Looks Are Everything
I've given many presentations now on self-promotion for artists, with my own little mnemonic CVS--Contact info, Visual, Story--to remember the key components of a good press release and kit.
It's funny....everyone gets the contact information part, and most get the story part. But I get a lot of argument about the visual thing.
I quote Bruce Baker, noted speaker for the arts and crafts (and small farm producers--who knew!?) on such topics as booth design, selling skills and jury slides--"Get professional quality slides made of your work." Bruce goes on to say that, in the spirit of do-it-yourself that most artists try to do it all themselves. But to get anything done, you can't really do it all. And the first area you should give up the DIY attitude is with photographing your own work. It is the single, biggest mistake he sees artists making. And believe me, Bruce has seen a lot of artist mistakes....
Read any article in your favorite trade magazine on entering juried exhibits, approaching galleries, and marketing your work and the bottom line is "Get professional quality slides made of your work."
Visual artists need good visuals. Period.
I stress it over and over in my presentations: Images of your work is the primary tool you use to go anywhere in your professional arts career. It's the basis of everything else. It's the first thing people use to qualify, judge and make decisions regarding you and your business--whether your work is good enough to get into the show, whether it's of high enough quality to be considered for that exhibit, whether it contributes to the press release you've submitted. It's the first step to engaging others about your work.
Invariably, though, an indignant member from the audience will challenge me. They've been photographing their own work for years, and they're doing just fine, thank you.
Well....you could be doing better.
DIY photography is sufficient for many occasions, but not when it's a deal-breaker for your business, professional and artistic goals. The competition is stiff out there, and you need to give yourself every advantage to stay ahead of the pack. Excellent images of your work is one of those advantages.
With the affordability and increasing power of digital cameras now available, and the ease of transmitting the resulting digital images to web sites, printed materials and on-line juries, it seems more people than ever are relying on their homegrown photography skills to market their work, to their detriment.
When to call in the professionals...
Most of us are not professional photographers. Although many people consider themselves to be near-professional quality, or may have become quite adept at photographing their own work, the sad truth is, their photographs may be adequate--but not great. I am by no means a professional photographer, don't really even have a good eye for it. But nine times out of ten, I can tell when someone has photographed their own work. The images just aren't up to snuff. Adequate, perhaps. But not great.
People never want to hear it, either. They argue! I've given up arguing back. Frankly, I figure if I've been nice enough to let you know your weak spot, and you want to argue about it, hey, you're on your own from now on.
This was brought home to me at the Crafts in the Digital Age conference I attended last weekend (see blog entry for April 26). One of the workshops I attended was a digital photography session by John Gill, award-winning photographer who has recently added digital to his toolbag. John's assessment of digital photographry: "GIGO" And all you geeks out there who took a left turn at my DH's blogs and ended up here know exactly what he means: "Garbage in, garbage out."
Like any other craft, photography demands a great deal of skill. And skill is a function of practice, focus, and refinement. With the increased ease of producing images, it may seem like one could have a "natural talent" for it. But just like anything else in life, there's a huge difference between having a knack for something, and working long enough at it to be really good.
There are many facets of being a successful artist that I've been happy to take on myself. I'll do my new product research, I'll create my own newsletter, design my booth and write my own business plan. After all, those are my core vision pieces. I need to keep those close to me because they involve learning how to speak directly to my audience (both retail and wholesale) about who I am and what I do. But photography? I'll leave that to a professional. Way too much at stake.
How much should it cost?
One of the main deterrents I've found to hiring a good photographer is the cost. I've heard horror stories of artists being charged $500 for five "master slides" or $1,000 for nine master slides. Highway robbery. There are plenty of photographers who charge by the hour ($50 and up seems to be a targetable rate) and will shoot as many masters as you want to buy film for (for slides.) And unless your medium is something totally new and different, most craft photographers have a feel for shooting basic media--glass, metal, fiber, whatever--and shouldn't have a huge learning curve settingup a shot. My photographer is adept at photographing my work. He knows how to set up the shots quickly and how to expose them. Once a shot is set up, he simply takes multiples (click, click, click, click, click) of each one. I can expect to drop off say, 2-4 new pieces, have him shoot a roll of 36 slides, end up with at 4-5 overall shots and the same number of detail shots for each piece, for around $100.
How do you find a good photographer?
The way you find out anything else: Ask around. Look at other artists' work, the ones you feel have terrific images. Ask them who their photographer is, and what they charge. This comes up all the time on various on-line discussion forums I participate in, and people are very generous in sharing their sources.
What should I look for?
Someone with experience working with photographing art & craft, experience shooting your medium (clay, fiber, wood, etc.) Be aware that some photographers are great with some media and not others. Are they experienced photographing your medium? What do they see as the challenges of that, and how do they approach them? Again, you'll avoid this if you ask other artists who they use, especially other artists in your medium.
Look for someone who understands the difference between a jury slide and an ad shot. Someone who has a reputation for being reliable. Who has a reasonable turnaround with the job.
Look for someone who you find comfortable to work with. My photographer is extremely easy-going. Don't get me wrong, he's amazing. But when we started out, he constantly kept me involved in the photographic process. He was willing to do it his way or my way, to set up the shots himself or follow my lead. He always asks me to look at the shot through the view-finder, so I know what I'm getting. He listens to suggestions, but lets me know if he thinks his is better--and why. I've come to trust him and his judgement immensely.
What should I be careful of?
As above, photographers who charge way too much money, or photographers who insist on holding the copyright for their work. Most photographers consider that you, the artist, own the copyright on images of your work that you've hired them to produce, but make sure that's the case before the shooting starts.
Also, beware of photographers who have no experience photographing art or craft. If they are eager to learn and offer you a great incentive for them to practice on your work, fine. But don't assume that every photographer has the eye and the feel for photographing objets d'art. It's a skill like anything else. I'm reminded of the portrait my parents once commissioned by a guy who'd never done portrait work before, but was eager to learn. He'd only shot his taxidermy work previously. (I kid you not.) It was a cute photograph, especially intriguing how he focused on the bottoms of the kids' shoes as they sat lined up on the sofa. (Everyone was so young, their feet didn't even reach over the edge of the couch, and that--the soles of their shoes--is what caught your eye in the photo.) The photographer thought it was a great shot. He charged full price, too.
What questions will the photographer ask ME?
They need to know your schedule (and oh, do try to allow more than a week to 10 days...) And what the images will be used for: jury, ad, brochure. The intent, and therefore the set-up for the shot, will be different. Also, they should ask if you want slides and/or digital or prints, what size, how many.
How do you KEEP a great photographer?
Pay them promptly. Pick up your work promptly. Say thank you. Rave about their great work--after all, they're artists, too! Send them samples of where the images ended up--magazines, postcards, etc. You may consider giving them photo credit where you can. Some don't care, others need the exposure. Ask. I now add my photographer's name to my postcards and any other venues I can, especially magazine articles.
If you're not happy, let them know (nicely) and work it out. Be reasonable, though. Were you clear in your expectations? Did you let them know how the images were going to be used? (For jury, ad, press release...the set-up for the shots will be different for each venue.)
Your job, their job.
Remember, your job is to make good work. And a good photographer's job is to make your work look great.
