Advice for all sorts of creatives
There is No Such Thing as a Good Photograph
If We think a photograph is beautiful, we are wrong.
Everything we see is viewed in context. One person’s beautiful flower, is a farmer’s weed. The context sets the parameters by which people judge things; and every image we select for a purpose, is judged. Five likes and no comments? We have been judged.
The thing to ask ourselves is “What do I want to achieve?”
We have just got an image and we want to share it with the world, then post away!
If we want to build a following, then consider – “Is this image what I want to be known for? Is it what people want to see? Does it send a confusing message?”
Is the image just “more off the same?” If it is, and we want to be associated with that type of art, then perfect! If we want to be known for a wide range, then think – “Am I selecting too much of the same thing?” We can always hold back images till a later date, so there is variation in what we post.
How much should we post? If we post everything we can get our hands on, it sends a clear message – “I’m posting this because I like posting my stuff.” It does not show that we care for our audience.
You are not a good judge of your own work
Ultimately, our opinion is what guides us, but our opinion can be informed by other people. This is especially handy if we want approval, or offers of collaboration and work. People who like us often like our work. Their opinion is often not useful because they actively want to like out work. Someone who can give us impartial criticism is what we need. If we model, a photographer that likes an image that we don’t, can help us understand what other people see.
Makeup artists can take advice from clients and photographers – we might not be satisfied, but they can tell us if what we have done works for them.
Photographers can easily get feedback from other photographers, but the people that the photograph is for are an excellent source of information – consider showing a large range of images to a model, makeup artist or client, and see which they chose to be enhanced, or like the way that they are.