nickonkenShoptalk

The Vision Board

I'm just settling into the new office in NY, and now I have a bit more space. We created a vision wall of corkboard. (harder to mount on a wall that you even think but with Jeff Holt's help, we got it done). As I was going through my bin of tears I've pulled over the last couple years, it got me to thinking about what I was pulling, which became a great exercise.

I think this is good for every photographer to do. It really helps you discover WHAT you like to shoot. I sifted through the tears, and pulled the ones where I would loved to have shot it. This is a good indicator of what you should be shooting your tests to be, and once you start shooting you'll develop your own style which is something that takes a few years of constant shooting to find. It's a great way to hone your vision. You are what you shoot, so go and shoot it!

Balloons in the Desert, 50mph winds, and a friendly reminder.

Adding this to the pot of creative theory reminders that problem solving is what this job is all about. I love to shoot my own work as much and as often as I can, (ABS Theory). It keeps you sharp and Expands Your Default. I pulled some friends together and drove to the desert for a little spontaneous personal shoot. Sometimes you get into situations where things go wrong, unforeseen things happen, important parts of the crew are late, etc. Our job is to solve those problems and make something great despite the circumstances. This time Mother Nature threw a little twist into our little shoot. My concept was involved 300 balloons, and that didn't exactly happen. We got there and the winds were so strong it was ripping the balloons off the ribbon. So we still made it work for despite the Mother Nature's blessing of insane winds. A little more to add to the subconscious default.

See the full images story here:
http://www.nickonken.com/Stories/AndreeaAtTheMojaveSaltFlats/

 

Good art comes down to refined taste, so keep refining.

This is a topic I've been thinking about recently. Refining your vision and style comes down to refining your tastes, because all the little split decisions that you make when creating a piece of art, especially photography. Since photography is more instant as to what you are putting into the picture those artistic tastes come down to decisions of the moment. Does this piece of clothing work? What color should it be? Does this light work right for the concept? Is this highlight too bright? Does this prop fit the scenario? Does it look good on film? Does this camera angle capture enough of the background? Does this dark treeline work for the background? Does this pose look right? Is the hair just where it needs to be? Is the make up right? All these decisions are just a fraction that go into your artistic one click creation.

So many of these decisions are decided based on taste. What you like and what you don't like. The more you shoot the more you realize. What works, and what doesn't. What things do you like? As you grow as an artist, your tastes become refined and you soon realize that your earlier tastes might have been a bit more amateur than you thought. Seeing at a higher level means refining what you see, what you envision, then making those split decisions that create your refined vision. You can only develop your and refine your tastes by going through the artist journey yourself. As much as someone can teach you, practicing your craft for yourself is the only way you can develop your artistic eye.

I say all this because as I reflect on the years of growth I've experienced it's come down to this: Refining my taste in the details. A great way to start seeing those details is to flip through magazines and break down images that you like. What makes it a good photograph? Why do you like it? What elements of the photograph do you like? What do you not like? This is a start to the process, but applying them to shooting is a whole different ball game. This all falls into my previous post of Expanding Your Default. Who ever said this was easy?

Keep Refining! Money can't buy good taste.

Focus

It's interesting the conversations that I get into revolving around photography. Something I've thought about lately that has been reoccurring is the idea of focusing, and I'm not talking about the camera's focus. I'm talking about focusing on one business to become successful at that. Creating a successful business that one can live a sufficient lifestyle on takes a lot of time. In my post about the 10,000 rule, we talked about how it roughly takes 10,000 hours to start to hit your tipping point in what you are practicing. Now, getting more specific, of those 10,000, where are they being focused?

There are many different genres of photography such as commercial advertising, editorial, fashion, model testing, journalism, weddings/portraits, etc. If you want to have a successful business then you must focus on one of them. If we're talking 10,000 hours to hit your tipping point, think about how long it will take you if you are splitting your time. Not only splitting your time between another job, a spouse, a family, etc. but splitting your concentration between different genres of photography. I talked about transitions, passions, and sacrifices in just getting into photography and this goes even deeper.

There are so many day to day business things to do that pertain to each business, from developing your work within that specific genre, to marketing, building a network, building your name, crafting a solid business structure, accounting, PR, etc. that one won't have the time to run more than one business. Something is always going to be sacrificed. Developing a business to it's full scale requires your full attention.

Lets take my story for example. My goal has always been to shoot lifestyle advertising work, and that goal developed after a year or so of shooting to figure out what I wanted to ultimately do. During my beginnings, I started shot a few weddings, a few model tests, and whatever I could to make money clicking a camera, while developing my lifestyle work. By focusing on advertising, I never had the time to put my full attention into any of the other genres and make them successful. I was just taking what came in the door, and eventually I had to leave them behind. Sometimes you have to juggle smaller things to pay the bills while you're running for your vision.

My point: Focus your time(10,000 hours) specifically in developing your work and business for one genre to be more successful.

A Few Words on Casting

Casting plays such an important part in the final quality of your images. Good casting doesn't always mean hotter models(except in fashion), but the right models for the desired outcome. In lifestyle, more beautiful models will take your work to a higher caliber, if you're shooting lifestyle advertising. If you are shooting advertising with real people, then real people with a unique look will make your pictures more successful. If you're shooting stock everyday good looking people sell very well, and don't have to be agency models. (agency models definitely help, but aren't necessary) In the general sense, using the right models for the genre that you're shooting is key.

I wanted to touch on the following point, because I see this all the time. The most common mistake that I see in a lot of "young" (by young, I mean early stages of the photographic journey) shooting fashion is the quality of models they are using. I see so much work that is wannabe fashion, and the biggest reason(not always the only) it feels like it's "wannabe" is because the models are NOT fashion models. The lighting, the poses, etc, may be there, but if the model is not a fashion model, it kills the whole image. This may sound harsh, but it's the name of the game, and if you really want to play, you have to get real fashion/editorial models. These models aren't going to exist anywhere in the US besides New York and LA, and mostly they'll be in NY. NY is the top of the game in fashion, therefore they have the best models.

It's all about using the right type of model for the particular image you are going for. There is always a fine line. Think about the way movies are casted. It takes a lot to find the right cast for a film. Same thing happens when you're casting for a still photo, except even more weight is riding on the right look.

Expanding your Default

Through a recent conversation with my new friend Aurelia, a few thoughts came through my head that is in correlation with ABS theory, and Testing, thus creating this post.

Your "Default" is what you shoot, what you default to when you're under the pressure to perform. It's your natural "go to" when you're in the moment, and maybe things aren't going completely right, or things you were expecting didn't come through. Your default is your muscle memory, and the result of how you've conditioned yourself to the maximum capacity of your creative capabilities. This default is WHAT you show in your portfolio. I've heard it said many times, you are only as good as your WORST image. Your portfolio is who you are in the game of photography. It shows what you shoot, how you shoot it, and how good you are while you're shooting. When Art Buyers, Art Directors, and Photo Editors look at your book, they can see everything about you. They see the production value of your work, the elements you choose which conveys your tastes, they see how you direct and interact with your subjects, etc. They can read everything by looking at the images in your book.

The more you are shooting (ABS theory) and pushing yourself on your own time, the more you are expanding your creative default. The more you expand your capability to see while you're in the moment. SEEING is what photography is all about. I am constantly pushing myself to see more, and that seeing more comes through starting in the production stages. How can I choose better elements to infuse into my images? Locations? Props? Models? Styling? How can I refine my taste to convey a better quality image?

Expanding your default can also translate into the realm of WHAT you shoot while still living under your creative vision and style. That is something that I am working on in my own vision. How can I diversify the content of what I'm shooting, or the style of lighting, while staying under the umbrella of MY style? How am I pushing myself to see better and more unique compositions, and better direct my subjects to add to my default? These are all things that become innate and subconscious. It's like exercising your muscle memory to better help you problem solve and perform under the pressure of a real job without having to stress about them.

This is why art is a process, a process of learning to see. That's why as much as we look through magazines and think "oh I could have shot that", more than likely unless our portfolios contain that level of imagery that we are "think we could have shot", we can't. I remember so many times thinking that over the last few years, and now looking back I laugh because at that stage in my creative potential/default there's no way I could have. In the same respect I look at certain images now and think the same thing, but in reality until I actually do it, I'm not there yet.

All this said, what are you doing to push your creative capabilities and expand your default?

ABS Theory.

ABS: in my book is Always Be Shooting(Not, Anti-lock Brake System). I think this is highly important in any creative business, especially photography. Honing your craft takes time, as it is a process and a journey. The more you shoot, the more you develop your skills. I think it's a good idea to always be shooting your own work. My theory in this relativity is that if you are always shooting for yourself you will always be progressing. I learn new things every time I shoot. I'm not talking about shooting just for the sake of shooting, but if you are always pushing yourself, pushing your boundaries, creativity, lighting techniques, etc., you are growing, and that is what this business is all about. All in All, if you're shooting for yourself, every time you click the button you are expanding your eye, and photographic instincts. By shooting more, you also begin to discover what it is you really love to shoot, along with developing more of a Vision and Style. Vision and Style are the most important elements, and if you're always shooting, you're always refining those them. Photography is all about your "Eye" and what you see.

Shooting for yourself can be whatever you want it to be, and that's the beauty of this business. I feel like this career is a bit of a choose your own adventure book. In reality, you're going to get hired for what you show in your portfolio in both style and content. If you want to shoot a certain type of work you need to show that you can do that, but better yet how can you do it differently than everyone else? The best way to go about it is to shoot it for yourself and put it in your book. The idea is to focus on what you love to shoot and build a business around that.

For me, it took me a few years to really figure out what aspect of photography I loved, and I'm still discovering new things, but I've focused my passions within photography to travel, lifestyle, a bit of lifestyle fashion, and a bit of a new endeavor: editorial/celebrity portraiture. Over the last couple years, I've really began to push my capabilities within each category by testing. "Testing" is what we call setting up and shooting for your portfolio. They can be simple, and they can be involved. Depend on what you shoot/want to shoot. Over the last year, my tests have become more production elaborate, involving Hair, Makeup, Styling, Models, Locations, etc. (More to come on testing) Creating higher production value images is what is needed in the realm of Advertising and Editorial photography. Now my tests are less frequent, but more involved, but I'm always planning the next one.

The goal is to always be shooting whether you're doing paid jobs or not. Developing your eye, and capabilities only comes from doing it constantly. On top of that, it fills that creative desire that you may not always get by shooting the paid jobs. Eventually the two will converge if you market what you love to shoot and people hire you for that.

Making Better Images

PDN just published a great little article on "PDN's 30 Alumni: On Lessons Learned" Give it a read.

One of the most common threads through the photographers who were in the article was that they keep shooting. Striving to make better images and shoot personal work keeps you fresh and helps you hone your vision.  So many times photographers get so caught up in well... making a living(that's not a bad thing). Shooting only paid assignment work is what we all need to do, but if it's the only thing we are doing, our creative vision will suffer. Making time to shoot personal work is the key, and most of the time we have to make that time for our lazy selves.

I've always lived upon this theory. I love to shoot regardless of whether or not I'm getting paid. As long as it's pushing me to hone my creative vision, explore, or learn. We need to push ourselves to expand our capabilities and develop our style. Granted, I can always be shooting more.

Happy Shooting!

The Salton Sea- Shooting out of the norm...

Last week some fellow photographers(fredegan.com, sarafrance.com, shyla, michaelnorwood, and kylebarnes)  and I went to the Salton Sea, which is the aftermath of a man-made environmental disaster about an hour south of Palm Springs, California. It's a very bizarre place. Deserted and silently eerie. It was hotter than I could ever imagine. 105 degrees in the desert. Even my fingers were sweating. Learn more on the Salton Sea...

It was an interesting trip for me, because it was a push to shoot more art driven work without people. So much of the work that I've gotten used to shooting is all people driven. It's always good to break out of the norm and shoot something different. Push yourself and your eye. It's good for your creative genes.

Click this link to see my Salton Sea photo story.

The Me-Too Syndrome

I just started reading a book called Chasing Cool, which was recommended to me by Todd over at Accidental Creative. The premise of the book talks about becoming the iPod of your industry: creating cool. So many companies, I won't name any names.. ahem.. Microsoft (cough cough) have the Me-Too syndrome.

"The moment a company focuses too heavily on what's going on around it is when its products become Me-Too. That's why great design can't have anything to do with trend." - Chasing Cool

It's a push to be innovative, because sometimes creating something innovative and above the status quo takes years, which lasts longer than a trend. Being innovative means thinking different, and being your own unique self. In other words, stick true to your style. Magnify your uniqueness. Apple's Think Different campaign is a genius campaign and an inspiration for everyone, especially artists.

I think that Me-Too Syndrome can come upon us artists especially at the beginning of our journeys. Todd at Accidental Creative breaks down the process of creativity, and one of the stages that we go through is Imitation. Where we imitate a particular artist or style that we like. Don't fear, it's a perfectly normal part of the process, and once you move past the stage, you put your own twists and style to work. In other words it's part of the development stage of creating your own unique style.

Parlay that into photography, don't strive to copy what's out there in the end. (as I've often found myself doing in the development process) Be innovative and Think Different.

Also, watch this archive one minute video of Apple's Think Different campaign from many years ago.