The Photographic Industry in Doldrums?

I was recently invited to give a talk on my work and being a professional photographer to a group of first year photography students. I thought it might be worthwhile delving into the business of photography as it often seems to be one of the subjects that is all but avoided by teaching staff at both university and technical colleges alike. Simple enough I thought. We could take a look at pricing work and getting into the industry. The talk itself went fairly well I thought. However, it opened an internal can of worms that have been wriggling around listening to the echo chamber that is the internet. Most notably is the fact that I have been reading a host of negative posts around the profession of photography. So a mini question mark erupted as to my own chosen profession.

(note: reading "The Future of The Profession" which I wrote in January 2013 makes for a good prequel to this post) 

Revisiting the iPad in the field

Several years ago I tried out traveling without my MacBook, opting instead to rely solely on an iPad for image backup and management (Read the article here to refresh). At the time I found the iPad was fairly limited due mainly to the lack of applications that could effectively manage images and the limited space that was available to store the images once on the iPad. A few small things have changed in the intervening years. The iPad has not only gotten lighter, but has grown in storage. Sadly not that much has changed in terms of usable applications. In one large instance, things have gotten worse.

Durban Street Photography

 Street photography is most certainly not my forte. Not by a long shot. In many ways my photography is an extension of my personality and control tends to be something that I need. I don’t like the feeling of being out of control. Street photography has always meant letting go in some ways. There’s a lot less control, particularly to someone who feels unfamiliar in the melee of street photography. Possibly ironically, I feel a lot more comfortable photographing in rural situations, possibly as a result of a background in rural research where I lived in a community in the Caprivi Strip for a while. at any rate, the constant movement and bustle of street photography has always alluded me for a variety of reasons. Most notable of these is the act of approaching a stranger and photographing them.

Those Who Can't, Teach - What BS

I was recently reading an article on the merits of quitting the day job and going ‘all-in’ to freelance photography. The article in question sounded a more negative note than many that float around on the internet. I agree with the caution that the writer recommends. I’ve written before about the realities of working as a professional photographer. However, there was one line, flippantly added, that raised my ire. In the writer’s words: “Those who can’t, teach,” is perhaps more real in photography than any other creative field. I certainly agree that there is a load of bumpkin on the internet regarding photography. It’s the internet after all. It isn’t exactly like there is a panel of peers vetting the quality of information that gets out there. But that one pithy line, taken as a truism by many, also disregards the importance of good teachers.