You know, I have been trying to break into the photography cliques and trying to break out of the photography cliches. I love photography. I love art. I want to combine the two and make photography art. I have been attending the Art Institute, first in Pittsburgh, Pa and now Washington D.C. I feel like Pittsburgh is much more advanced in photography skills and specialties than DC. It is the first Art Institute after all. I still have gained a plethora of knowledge from DC. DC is more of a photojournalistic world.
Anyway... I have always liked the more illustrated style and am working on combining that with my photography. Also, I love edgy, dark and glamorous. If you couldn't tell by my photographs recently. I was taking pictures the way I thought the clients wanted me to rather than taking pictures the way I love to and finding the clients that dig it.
Once I asked a fellow photographer how she has become so popular, she told me I just need to find my niche. Well, I knew where it was I just didn't know I could do it. Well, I got my courage up and did my photo shoot that I had been concocting for several months. I posted the pictures to my blog and facebook business page. I lost 2 fans and received some rude comments about how "bad" my work was. Well, I had already made up my mind what I was going to do with my photography, I was not deterred. I did my next few photo shoots and posted them and kept shooting and kept posting. My blog following went up in followers and my facebook business page went up several fans.
I know how to do heavy editing but was taught by photojournalists that told us not to because they didn't like it. Well, it is my art, not theirs and when it comes to art you have to do what makes you happy otherwise stop now. I feel like my skills have increases since I have been enjoying it more. Now my own Dad tells me he just doesn't think I will get clients with these new images. I don't want to hate my job, I chose it after all, so the more I love it the more I will experiment with and the better I will get. I may lose some fans and followers and my work may confuse some people but the people that get it and love it will find me and I will find them.
I have many more ideas for photo shoots that I cannot wait to bring to life. I have to be patient. Money is tight and will be for a while.
Some photographers have put down the "typical" photographer and it makes me sad. I wish that they were more confident in their work and in their own skin to realize that everyone has different talents and niches. Some clients prefer the "typical" photography, some like the edgy different photography. Just be happy for each other. Let's not fight each other but work together. I find it funny when photographers refuse to give friends tips and information for fear that they will copy. Isn't that what we all do? We see art, ads, portraits, etc and are inspired and get ideas from those pieces. I do not copy anyone. I may see something I like and use elements in my work, but I have never tried to recreate that image, I cannot. Nor do I want to. That piece is unique to that artist. Like an artist friend of mine said, sometimes she is asked to draw mickey mouse or snoopy and it makes her sad. She cannot recreate that character nor does she want to. She wants to make her own characters and pieces and have people appreciate those images that are unique to her.
Also, I have heard lifestyle photographers that only do outdoor portraits put down the studio photographer because you just cannot get a genuine smile in a studio. Is that because you perhaps do not know how to do studio lighting? I have found that studio shots can be just as "real" as outdoor portraits. I love to do both. I think their outdoor portraits are beautiful and think they have the talent to be able to do studio as well if they put forth the effort. You can be just as creative in the studio. I just want us to work together harmoniously. hahaha, perhaps that is too much to ask.
Since this is my last quarter in school I had to really sit down and figure out who I was when it comes to my photography. I decided that even though I didn't need it to graduate I was going to take some advertising classes, that has been a big turning point for me. I love graphic design, I love Illustration, I love video, I love photography! I just want to do it all, and why not? Why not?
