APA San Francisco brought Emily Shur to the Academy of Art Morgan Auditorium on April 20th of this year.
Recently, Alison from POPFoto did a tremendously thorough Q&A session with Emily regarding many aspects of her art, commercial work and insights into her career.
Grab a cup of coffee or tea and sit back---it's a lengthy and insightful read here.
Emily has a blog, too.
Herbst Theatre – March 21, 2012
“It has always been my philosophy to make art out of the everyday and ordinary” – Sally Mann
Those in town for the SPE conference were in for a special treat with two lectures given by Sally Mann. The first was Wednesday night at Herbst Theatre for the City Arts and Lectures Series, and the second was as the Keynote Speaker for the Society for Photographic Education Conference (SPE.)
Wednesday night’s sold-out event was taken from a series of lectures Mann gave at Harvard for the Massey Lectures in American Civilization in 2011. Her talk focused on her most famous work, The Family, embellished by Mann’s reminiscences of her own and her husband’s family, and the couple’s relationship to their farm near Lexington, Virginia.
Mann began the talk with photographs of herself on her horse as a young girl at her family’s farm, and explained how the relationship with horses has affected everything in her life. From there, the focus shifted to the farm itself, and how the land has influenced the events of her life. When a large flood wiped out the cabin that their family lived in, her father found the huge entry stone washed down the river. Mann’s boyfriend at the time brought a couple of his friends to the farm to help her father move the stone back to the cabin doorway. One of those friends was Larry Mann. When Larry picked up the huge stone and carried it to the doorway on his back, her father’s eyes lit up and her boyfriend said later, that he knew there and then that Sally’s father was eyeing a future husband for his daughter.
From intimate stories about her parents and the death of her in-laws, with all of the grisly details, we are invited into the most personal and heart rending sagas of her life. Sally Mann has no barriers between the private and public. All life is art. She said that she would offer to young photographers the following advice:
“The things that are the closest to you, are the things you can photograph the best."
She took us with her on her journey as a rebellious adolescent at Bennington College, to meeting and marrying Larry Mann, her husband of now 40 years, and her early work as a photographer. When her book of photographs of her children, Immediate Family, was published in 1992 the New York Times said, “Probably no photographer in history has enjoyed such a burst of success in the art world.” Mann told how the money from sales paid for the mortgage on her 400-acre farm, saving it from being parceled off. But with fame came notoriety, and Mann was accused of engaging in child pornography and photographing intimacy that was outside of the understanding of her young children. She then showed photographs and told the background, such as The Candy Cigarette, which shows her daughter “smoking” a cigarette in a suggestive pose. When Mann explains that they were playacting and her younger daughter has her back to us only because it was the easiest way to call out to her brother, the context is revealed as quite different than was castigated in the media.
The Last Time Emmet Modeled Nude was shown in all of its variations before the final picture was chosen, with the perfect light and posture. It is not because he was entering adolescence that he refused to model nude, it was more that he was losing patience as his mother asked him to strike the same pose over and over in the cold river for many days until she got exactly what she was looking for.
What Mann illuminates is the vast disparity between what the public sees and interprets and what is actually happening in the lives of the people the photograph represents. Mann painted the idyllic and golden tinted light of her farm’s influence on her family: the swimming hole, the cliffs near the river, the quiet meals with dishes on the table as the children walked freely, unencumbered by clothing in the hot summer evenings. Not an unusual family scene in the remote countryside in the South. Not pornography.
Whether intentional or not, Mann left her audience hungering for more of her lyrical images. She read from her lecture notes at the podium and left the screen blank between images for as long as five minutes at times. The ghost image of the last photograph stayed on the screen to haunt her words and make us bite our tongues to keep from calling out to her to show us more… One thing Sally Mann does not do is pander to expectations. She always surprises. And stabs you in the heart when you are least expecting it.
- Rudi Dundas
NEARLY $1500 IN PRIZES FOR TOP PLACE WINNERS:HUNDREDS OF POTENTIAL CLIENTS & SUPERB ODDS
Every recent year, more than 1000 people have attended the Opening Night & Holiday Party. This year, we've decided to scale it back a little to make the event a bit more exclusive and less crowded. All of the top Creatives and Photo Art Gallery Curators in our region will receive special invitations, so this is a superb opportunity to show them your finest personal work, and meet with them.
EVENT LOGO PHOTOS: Top Place images from recent Something Personal Exhibitions (l to r) © 2010 Stephen Austin Welch, © 2009 Jim Hughes, © 2007 Erik Almas, © 2008 Danielle Hall, © 2006 Jim Erickson, © 2010 Peter Samuels
Intro by Josh Bobb, Body by Alison McCreery:
Josh Bobb: Do you ever have those conversations that you want to continue, because the content is SO good? As it turns out, that happened with APA SF recently. After holding the Social Getworking event in July, it started quite a buzz. A popular blogger, Alison McCreery, decided to continue that conversation. What you'll find below is a tremendous amount of knowledge and candid insight into the various players in the professional photography market about social media and how it's affecting their business. Whether you were able to make it to the event in person or not, what lies below is a fantastic addition to that conversation, as well as an extra panelist, Jill Hundenski.
Alison McCreery of POPPhoto Blog (Photographers on Photography): The San Francisco APA held a very successful and well-attended event, Social Getworking, on Thursday, July 21st at Dogpatch Studios. The focus was, of course, on how photographers can integrate social networking into a larger marketing plan. The panel was moderated by photographer and APA board member Josh Bobb and led by Miki Johnson, Online branding coach, who opened with a presentation. A panel Q&A followed with Heather Elder of Heather Elder Represents, photographer and blogger Timothy Archibald and Miki Johnson.
Like all good things, I wish it had lasted longer. Lasting for well over two hours, I still left with more questions than I came with and even mentioned to Miki that I thought it could have been a weekend seminar. This is fairly new ground and there is a lot of knowledge and experience to share and perspectives and approaches to consider.
I suggested a Part 2 that would take place online and be disseminated to a wider audience than those who attended the SF event. All agreed and Miki suggested we invite an art buyer to participate. Heather contacted Jill Hundenski, Art Producer at TeamOne, who agreed and Social Getworking: The Missing Panelist was born. I formulated some questions, but handed the reins over to Heather who led the call and used my questions as a starting point for an incredibly interesting and engaged discussion in which Jill, Heather, Timothy and Miki talked candidly about how art buyers are using social media in their discovery and hiring process, the role of the blog, why photographers needs to learn to write well about their work and the increasing importance of the treatment.
Thank you to the SF APA for allowing us to continue the conversation and for publishing it on the APA blog where it will reach the widest audience.
How often are you looking for new photographers and how do you use social media in your search?
Every week, 50% of our job is to find new talent in addition to producing our work. So we’re constantly getting inundated with emails and invites and Linkedin and Facebook requests. Every single day we’re looking at new work.
It’s a combination of all of those. I actually use Linkedin a lot. There is an art buyer and photo editor forum we all contribute to. We talk with each other and give recommendations and find new work and new photographers. We ask each other who we’ve worked with. If you have a good reputation, we all talk with each other. It becomes a small world.
There’s a lot of sharing information. My way is different from Jason’s way and Lisa’s way. But we all like to share information. I’m big on Linkedin and Facebook and they are bigger on Twitter. Everyone operates a little differently but as a whole, we all use the same resources.
Based on what you just said, at what stage do you bring social media into the equation? When you’re researching or presenting to the client?
It’s definitely not later on—it’s early in the process, during the discovery process. Then it’s based on the work, the presentation, their reputation, and their branding. By the end, we will put together a PDF of the images we like and build a portfolio we try to sell to the client.
What do you value or look for in a blog or in Pinterest, Facebook or Twitter. I know it varies for each one of those. What are the most important aspects you look for when you visit these sites?
JH For the most part, consistency in the work is pretty big. We understand a photographer can shoot a lot of different things and the quality can be great. We like to go to a specific photographer for a specific project or style. We like to think “that’s the guy who shoots like this.” If the work is all over the board, it’s more work on our end to narrow down some of their images to sell to our client. So consistency is really big.
I actually also like to look at their personal or fine art work. We look at so much commercial work that we get it. We like to see personal or fine art work to see the creativity of the photographer. We understand they are a really good shooter, but what are they thinking? Or what are they doing on the side? What personal project are they working on? It shows us who they are as a person and some of their personality.
Most importantly is that their site is easy to navigate. If there’s too much flash and I can’t get an idea of what the style is, it becomes frustrating and makes me want to move on. The simpler that it is, the better. This is very important. The point is to get the work across and for us to see it as fast as possible.
I would think that the blogs have been increasingly important for you to see the other side of the photographer. If you’ve seen and like their work, the next step in helping you differentiate would be the blog.
JH Yes, that’s true. The blog shows more personality and what they’re doing on a daily basis and on the side. It gives us more of an understanding of that photographer if we don’t personally know them and is an introduction to who they are.
Would having a great blog sway you in favor of one photographer over the other?
JH It could if the blog were so amazing that I thought it was awesome. But I wouldn’t say it would steer us away from using a photographer whose site we liked very much.
If all things were equal and both photographers had relevant or appropriate work for your project, could a blog sway you if it had really interesting personal work and helped you get to know a photographer better and differently? Could it be a tie-breaker?
JH It definitely would be helpful and a strong point, but not a deal breaker.
Does it affect how you present a photographer’s work to the client?
JH No, because we’re still going to pick out what we want to show to the client. Even if we’re not a fan of the blog or it’s not relevant, if we want to work with that person, we do the filtering process on our end.
So it’s more of a supplemental thing you’ll pull from if it’s relevant or helps you make the case?
JH Exactly.
What about FB and in what circumstance would you respond to a FB ‘friend’ request or ‘like’ a photography fan page or even follow a photographer on Twitter?
JH I don’t really proactively ‘like’ them. For the most part, I will say ‘yes’ because I think ‘the more the merrier.’ I’ll try to accept everyone because I don’t think it will hurt me and only be beneficial. I think I’m very liberal in regards to this. I know other art producers who don’t accept anyone. For me, I’m pretty welcoming.
Are you finding that when photographers post something on FB and it shows up in your newsfeed, that their name recognition is stronger with you because they are out there doing this rather than just sending you postcards, emails and calling you?
JH Probably. Because Facebook is a little more personal than an email promo or even Linkedin which seems more formal.
Are the treatments you are getting reflecting a deeper creative process and is all of this resulting in better work?
JH Yes. 100%. If we find three photographers we like and we’re about to triple bid, the treatment is just the next step. At least here on the last few projects I’ve worked on, the treatment is huge. It’s a combination because it shows us 1) if the photographer wants the job and 2) how much they really want the job. And the more effort they put into it, it shows us they’re excited about it. And we want them to be excited about it because we want to work with someone who is going to be collaborative. It shows how creatively they’re going to conquer the job. It can be a make it or break it. The creatives will agree with one over the other.
Do you request or require treatments or do you leave it up to the photographer? And are photographers submitting treatments when they’re not requested?
JH Yes, and it’s a bonus. We don’t require them on all of our projects. If it’s a bigger production we do require them because we need to know for sure how it’s all going to come to life. It’s circumstantial and not necessarily required for all of our projects.
HE Sometimes we want to do a treatment and there’s not time. Or we want to do a treatment and the photographer is on a shoot. What happens is that he/she tells me what they’re thinking and I shape and write the treatment though I prefer it come from the photographer. They can crank something out very quickly, but it’s not polished or well designed. I’m finding that the treatments are getting more and more designed. I don’t know any way around this except to recognize that the treatment is an important part of the process and build time into the process with your client. Are you noticing a range in the types of treatments you are receiving?
JH If time is an issue, I would explain this to my creative director and tell them that the photographer didn’t have time because he/she is shooting, but this is what he/she is thinking.
I think we can all work together, especially if my art director really wants to work with that photographer. I would like for it to be collaborative as well. I don’t want reps and photographers to think it stops here and we just take the treatment, but that we steer you along. I don’t know how everyone works. I can only speak for myself.
This is kind of a hard one because I definitely understand time is an issue. I’ve definitely gotten treatments that have been done by the producer or assistant because the photographer has been shooting. But presentation is huge, so it’s a hard question.
I would rather know that it’s not 100% because the photographer is shooting instead of them just sending something over and crossing their fingers and I wonder how much effort they put into it.
If a photographer already has a well-produced blog and Tumblr or Pinterest account, would it make it that much easier to turn around and produce a treatment?
TA With Tidepool they like us to do a treatment for every single job. The only link I can see is through the blog. I’m writing many times a week and cohesively express what is sometimes a complex idea and sometimes a straightforward idea. As Heather said, there is a sense of urgency with the treatment.
The blog has helped me sharpen my skills at expressing myself in words and that may have allowed the writing of the treatments to flow out easier. But each treatment is different and I don’t see an overlap myself.
HE We draw from our blog for our treatments. We send our treatments as online links so I refer to blog posts within the treatment. For example, David Martinez wrote a blog post about how much he loved shooting film and had just picked up a film camera for the first time in a long time. A client was looking for someone to shoot film and it was perfect because it lent credibility because he had just written about it. I have packaged up a blog post for clients several times because something that we posted six months ago might be relevant, but if the art buyer or client isn’t looking at past posts, they won’t see it.
Does writing about your photography make you a better photographer?
TA I think it puts you more in touch with what your intentions are and that may lead to you being a better photographer, but it doesn’t necessarily make you a better photographer. It allows you to collect your thoughts and communicate in words. Not all photographers can communicate in words and that’s why they do so well communicating in images.
I think we’re at a point now though where writing a treatment, a blog and on Facebook are necessary and so having good writing skills is more important. In an inadvertent way it makes you a better photographer.
MJ I agree and I talk about this a lot. Before you do anything, you need to come up with a core story. It forces you to write down what you’re doing, why you love it and why you’re doing it. I encourage people to condense this down to about three sentences so you can communicate it to people quickly and easily.
Having a story you tell about yourself rather than a ‘brand’ makes it easier to talk about yourself because it’s more like describing a character in a story rather than just talking about yourself.
Humans are storytelling creatures and being able to identify with that story and who the protagonist is allows people to connect with you on the most basic level. And, as a bonus, the press is always looking for good stories, so it makes it easier for you to talk about what you’re doing in terms of publicity.
If you were evaluating a photographer and they had no social media presence or blog, would it affect your consideration? Or if they weren’t very active?
JH It’s not a dealbreaker, but in this day and age I can’t imagine getting far without them.
HE Is it right to assume you’re not going to judge them that they don’t have it, however the likelihood of you getting to know them without these tools is more difficult?
JH Yes, it’s more difficult.
MJ What is a good versus a bad blog?
JH That’s a hard one. It is subjective. If I don’t like someone’s project on roadkill, but someone else thinks it’s genius, it becomes subjective when it’s in terms of the subject matter. I can say across the board that if it stays stylistically consistent and it’s not all over the place then it helps us to brand the photographer and understand what they’re passionate about shooting and what their interests are and their style is.
I imagine it would vary by job in terms of how relevant their blog is.
JH Yes and it might not even be relevant and that doesn’t necessarily matter. If the style is graphic and they’re showing roadkill to show graphic style, then it would be good. Keeping it consistent across the board so I can package them and put a label on them because I want to know who they are.
Is this the end of the printed portfolio? Or is the portfolio presentation changing to reflect the more complete picture of the photographer that social media can offer?
JH I get this question all the time. I don’t think it’s the end of the printed portfolio. We still appreciate seeing them. I think it’s not going to be as important as it once was. I think the website needs to be the strongest moving forward because we take screen grabs from the photographer’s site that we like and think we can sell to the client and create a PDF from this. So we already don’t need a book to physically take to our client because we’re doing a lot of things electronically, even when presenting to the client.
But there’s something about the quality of a printed book that we appreciate seeing. And I think that we’re always going to need to see it so we’re convinced that the capability is there. However, I don’t think it will become obsolete, but it’s becoming less necessary.
I called in some books recently and one of the photographers no longer had printed books and the rep sent me an iPad. And after we sent it around the agency for awhile, the iPad died and they hadn’t sent a charger. So it’s these things that you don’t consider. And that point we had to go online to look at the work. There are pros and cons to both, but I think the photographer should always have a book. The iPad is a great supplement though, especially for video.
HE I think the power of the printed book is more important than ever because if you’re actually calling in a book that you’ve gotten through so much online viewing that you’re actually considering the photographer. So not only does your book have to be great but it has to be better than the person you’re next to on the table.
A couple people in our group have redone their portfolios to make them more relevant to how you’re viewing photography now. So rather than a huge book of 50 images, it’s more of a collage of specialties. Because you’ve already looked online and you need to see a tighter story that’s presented in a way that is relevant to how you’re looking for photography now.
I’m finding that these are the books that stand out when we do portfolio shows because they’re different. It’s definitely not dead and it’s not used in the same way anymore, but it’s really important to have a great book because if someone wants to see it, it better shine.
JH Sometimes our CD or client wants to see the book. A PDF isn’t enough. So it depends on the job and who is working on it and what their requirements are and what caliber of work they’re looking for. It’s a project-by-project basis.
HE A lot of people are sending you iPads? Isn’t that similar to looking at work online? You probably get to see a greater variety than you see on a website, they can send you more.
JH About 10% of the time we get iPads. And yes, it is similar to looking at work online. And they can send more and we can flip through the different categories easily. It’s set up very simplistically which makes it easier for us. However, at the same time, when we’re calling in a book there’s a reason we’re calling in a book.
What if someone is not comfortable enough with their writing to have a big social media presence?
HE There are so many outlets that you don’t have to do all of them, just the ones you’re most comfortable with. I’ll repeat something Timothy said on the panel that I think rang true with so many photographers because I heard them all repeating it.
If it feels like work, you shouldn’t be doing it. It should come easily and be a natural extension of your creativity.
TA In retrospect that was too simplistic of an answer. I think Heather you made a conscious effort when you launched your blog. It was work and it didn’t just flow out of you. You thought about what you wanted to present on your blog and saw it as an investment in your company.
HE Yes, although I like it. If I didn’t like it, it would be one of those to-do items that would always go to the bottom of the list. And so when I do it and I enjoy it and even though it’s work, I’m still having fun with it.
TA So you’ve found the thing you are suited for in terms of social media.
HE Yes, I enjoy sharing relevant information and my voice on the blog and I’m not afraid to promote it via social media.
MJ What I encourage my clients to do is to start off by thinking about it as work. I give them a background to how to do FB and Twitter and write a blog in a way that is efficient. Through doing that, they’ll usually find one thing that clicks with them that they enjoy. I find that people usually have one thing that they enjoy more than the others.
I think what you were talking about at the APA event is that, if you don’t enjoy it, and it feels like work, you’re doing the wrong thing or trying to do all of them and getting overwhelmed.
MJ Jill, when you’re seeing all these photographers do you ever get the feeling that all he/she does is talk about themselves? Or because you are looking for work, is this not an issue?
JH I actually like what you said, Miki, about the story because it makes the photographer more relatable as opposed to ‘here’s my great work and this is who I just worked for’ and ‘look at me, look at me.’ I understand this is what they have to do, but when it becomes more personal it hits more of a soft spot that makes me want to look more.
HE I can quantify this. When I post photos on my blog along with the story behind those photos, not behind-the-scenes, but what’s the story. Why did Richard shoot the camp girls? Those posts get 20x the hits as regular posts.
JH When we meet with photographers and discuss the story behind their images, whether we ask or they offer, it’s much more powerful than had they just sat there and we flipped through.
HE And that goes along with what you say Miki about how social media is the real world. And to act like you do in the real world and tell your story. Wouldn’t it be great if you had the chance to sit next to Jill and tell her that story. But you don’t have that chance, so let’s put that story out there in case Jill wants to read about it. Especially if it’s a powerful project. You obviously don’t want to do that with every photo that you take.
MJ A quick tip that I tell my clients: It’s fine to share a new project because you’re proud of it, but take a few extra sentences and say why and what you connected with in the story or some funny thing that happened while you were shooting. So it’s not just, here’s this great thing I did, but, here’s this great project I did and this is why it’s important to me.
JH On that note too, that’s why we love seeing the behind-the-scenes. We know it’s really hard to get to the end product. We want to know what happened and the whole process. I love looking at behind-the-scenes videos and photos, the things that went wrong doing it and the crazy production stories because we can all relate to that.
HE Do you have clients who are limiting what you share via social media? They might not want you talking about what you’re doing.
JH
We have to get it all approved through our clients so some times they’re willing to show it and some times not. It’s just what their comfort level is. And for the most part, they want to show it too.
HE Jill, is there anything about social media that is completely annoying and that you’d like to get the word out about? Anything photographers shouldn’t do?
JH
Not necessarily. It’s definitely overwhelming for us too because there are so many avenues and we’re trying to figure out our own system and figure out what works. I like what someone said about finding what avenue works for you. One art buyer might look only at blogs and I might go through Linkedin and someone else may use Twitter. We’re kind of on the same page as you in terms of sorting it out and finding our system. So there’s no right or wrong.
MJ Would there be an appropriate way for a photographer to ask your preferred place to connect online? Is this something they should be asking?
JH They could. I don’t withhold or have secrets. I understand what they are trying to do and don’t get bothered. I definitely get inundated with email promos and if I don’t have time I don’t look. I would never hold it against a photographer for approaching me.
MJ If they’re trying to save you time, then it can only be a good thing.
A big thank you to Jill for all her time and sharing her insights and experience with us and with the industry.
After we let Jill get back to work, a short conversation continued between Timothy, Miki and Heather as a follow-up to a question posed on Heather’s blog about the connection between social media presence and getting work.
TA The one thing we didn’t talk about at the event, and I don’t know if this is quantifiable, was ‘Is this working and are people getting work from this?’
HE The bottom line to anything we do comes down to the work. If the work is good and relevant, it comes down to the relevance and power of your work. And even if you have great work and you use social media and it doesn’t work for you, it doesn’t mean social media doesn’t work. You need someone objective to look at how you’re using it. There’s no if you do it, it will work.
MJ I also think that people think, because it’s online, that it’s more quantifiable than other marketing efforts. To a certain degree, you can tell. But do you really know if your mailers are working?
I think with social media, people think they’ve been doing it for six months and they want to get more jobs. But you’re generally just increasing the number of people who know about your work and how often they see it. And you have to trust that.
TA It is like with all the marketing. At Tidepool we have exhibits, mailings, portfolio shows and you hope you enter the collective consciousness at some point and you hope that you are thought of or hired. This is just one of the many things you have to do.
HE Unless you do something that becomes viral, it’s like Miki said, that it’s just a way of getting your name out there. Jill said earlier that she has stronger name recognition for people whose blogs she follows and whom she’s friends with on Facebook. If that’s going to help when the mailer comes across their desk or when the email comes in asking for a meeting, then it’s very helpful.
TA It’s also free now and it’s a way to get someone to think of you five times a week or a month rather than once every three months.
There are also photographers who are incredibly well known who aren’t financially successful and there are others who are financially successful and whom you might not have ever heard of.
HE That’s what’s so great about our industry. There are no rules and it’s always changing.
Further reading recommended by Miki Johnson:
Stop Selling, Start Connecting The resume is dead, the bio is king What is a brand? “Why” not “What” Press Releases for Bloggers Trust Agents (Trust Economies e-Book)
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Ian is the chief retoucher and sea captain at Gigantic Squid: a creative post-production company with a strong emphasis on client collaboration and storytelling. He has worked with top brands, including Audi, Volkswagen, Sony, Microsoft, and Starbucks.
“If we’ve done our job well, no one will ever know we were there.” The mark of well-done production is that the observer never gets caught up in the visuals and the creation process—they just get involved in the story.
Why Gigantic Squid? You’ll have to ask him, but I bet it makes for an excellent conversation starter when a cashier sees that name on the company credit card.
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STOP GIVING YOUR MONEY AWAY!
Understanding how to put copyright to work for you is crucial to your success as a photographer. Predatory image rights demands and widespread image theft can leave a photographer's business in jeopardy. Don't let this happen to you. Learn what you need to succeed.
Knowledge Is Power
Join Moderator Debra Weiss and an esteemed panel for an informative and entertaining program that will inspire and empower./
Also included is a session by Photographer and APA National Vice President Michael Grecco on the correct way to register your images with the United States Copyright Office.
SAN FRANCISCO © KNOW IT OR BLOW IT THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2011 PANEL DISCUSSION: 2:30 - 5:30 PM © REGISTRATION SESSION: 7:00 - 9:00 PM ACADEMY OF ART, 79 NEW MONTGOMERY, SF FREE ADMISSION (RSVP REQUIRED) OPEN TO ALL
"Currently I'm a member of APA. I served on the board and was a co-president of ASMP/SD years ago. Having planned programs, invited speakers, I can appreciate what it takes to put on an event. The panel discussion was the best I've have ever attended!"
"Thanks for doing the copyright workshop, just successfully registered my first batch and I couldn't have done it without your info. I fully expect to sleep better tonight!"
"I wanted to say how impressed I was with your calm, even-handed, idea-filled talk. Your presentation had a nice pace, was filled with good ideas and you have a lovely open presence – I really enjoyed every moment, and in case nobody’s said anything yet: thank you."
"I've been copyrighting for the past 5 years and didn't think there would be much added value however, I walked away feeling really differently and would highly encourage others to attend."
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Images for Social Change
Rudi Dundas is a photographer focused on social change and environmental issues. She has traveled on horseback into the Tien Shan Mountains in central Asia to photograph wild tulips for Michael Pollan’s film, BOTANY OF DESIRE, as well as to Rwanda and Ethiopia to cover sustainable farming for Peet’s Coffee. She recently returned from West Bengal, shooting drinking water issues for Blue Planet Network.
Rudi has exhibited internationally. She worked at the Gobelins in Paris, and in New York City creating tapestries based upon her photographic images. From 1989-1995, she was co-director and owner of a non-profit gallery in Soho in NYC. A past recipient of fellowships from the NEA and the New York Foundation for the Arts, she currently serves on the board of directors of Artforum magazine. Her presentation will cover the evolution of her photography and the ways in which she creates and funds imagery for social change.
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Erik will have three fine art personal work prints, numbered in a limited edition of ten each, for sale only at the APA SF ERIK ALMAS, EVOLUTION OF AN INTRIGUING STYLE Event for only $50 per print, with all proceeds (90%) going directly to Japan Relief. Preview the signed prints, made especially for the APA, below.
Fine Art for a very worthy cause. Erik has generously donated a signed 20 x 24 print (shown below) to be awarded to one extremely lucky person in the audience. Event Sponsor, Seth Dickerman of Dickerman Prints has also donated his high quality printing services, so 100% of the raffle funds will be donated to Japan Relief.
One free raffle ticket for each paid admission. Additional raffle tickets are just $1 each, 8 tickets for $5, or 20 tickets for $10. Dramatically improve your chances of winning this grand prize by purchasing additional tickets. Must be present to win. The drawing will take place after the intermission.
CATERED SOCIAL HOUR AT 6 PM
By all accounts APA SF’s “Resolve to Connect” event in January was a big hit. Many of the people who attended expressed appreciation for the opportunity to meet others involved in various aspects of our local creative community. Despite the perennial image of photographers as maverick “go-it-aloners” the reality is that teamwork is what really gets things done in this business. Proof of this is on the APA SF blog right now in the form of fresh new work by Keith Seaman and Tom Hood – a direct result of folks they met at Resolve To Connect. Just more examples of how exciting things can happen when people commit to working together.
In this same spirit of collaboration, Christian Peacock and Anthony Lindsey have just taken on the roles of Co-Chairs of APASF. Together with the rest of the Board of Directors, we are looking forward to bringing more great events and currently relevant content to APA Members in the coming months.
With all of our professional lives becoming more integrated with our social lives the idea of teaming up with friends and colleagues to share ideas, offer support and break new ground seems like the path to prosperity for all of us.
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Michael Tompert embodies Tidepool’s founding Mission Statement in all the right ways: The vision that it’s possible for artists to be artists and still thrive in the commercial world.
Which ultimately meant we weren’t anything other than pleasantly surprised when we started seeing the parts and pieces of a very personal labor of 12LVE lve coming out of the Raygun Studio. Pieces that relied on the honed and updated technologies of his medium, which in turn became the contemplative crux of this debut collection—a channeled technique of photography and scanography combined to produce large scale works with microscopic detail.
As this invite headline encourages, you’re invited on March 12th to view the collection, form an opinion…
DIrections to BRIM | WHITESPACE are here
RSVP to 12LVE@tidepoolreps.com and we’ll count you in.
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From ASMP: Join us on March 8th as we present the first program of our new series- Masters of Photography. Acclaimed photographer and filmmaker Terry Heffernan will be our guest speaker. Terry will show samples from his long and distinguished career and talk about his work, our industry, and what drives him in his pursuit of artistic excellence.
Terry Heffernan, the San Francisco-based photographer and film director, is known in the worlds of advertising and design for his exquisite large-format and now medium format digital still-lifes. Over the years, he has created award-winning images for campaigns annual reports, and prestigious publications. As a film director, Terry has produced commercials, with an emphasis on food and automobiles, as well as corporate films. Terry's work has been featured in national design and photography publications, and exhibited in several major museums in the United States.
Major League Baseball from Terry Heffernan on Vimeo.
Date:Tuesday, March 8 7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Social hour: 6:00 p.m.
Cost: FREE to ASMP members $10 non-members
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Here is tangible proof of the success of our San Francisco "Resolve to Connect" event held January 19th.
New to APA SF, member Keith Seaman supplied us with the first photograph from one of the randomly chosen Resolve teams who creatively collaborated on shoots.
It was my first APA SF meeting and I had no idea what to expect.
My business card gets thrown into a hat and the next thing I know I've got a crew and an assignment--a great opportunity for a newcomer!
Crew: Jason Pachura, location scout: Birdman Inc Thea Chalmers, prop stylist Joanna Konarzewski, assistant
Our team developed a common goal that night: shoot something iconic to San Francisco that incorporated architecture and food. My wife and business partner, Jill, suggested that Chef Charles Phan of The Slanted Door Restaurant as the embodiment of all three elements.
We contacted Chef Charles who graciously agreed to participate in our project.
Jason stepped up to be the location scout and producer. His scout photos were voluminous and invaluable to envisioning the shots. His client liaison work ensured the success of the project.
The shoot was a dream. The team worked as though we'd been together for years. We only had an hour to shoot Chef Charles. Everyone schlepped equipment. Thea looked over my shoulder to make sure everything was in its place and gave valuable creative input. Joanna was right at my side doing the perfect assist in a high-pressure environment. Jill and Jason everywhere at once.
We nailed our two photos and were rewarded with an incredible meal at one of the best tables in the house, all courtesy of Chef Charles.
What a great shoot! Thanks to my team, Chef Charles Phan, and all of the wonderful people at The Slanted Door.
APA also helped facilitate the formation of a new production team, led by APA photographer member Tom Hood.
His collaborative team produced an impressive fashion shoot on location.
After being selected to work on a test shoot with an artist from Artist Untied , I was excited to work with some new talent. I had been speaking with Christine Featherstone about doing something at the Fox Theater in Oakland and it was great to have Tamara Brown on board from AU. I called Phillip Gums and pulled 3 wonderful talent from JE Model.
We had wanted to shoot something at the theater that showed the space and related to the design with a mix of older and modern clothing yet showed the subjects' ambivalence to the surroundings. As in the past, I didn't want to shoot on the stage, or as if the models were in the audience, it was almost as if this was some space they were just passing through.
Christine was able to pull clothing locally and come up with some great wardrobe. Tamara's vision was apparent when she showed me books of images that she had pulled for inspiration. She went to work and gave our female model a whole new look with curls and extensions.
We didn't have a great deal of time to work in the theater, but we did have a tremendous amount of access. Everyone was swift and willing to perform for the shots. Andrew Fornasier was on hand to help me manage my files and work with the lighting.
I'm looking forward to working with Tamara, Christine and Andrew again soon!
Anne Hamersky photographs people who shape the social and cultural landscape of our times, showing us how they look, what they do, and the way they influence our world.
Anne will showcase photography from Farm Together Now: A Portrait of People, Places, and Ideas for a New Food Movement (by Amy Franceschini and Daniel Tucker, Chronicle Books). A survey of twenty diverse farms around the country, Michael Pollan selected it as his favorite food book of 2010.
Anne’s clients include Clif Bar & Company, American Express, and Earthbound Farm, as well as Time, LIFE, and National Geographic Traveler. She has exhibited at Soros Foundation, Civil Rights Institute, and the Oakland Museum, and her public art projects have been supported by the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, The Creative Work Fund, and SF Art Commission. Anne’s other books include Expectations, Food to Live by, and Inside Catholicism. Check out her work at www.annehamersky.com.
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Come and hear Christian discuss how photography has influenced and shaped his life and everyone else’s who has ever taken a photograph. From baby’s first steps, chance snap shots on vacation to memories of loved ones Christian will show samples of his images that will resonate with fellow photographers.
(Please note: this is an APPLE event, not an APA SF/APPLE event)
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Register HERE
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Interviewed by Stephen Best, APA National CEO
Selina Maitreya sat down with us to chat about her latest project, a 5 Day Video Course Building the Ideal Professional Photography Business. It’s a free program but requires registration. It is also a lead-in to her next big project, Clarion Call 2011. Read on for full details and to learn how to register.
Selina, the success of The View From Here MP3 program was great to see. With you allowing APA to be an outlet for sales of that program and with a substantial discount to APA members, it was obvious to APA that your insight on content, media and marketing is leading edge.
Now you have developed a new offering with a free 5-day video course called Building the Ideal Professional Photography Business. Please tell us what inspired you to develop this program.
I am keenly aware of how the world is struggling economically and the impact that our industry is experiencing. I was the first consultant in the country, and I’ve been dedicated to educating photographers for over 30 years and I’m a deeply spiritual person who is dedicated to service. I wanted to be of help to our industry, so I’ve created a series of efforts that would be of service to photographers.
My Mp3 “The View From Here” was the first product I created. It is 9 hours of solid practical business information on developing vision and selling and marketing commercial photography. It’s priced at $99.00. It’s sold very well throughout the world and I’ve received numerous emails from photographers thanking me for the information.
I was surprised to see how well the information was received globally and it inspired me to create more information tools that could be distributed worldwide for very little cost or for free.
The 5-day video was developed to help Creatives understand the areas that all photographers need to put their attention on in order to succeed in the world of commerce.
It’s meant to be a place for them to learn how to begin their process. Even if they’ve been shooting for years they may not know that there is a process for visual and business growth. Many photographers’ still feel that their business will simply evolve around them and that’s just not the case in today’s world.
As you say, photographers are creative people and many feel their talent is what will lead to their success. When I was starting out as a photographer I felt that way. I quickly learned that talent isn’t enough. “How does Building the Ideal Professional Photography Business” address talent isn’t enough?
The information is distributed sequentially. Each day I cover one of the steps that photographers need to take in order to proactively develop their business. Proactively means “showing up”. Instead of just choosing images, putting up a website, sending out a few mailers and hoping the phone will ring many photographers today know that they need to market more assertively, but many are still not meeting buyers at the “vision point”, and others don’t understand how deep and varied their efforts need to be. Buyer’s today assign work looking for a type of photography and a specific visual approach that’s needed for the project. But most photographers have yet to do the work to understand what their own visual approach is, choose the markets that can use their style and then showcase their specific talent via their sales and marketing tools. That’s what the 5-day program is all about,
It’s a solid, easy, introduction to the steps that a creative commercial shooter needs to take in order to proactively develop a business on their terms.
I’ve heard you speak before and was very impressed by your emphasis on a “body of work.” How does one go about defining a body of work and is it possible to have more than one body of work to address different styles or subject matter?
Years ago a photographer’s portfolio was a collection of images. Different topic subjects, or a variety of visual approaches to one topic was common. In the editing process we focused on color, light, subject matter as pagination tools to nicely put it all together in a portfolio that worked.
The world has gotten much more sophisticated. Buyers who once hired one photographer for a variety of types of assignments rarely exist. With the onset of excellent stock images and the concept of “branding” eagerly embraced by corporations, the day of the generalist shooter is long gone. Clients now expect to see a defined approach to a topic and need to see a deep collection of images representing the approach in order for trust to be experienced. Trust in a shooter being able to deliver is what’s needed, and is found in a deep body of work that’s developed around a specific visual approach to a topic of the photographer’s choice.
A photographer can “create” several bodies of work but will that talent have the time, energy and funds to market each individually? I think not.
A commitment is needed and that commitment is actually talent wise, a great opportunity. Photographers are artists first, and in focusing on a specific area to develop, they truly get to master their approach. I believe that the needs of today’s buyers encourage photographers to examine their talent and to work hard to develop their visual skills. I’m not talking technical, but a respect for personal vision and dedication to developing, as an artist is what buyers are asking from photographers. That’s fabulous!
So many photographers today have incredible websites and electronic portfolios. Many APA sponsors offer on-line web and portfolio services which APA is grateful for but how important is the old, traditional portfolio that is taken around to potential clients and for that matter, how important is it to get face-to-face with clients?
With due respect Steve; I would not agree that many photographers have fabulous websites. The majority of sites I see have poor design and/or are still crammed with way too many images that cloud the visual message. Yes there are inexpensive opportunities for photographers to have web sites designed making them feasible for photographers to easily buy into, however photographers in general are still not developing web sites in a manner that enables them to be impactful marketing tools. On to your questionJ
In person visits (which you are referring too) were dropped by many photographers when websites came about. I went around the country pleading with photographers to not lose sight of the fact that an in person visit serves a completely different and important purpose than does a website. But many photo folks chose to not go on appointments and I believe that’s a huge mistake.
Photographers ask me every day “How do I get beyond the email/direct mail trap? How do I get to reach my client? I feel so isolated.” The answer is simple. Get face time.
Going on appointments requires time, effort and commitment. Photographers who choose to accept the responsibility to “sell” and not just to “market” see the rewards. Every photographer who I know who is successful (and there are still shooters doing well) has a strong, in person plan in place.
Based on that answer, personal contact is still very important so what does that combine with that leads to increased sales?
In person visits, strong web/portal presence and an out reach program that uses direct and visual email sent to selected contacts in a broad region, and effective use of social networking are the components in “the mix” I suggest to my clients. How each component is utilized is determined client by client. All photographers need to have a defined vision and then 3-4 markets to market and sell to and 4-6 sales trails consistently working.
Building the Ideal Professional Photography Business is a video series that is delivered to you via email, another unique delivery system for this program. Innovation seems to be part of your whole concept, for yourself and your clients. What else is “coming soon to a theater near you?”
The video tutorial is being delivered through a web link, email and marketed through many sources. I follow my own advice. I want to grow my business and I see the opportunity to reach photographers online as well as in person. I’m 55, I’ve been in our industry for 30 years, my business is still rocking and my information is as relevant as it’s always been. My commitment to serving photographers as an educator is deeper then ever. I want to be the poster child for my generation, embracing technology and using it to spread my message. Its not been easy for me.
Any one who knows me personally gets that I’m not a natural techy! I’ve been working hard learning the various programs and am now loving the process and most importantly, I am excited about being able to help so many.
My next BIG, HUGE offering is a 2 day, 14 hour, worldwide telesummit for commercial photographers. CLARION CALL 2011 will be a totally FREE as it happens opportunity in February for shooters to hear from 14 top experts about developing vision, and selling and marketing photography. Mp3 Downloads and PDF transcripts of the program will be available for purchase but attending is FREE.
Clarion Call 2011, if anything like what you’ve been doing, promises to be an exciting event full of knowledge. We’ll be looking for more on that soon.
Thanks Selina. It’s always great to speak with you and APA is always grateful for your willingness to share your insight and knowledge.
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On January 19th APA SF will be hosting "Resolve to Connect" at Dogpatch studios from 6:00-9:00 p.m. This is a rare national APA event, when all over the country, similar parties will be taking place. The goal is to bring together everyone in the industry for a chance to meet, renew old acquaintances and kick off 2011 with some great creative energy. We have invited photographers, assistants, producers, stylists, digital techs, retouchers, actors, models and casting agents.
As anyone who has participated in a photo shoot with a team of people knows there can be a creative synergy that develops when everyone is collaborating and on the same page. It's a fantastic feeling, working together as a team to create something new and different. This event should help you build a bigger network of fellow collaborators, and get you ready for your next gig.
The APA board and Teri Cundall of Propville will create interesting opportunities for getting people to mingle and meet new people. So please bring plenty of business cards and at least two printed samples of something you helped create. One printed sample will be push-pinned to a display wall, and the other you hold onto, so people will say, "Hey - you did that? I love that, let’s chat!"
We are hoping for you to leave this event with new contacts and a team of people ready to create an interesting photograph. We’ll be asking you to share the results of these collaborations with the APA blog, where we will showcase the photos and stories of how you pulled the shoot off. Who knows, maybe your Something Personal entry for next year will begin with meeting the right collaborators at this party?
We look forward to seeing you at the event.
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APA SF is the San Francisco Chapter of American Photographic Artists, a national professional organization representing the best photographers in America.
