will never touch the ground, and it will be my most prized posession, even when my decor changes from post modern Danish to Cowboy Bunkhouse Chic. We’re back to the beholder’s eye here…

I have to agree with some parts of this article. I was always taught that photojournalism presents images AS-IS. NO cloning, you crop, dodge and make your point via your image. It’s reportage… My personal thought is that PJ style is probably one of the most mis-used terms in wedding photography. I think “Story Book” is a more apt term as it conveys a chronological recording including a touch of whimsy and potential post processing.

I also agree that now days it does seem everyone is a wedding photographer. And, if you are a part-time photographer, such as I, does this mean you are any less serious about the industry? No. I will contend there are people shooting weddings who do not need to be doing so… I will contend there are many out there just to make a buck. I see it all the time. To me, what separates the serious from the not-so-serious is industry involvement. Be serious about your craft, ally your self with professional organizations, learn, set professional goals. Just because you may work in an industry part-time does NOT give you an excuse to be flippant about the trade. Again, just my own .02.

In the end, we are artists. We agree to disagree. We love what we do, we are passionate about our art, and the rules by which we play. My referenced article is proof positive, as is my defense to the contrary of many things stated in that writing.

It’s what makes this crazy world great, it’s what creates a market for trade, and why there will always be plenty of business for the photographers out there… Everyone has an opinion, about life, process, art, beauty, and what is right and wrong.

I think things often look best in B&W because it forces the mind to think about what the eye is seeing… even if there’s a star filter, or overused soft focus, sloppy border, or a condescending opinionated narrow view article about what’s wrong with the industry.

Slideshows

Trying out something here – testing the upload of a slideshow on my blog… I’ve been building slideshows, and this seems to be a really fun way to share via the blog.

With the enormous glut of digital images filling up hard drives of moms, dads, mammaws and pappaws, new parents, soccer dads, pet lovers, vacationers, voyeurs, etc. across the world, people will begin to gravitate towards a medium like slideshow production.

I am not a big fan of video – video, i.e. home movies.  It brings to mind hours watching home movies as a kid.  Ick.  Take that video, and pair it with still imagery – you’ve got a hit.  In the last two weeks, I’ve been subjected to three horrible slideshows in three different venues.  All of them unskilled attempts in PowerPoint, one trying to sync PPT with Windows Media Player providing music.  How unfortunate.  The programs available for slide presentations are growing, and I hear the humming of hard drives as people begin preparing shows of their work for sharing.  Couple this with a catchy tune, and you’ll get someone’s attention for 3-5 minutes.  Really good with music?  You can have their rapt attention longer.. .:OP

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Life is short…

Weekend before last, a gal that I think the world of lost her husband.  He was the type of man we all wish the world was full of – funny, adoring, impish, dedicated to his family… the list goes on and on.  When I learned he was killed, I was devastated.  The loss of such a wonderful person, especially when it often seems this world is already lacking in wonderful people, made me weep.  The thought of my friend losing her husband, they were crazy for one another, still acting like kids after 23 years of marriage, made me crumble and weep bitterly.  I weep for my friend because I cannot even begin to measure her loss.

Like all friends, immediately I offered to do anything.  Just let me know, and I’m there!  Wow, those words sounded so empty and hollow… echoing in my mind, because deep down, I knew the real truth.  There IS nothing you can do – unless you know how to bring back the lost, to take away the pain, your words are empty, your actions are wasted.

Thinking, I offered to make a slideshow for the service.  Because time was short, I received a number of forwarded emails with tiny 72dpi images. God Bless technology! :O)  While the images were tiny, I could upsize them.  It wasn’t amazing in clarity, but no one cared.  The important part was that for about ten minutes, I, and everyone in that church had Roger back amongst us, his smile warming our hearts, his antics making us laugh, the love for his family evident, and the family’s love for him obvious as well.

Today, barely a week later, I suffer the loss of another fine person.  One of the most beautiful women I’ve ever known.  She had this innate ability to calm people down and make them think clearly, the guts to tell you to shut up and mind your manners, point out what you were doing wrong w/o making you angry, make you feel like queen (or king) of the world, and make you laugh till you cry.  She was a rock.   She is also another statistic for Breast Cancer.   Marcia, may you see Roger and keep each other busy with your practical jokes, love of motorcycles, and quick wit.  You will be sorely missed my dear precious friend, the world will not be so bright without your smiling face and heart.

One of my friends is not dealing as well as others.  He is devastated.  He was able to see her the night before she passed, and was upset that he would remember her in her weakened state.  I told him “No, you’ll not do that… because that is not who she was.”  I asked him if he’d like a copy of a photograph I’d taken of her, and he was thrilled  at the prospect.

As I prepare the images, knowing metallic paper will suit this friend, B&W would suit that one, a sepia would be perfect for another.  My talents allow me to be not just a documentarian or recorder, but also a comforter.  In providing for my friends, I gain comfort of my own.

Life really is short, and you really should take every available opportunity to tell all in your life just how important they are, how much you appreciate and love them.