Fifer Photography Blog

putting your right foot forward

Everyone has heard the term ‘Any publicity is good publicity’. In some cases this may be true, but in photography, it is a fine line that can have drastic results.

THE NITCH
Being a photographer often means finding a certain type and focusing your efforts to this one style. You have spent years honing your craft and then in one small instant, it can all fade away faster than tide pullback before a tsunami.

This can’t be more true than with family and children photography.

BE CAREFUL
If you are advertising family and children’s portraits and then fill your portfolio/website with scantily clad fashion models, most level-headed parents would wonder if you are going to photograph their kids in the same manner/feel the models were shot in… and most likely move on to another photographer. Parents often network, so news can quickly spread around the neighborhood… good or bad. As a photographer, you don’t want to be on the latter end of that news. Getting a bad reputation (if even perceived) from parents can be a career-ending proposition for some one that has chosen to specialize in that kind of photography.

These are some simple rules I follow for photographing children.

• Never, ever photograph a child unless their parent has specifically asked you to do so, or they are a part of public display (such as a parade).
• Always (without exception) have the parents present when doing a shoot, either in the studio or on location.
• Never touch a child. If they need reposing or some other kind of attention, get their parents to do the task for you.
• Always engage the parents. Don’t just start shooting the child and emerge minutes later. Talk to them throughout the process. Let them see some of the images you are taking and let them know you are open to suggestions.

By following these guidelines (and even coming up with a few of your own), you will gain the trust of the parents. They will spread the (good) word to other parents and pretty soon, you will have them asking you to take photos of their children.

This may be one of the very few times I deviate from my usual blog entries about camera related ’stuffs’, but if anything deserves being deviated to, this is it…

As you can see from the image above, we are no longer in Kansas. No talking about Nikon vs. Canon, f-stops, how to light your subject, etc…. No, I am going to talk about talent. More so, how society pre-judges people to assess talent based solely on looks. How your age is a determining factor of the worthiness of your contribution.

Shows like American Idol (man, it even hurts to type that name) have always been lower on my list of to-do’s than running a cheese grater between my toes. The last couple of days, I have seen floating on CNN a story about a woman on the show Britain’s Got Talent. Up until a couple of days ago, I blissfully ignored the story.

Then, I clicked on that story. What I found was astounding and saddening at the same time. A Scottish woman named Susan Boyle; 47 years old got up on stage and embarrassed hundreds, if not thousands of people by proving it is not what is on the outside that counts, but the inside.

As I sat there listening to her amazing voice, I couldn’t help but think of her 47 years of life. Of how people/society didn’t give this woman a second look, because she was not “beautiful”. As if beautiful can sing, or take a good photograph. And not just regarding her singing talent. What about the other aspects of her life? 47 yeas old and she has not had a kiss (something that usually happens in your teens). How many times had she been teased as a youngster? How long did it take before she started believing what she was hearing in those muffled whispers? How long would she have stayed hidden, burdened by societies cruelty? By the grace of God, somebody convinced her she was worthy… and the rest of the world benefited from it.

We can all learn from this. Don’t be so quick to judge others abilities based on their looks or their age. You could be slighting a Susan Boyle. Most importantly, don’t listen to others opinions on what you can or can’t do. Don’t ever let someone else define your happiness. You and you alone know in your heart what you enjoy and are capable of.

I now know there is a reason for why shows like American Idol (shit… I can’t get away from that name!) or Britain’s Got Talent are on the air.. For without them, the world may have never found out about Susan. I have the highest hopes that she will finally realize her dream of singing professionally and start to unwind the many injustices she has had to bare in her life…. And that many can find inspiration from Ms. Boyle and break free of their chains. God speed, Susan Boyle… God speed.

The image above was not taken through some massive telescope, nor is it an image of some tiny world that only exists on a microscopic slide. It is an every day occurrence. It stares many Americans right in the face each day and we do not see it.

Blinders
Most people are more than happy to go through each day, only looking at the big picture. Not taking time to relish the small things, the whole picture. We as photographers, if we already don’t posses it, must cultivate our way of thinking and to see detail where there seems to be none. To make a photograph out of nothing. More often than not, we try and cram in as much information as we can onto that little sensor, or piece of celluloid. We have the room, why not use it? Hell yeah! Unfortunately, this is the attitude many amateur (and pros) adopt. Their images tend to look like what Mary Beth took at the beach last weekend. No inspiration, emotion.

Small or Large?
Try and embrace the simple. Focus on one aspect of a subject, instead of the whole. Does this mean you should throw away all of your lenses, but the macros (if you do, throw them my way)? No. Inspiration and emotion are not things that are exclusively found in close ups. Try and isolate larger objects, so they are not crowded by other elements.

Another Perspective
A piece of advice that has always stuck with me goes something like this… “People see a rose looking down on it every day. Show the viewer a different perspective of the flower, so it will look fresh to them. Like they are looking at the flower for the first time.” Shoot it at ground level, shoot it from underneath. The key is to look (and photograph) at things in a different way than most. Start doing this one simple thing and your photos will stand out from the rest.

Become Inspired
Look at different things for inspiration. Read a book. Take a walk through the park and take in how kids abandon themselves in the moment. Listen to a speaker, other than a photographer and embrace their passion for the craft they choose. Inspiration can come in many forms and places.

Oh, yeah. The photo above? It is a shot of mist/water droplets on my windsheild as the car was going through the wash. Happy shooting!