how to work as a fine art photographer and still be a gun for hire

Edward Steichen

The debate between the most noble use of the camera has been raging since photography first started. The  photographers of the post world war including: Eugenie Smith, Robert Capa and George Rodgers cast a compassionate eye on major historical events. Public opinion in America was more easily influenced by the still image in a magazine, without the benefit of television or the Internet supplying instant pictures. Our capacity to be amazed by and have faith in the images we see, has changed forever,  we are now more aware of post-production techniques and mass media manipulation. There are a wide range of photographers including Martin Parr, who have let their most prominent works be used for advertising the most banal products. Students of photography are taught early on that images can have dual meaning and that subject matter (what the picture is about not of) can be used in various forms has long been accepted. The rivalry between the two camps is astounding and feels very childlike in origin. Alfred Stieglitz chastised Edward Steichen for 'prostituting his art' by shooting commercial work which is demeaning to the ground breaking work that Steichen produced for Conde Naste. Working as an assistant in London during the early nineties for a range of photographers from still-life to fashion the sniping continued, although I did feel that some of this was 'tongue in cheek.' Still-life photographers often criticised fashion photographers for their lack of technical ability and felt that the use of colour negative  'proved beyond doubt' they could not expose film properly.

Nick Knight

Nick (we are so not worthy) Knight is a technical master and to suggest that he uses colour negative to compensate for dodgy exposures is laughable. Weather  you are being paid a lot of money to produce advertising images or you have fifteen minutes in a hotel bedroom to photograph a Hollywood star this requires very different skills and an ability to work under enormous pressure. Contrast this to images created from imagination that may take many months to plan and execute. The reality is that neither is easy and they are both equally challenging for different reasons. We are all part of the same family and while it maybe good fun to sneer at others (in a professional way) it is neither accurate or valid. Let us move on from professional snobbery.

One In Ten

Welcome to the latest blog.

Walter Fogel     
Last years winner in the motion Category 

Photography competitions are a great way to put your name out there, win some cash and get work exhibited. There are many to choose from and I entered one already and now entering my second.  The Renaissance Photography competition raises money for the Lavender Trust and all the funds raised go to support breast cancer. Art therapy and photo-therapy are established  ways to express how we feel about a topic without having to use words. Naturally you do not need to make your pictures a visual message about breast cancer but if you know someone who has ever found a lump or if you have lost someone through this disease then it is a good reason to enter. With one In ten women experiencing the illness it is quite likely that you will know someone. Using your creativity to support a cause that has maybe touched your life is a noble thing to do. I find there is always something to learn by entering any competition. It could be a simple technical lesson like the correct dimensions for the images, meeting a deadline or attention to detail when reading the rules of the competition.

Nick Knight

The legendary fashion photographer Nick Knight has made some sensitive and moving portraits of women who have had a mastectomy. Please click on the link and have a look at this seminal work.

"Photography helps people to see" Bernice Abbott

what a kerfuffle about sexualizing children

Mary Ellen Mark

Last week my students chose a well-known photograph and then critiqued it for a few minutes in front of the class, the group asked questions about the student's response followed by a brief discussion.  This picture caused my learners to feel a sense of moral outrage and created a sense of unity in purpose by condemning the Mother for allowing such an image. I reminded the class that images are often factual but never truthful so was it possible that Mary Ellen Mark somehow convinced the Mother to put the girl in make up and get her to smoke a cigarette for aesthetic purposes. I suggested to one learner, who has a daughter albeit younger than the one shown here, that in a few years she should allow me to photograph her daughter in this way. I thought there was about to be another riot in London! They did not think it was likely that the photographer orchestrated the look and felt the image was genuine in this respect. Now I do like to take the alternative point of view because moral outrage binds a group together and builds a team spirit within the class. The learners are a mixture of ages but the majority fall into the 16-19-age bracket and I was delighted by the unifying affect of the photograph.

It is a sign of maturity to admit that you have made a mistake, or at least my parents always told me this.  They must be very proud at the extent of my maturity this week. One of the learners, during a presentation of a photograph mentioned that there had been a 'kerfuffle' during the time that the image was taken. I was shocked! I work hard to improve their vocabulary and was mortified that all my good work appeared to be unraveling with this disregard for the Queen's English. 'Kerfuffle' was not a real word and by that definition I mean it needs to be in a dictionary. After a good natured and useful exchange of opinions we checked it online. I had humble pie with my tea during the break......

Nick Knight.

On Saturday I was filled with a mixture of emotions and tried hard not be tearful.  The cause of this was witnessing Nick Knight's beautiful and sensitive images of women who had a mastectomy. My Mother  had the same operation in the early 1980's and it created a surge of emotions as truly great photography can often do.