Its nearing the end of my fall semester back at McGill and I must admit that its been a sort of two lane road. On the one hand, I've finally switched out of Math and taken development studies - which has really made me a thinker and begged me to ask the question: Why didn't I make this decision all those years ago?
Financial crisis has hit me, and to be very honest it occupies my mind to a large extent. It stresses me out a great deal as I wonder of how to proceed with life in general: But then again this is an opportunity to learn a great deal: Learn to be self-sufficient, learn to take matters into one's own hands, find solutions to problems out of desperation. It is an opening for ideas to conquer and I keep telling myself this as I actively search for jobs and continually start to think of the future: where I will be and what I will do.
Photography comes in as a solution in some regards. I've made enough from photography this semester to justify buying back the 17-50 Tamron that i sold earlier in the summer. I've made some $500 for about 10 hours of work. Not bad for someone that really enjoys the job. But I've decided that I need to increase the number of gigs I get, find out ways to advertize, think of ways to improve and learn all the different elements of photography. While I do consider studio to be an effective cash-cow for photographers, I don't believe I have the skills as yet to really meddle with this.
So here I am, terribly under-equipped for the jobs that I'm doing, but still manage to bring out a great deal of satisfaction with my customers for them to keep hiring me and thanking me for the amazing photos.
I go back to the start of the semester when I was actively considering selling my digital gear and getting a normal job. Thankfully, having a higher end Sony camera was restrictive enough that the market didn't respond when I wanted it to and when I finally and rarely got offers, I wasn't prepared to sell the camera.
So here I am, at a position of equilibrium (So turns out I'm the economist that can't spell out equilibrium), decided on the path that I must take:
1) Launch a new website
2) Promote the website
3) Design business cards and network like crazy
This should earn me some $400 each month that I should really invest in more decent gear, namely lighting really... As much as I like to use ambient light, there are times that I couldn't help but wish that the lighting was better. And so much for Sigma flashes, I will make sure that purchases in the future are more Sony/Minolta based.
Anyways, enough about the boring plan. I will post the website when it comes out. Thanks so much for reading if you actually made it to the bottom. I haven't talked about my summer back to Kenya, as well as all the things that led up to this event. The photography is actually quite integral to the story... But I'll save that for later. Thanks for reading.
Cheers,
Arvind
Friday, November 27, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
The arrival: HOLGA 120GN
The Holga has taken the moment for now. Everything about it has been awkwardly strange or putting it simply, 'off'. From getting it shipped to the right address to everyone's opinion on me owning one, its just been different. Not to mention the amount of attention it's attracted on shooting... From perfect strangers. They seemed to find everything about it weird. Its looks off, the film is unusually large and it seems like the wrong camera to be specialized in anyway (huh... That's what they think!! :D). For me, the Holga is a getaway. There's no way the plastic over-priced US$27.00 camera will have any kind of monetary return in the near future. If anything, the shear cost of medium format film is somewhat unjustifiable if I were to look at it in a purely business sense. That said, I think that's the point of the whole purchase. The benefits of this purchase are for me and me alone... It will be a while before I begin to get something that is even close to being marketable.
The journey to get the Holga:
I'm not sure my bank really considers me a worthy client in anyway. I'm almost always putting in money and emptying out my bank account (Thanks to Photography). Sure I sign up for a few of their insurance policies as a favour to the bank to keep things moving forward but if there's anything that the banks got me on its all the over-charges that I seem to look past. As a matter of fact, I happen to be such a good customer that they keep calling me back to sign up for another one of their plans. Those bastards. I just saved their number and keep rejecting it! :)
Anyways, the Holga's purchase is yet another one of the many interactions between paypal and my bank account. Apparently, tellers keep a a sheet of paper to tally on how many customers show up with a PAYPAL line on their bank records. Its some kind of competition to bring some excitement in one of the world's most boring jobs. So that's the case with CIBC tellers in Vancouver (according to a friend thats a feared and double-time champion of PAYPAL tally wars). But I'd like to believe that the same trend has extended across Canada to Montreal thanks to the difference in treatment in the months that I actually make a purchase on ebay.
So sure enough, this purchase was made and thanks to the ridiculousness of the Canadian dollar's weakness, I ended up paying CAD$40 for this piece of plastic has a pretty high probability of not working in the first place. Also noteworthy is that I purchased the camera from Hong Kong. In the past, I've purchased batteries, a compass, watch, a bicycle distance recorder, another camera, and a studio flash plug adapter... All these have one thing in common: I never use them. The adapter doesn't work, the watch broke, the rest don't ask... Even the wooden camera that is in top notch condition is a fair bit of a push to use. So naturally I wasn't expecting anything extraordinary from this purchase. If anything, I am more than hoping that it will be a good one. Though in the case of a Holga, one who really understands pop culture would ask me what exactly I meant by that... Good question!
Clearing things up: For one, I didn't buy this camera because of the light leaks or because I thought US$27.00 was the best deal in the market. I bought it because I wanted to explore the world of medium format and use a camera that doesn't require me to sit by a tripod and do my homework while the picture is being taken. Also because of the severe constraints. One often uses aperture priority or shutter priority or goes all out manual. How about film-speed priority? Yes, there are several constraints that the photographer has to deal with:
1) Only two aperture settings: f/8 and f/11
2) One shutter setting: 1/125s
and the focusing takes a trial and error approach for the inexperienced. And before I forget: The absolute horse-shit lens... I actually bought the G-series (glass) lens which is apparently 'better'. Holga have their own definition for the word 'better'.
3)There is no preview of Depth of field which means you have to guess it. There is a guide though. It shows one person for 1m, 3 for 3m several for 6m and a mountain for 10m-infinity.
4)The view finder is very basic and doesn't account for how wide the lens actually is. Holga say their lens is 60mm(ish)... Ummm.. Sure... You just have to guess whats what and take the damn photo.
5)You realise how much the shutter sound contributes to the feel of photography when you, well, don't have a shutter sound...I went through an entire roll of film without knowing if I even exposed a single shot while the actual art of capturing the image was a serious anti-climax. Oh well, turns out I did manage to expose the film and work out the focusing.
Not bad if you ask me. Work on them include exposure, curves, and white balance. For the first one, I reduced purple saturation as I found purple snow quite funny...
All said, such is my experience thus far with the HOLGA. I hope to one day manage to produce pretty decent images with it as I understand it better and better. One of several adventures that I will take in this beautiful world of photography, one that I will be certain to share with you all.
The journey to get the Holga:
I'm not sure my bank really considers me a worthy client in anyway. I'm almost always putting in money and emptying out my bank account (Thanks to Photography). Sure I sign up for a few of their insurance policies as a favour to the bank to keep things moving forward but if there's anything that the banks got me on its all the over-charges that I seem to look past. As a matter of fact, I happen to be such a good customer that they keep calling me back to sign up for another one of their plans. Those bastards. I just saved their number and keep rejecting it! :)
Anyways, the Holga's purchase is yet another one of the many interactions between paypal and my bank account. Apparently, tellers keep a a sheet of paper to tally on how many customers show up with a PAYPAL line on their bank records. Its some kind of competition to bring some excitement in one of the world's most boring jobs. So that's the case with CIBC tellers in Vancouver (according to a friend thats a feared and double-time champion of PAYPAL tally wars). But I'd like to believe that the same trend has extended across Canada to Montreal thanks to the difference in treatment in the months that I actually make a purchase on ebay.
So sure enough, this purchase was made and thanks to the ridiculousness of the Canadian dollar's weakness, I ended up paying CAD$40 for this piece of plastic has a pretty high probability of not working in the first place. Also noteworthy is that I purchased the camera from Hong Kong. In the past, I've purchased batteries, a compass, watch, a bicycle distance recorder, another camera, and a studio flash plug adapter... All these have one thing in common: I never use them. The adapter doesn't work, the watch broke, the rest don't ask... Even the wooden camera that is in top notch condition is a fair bit of a push to use. So naturally I wasn't expecting anything extraordinary from this purchase. If anything, I am more than hoping that it will be a good one. Though in the case of a Holga, one who really understands pop culture would ask me what exactly I meant by that... Good question!
Clearing things up: For one, I didn't buy this camera because of the light leaks or because I thought US$27.00 was the best deal in the market. I bought it because I wanted to explore the world of medium format and use a camera that doesn't require me to sit by a tripod and do my homework while the picture is being taken. Also because of the severe constraints. One often uses aperture priority or shutter priority or goes all out manual. How about film-speed priority? Yes, there are several constraints that the photographer has to deal with:
1) Only two aperture settings: f/8 and f/11
2) One shutter setting: 1/125s
and the focusing takes a trial and error approach for the inexperienced. And before I forget: The absolute horse-shit lens... I actually bought the G-series (glass) lens which is apparently 'better'. Holga have their own definition for the word 'better'.
3)There is no preview of Depth of field which means you have to guess it. There is a guide though. It shows one person for 1m, 3 for 3m several for 6m and a mountain for 10m-infinity.
4)The view finder is very basic and doesn't account for how wide the lens actually is. Holga say their lens is 60mm(ish)... Ummm.. Sure... You just have to guess whats what and take the damn photo.
5)You realise how much the shutter sound contributes to the feel of photography when you, well, don't have a shutter sound...I went through an entire roll of film without knowing if I even exposed a single shot while the actual art of capturing the image was a serious anti-climax. Oh well, turns out I did manage to expose the film and work out the focusing.
Not bad if you ask me. Work on them include exposure, curves, and white balance. For the first one, I reduced purple saturation as I found purple snow quite funny...
All said, such is my experience thus far with the HOLGA. I hope to one day manage to produce pretty decent images with it as I understand it better and better. One of several adventures that I will take in this beautiful world of photography, one that I will be certain to share with you all.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Business ethics: The issue of craigslist
I think classifieds are very important as they bring buyers and sellers together without all the additional charges of advertising and commissions and what not. Its simple and easy... Just a phone call and you've suddenly bought yourself something nice for a pretty good price.
Nevermind the market for lemons, I personally think with e-commerce and the access to the worldwide market, everything is well priced and well worth what one is willing to pay. As opposed to previous times of where the only way to find a quote for the price of something would be to call and find out while your ability to get a good price might simply be dependant on the number of phone calls you make. I suppose you can say the same thing with the internet but mind you, I purchased a Minolta 700si film camera for $50 off of ebay while Simon's, a camera store in Montreal, still sells the the Maxxum 5 (A camera more inferior) for $200. These are simply people who haven't seen how the market has evolved. With todays market, we know with certainty the rounded off true value of our camera (perhaps right to one or two standard deviations).
The first time I learned about the market for lemons (Market for lemons), I thought it was the greatest concept since airplanes but much has evolved and the market for lemons is out-dated or very restricted to some low info market. With today's prices, I think its fair to say that we've hit a point of perfect competition for certain kinds of goods, especially in the second hand market. As we learn that non-lemon cameras and what not make it into the market, we find ourselves trusted sellers that offer us tons of warranty while successfully managing to undercut everyone else in their price offer. Ebay works. It lets people decide the price they are willing to pay, and as auctions go for goods in high demand, some auctions push buyers to spend somewhat more than they were planning to spend. Its a pride thing. Especially among photographers hunting for much needed gear.
Ok, so this isn't quite a lesson on economics, but is instead a light on what I've been through in trying to sell my precious Sony Alpha A300. Given how much I've learned from photography with this angelic piece of electronic, I never thought selling it would be such a hassle and to some extent, a learning process.
First assuming it to be an easy task, I threw in some posts in craigslist and kijiji. Kijiji being limited to Canada and relatively unknown to the United States (and most Canadians) is probably the most legit in business transactions and therefore much more trustable to either sell your stuff or not... Craigslist on the other hand is full of scammers from Nigeria (or some freakazoid seated in California pretending to be from Nigeria). So far craigslist's legitimacy rate states at around 20%. That means 8 out of 10 people ask me to ship them the item. Some will cleverly sound legit to establish contact and then come out of their hiding.
I have several problems with these low life ass-holes. For one, they do a terrible job at sounding convincing, especially given the amount of information that is available to identify a scam, and secondly, there's so many of them sending the same emails that you're bound to assume something is wrong. There are some clever ones though, but not by much. They soon show their true colours in some form or another.
I got an email from a Reverand John Campbell. Thank God I'm not a dogmatic believer who shreaks at the word Reverand, perhaps even going further on to give him as discount so that he can buy his daughter a nice birthday present. I'm sure he's had some success in the past. Still he was stupid enough to not see my craigslist post 'titled' MONTREAL BUYERS ONLY! and when I informed his of it, he mentioned that his company will wire me the money. #*^!ing Reverand...
So all in all, I've had a horrible experience with online classified ads. I've learned that the vast majority of offers are just completely ridiculous in this sort. There are so many scammers that they even compete with one-another to a level where people make offers for bicycles and pianos. Its one of those take what you can get industries. In fact, there's such an abundance that this brings interesting economics research prospects. Perhaps something in Micro-economics or criminal economy or more specific in Micro, game theory.
So my camera is still unsold. Business ethics are still on holiday and the economy is still in a recession. I'd like to go on to talk about the AIG bonus payouts but I've already ventured far away into a land that would have been completely disconnected to photography had it not been for the fact that it is my camera, a Sony A300 that I am trying to sell. If you click the link you will see the beautiful pictures taken by various photographers and yes you're right, I'm totally trying to sell my camera... Because I need to pay rent for next month!!! :(
Nevermind, back to the topic. If you are to post anything on craigslist:
a) EXPECT these weirdos to mail you and expect A LOT of emails.
b) Don't trust any of them. You could play with a few if you want and continue to play catch and ball until they give up (always thought of this one)
c) ALWAYS DEAL LOCAL!!! Don't even think about taking seriously any kind of shipment deal. If such is the case, do it over ebay so that ebay and paypall will cover you as the seller.
d) Try to state it clear in your email that you will simply ignore any non-local emails. Don't say you'll swear at them as curiousity will get them to email you anyway.
I am still waiting for my Holga. Will post again when I get it and hopefully I'll shoot my first roll with PanF Plus, my favourite film! Can't wait...
Nevermind the market for lemons, I personally think with e-commerce and the access to the worldwide market, everything is well priced and well worth what one is willing to pay. As opposed to previous times of where the only way to find a quote for the price of something would be to call and find out while your ability to get a good price might simply be dependant on the number of phone calls you make. I suppose you can say the same thing with the internet but mind you, I purchased a Minolta 700si film camera for $50 off of ebay while Simon's, a camera store in Montreal, still sells the the Maxxum 5 (A camera more inferior) for $200. These are simply people who haven't seen how the market has evolved. With todays market, we know with certainty the rounded off true value of our camera (perhaps right to one or two standard deviations).
The first time I learned about the market for lemons (Market for lemons), I thought it was the greatest concept since airplanes but much has evolved and the market for lemons is out-dated or very restricted to some low info market. With today's prices, I think its fair to say that we've hit a point of perfect competition for certain kinds of goods, especially in the second hand market. As we learn that non-lemon cameras and what not make it into the market, we find ourselves trusted sellers that offer us tons of warranty while successfully managing to undercut everyone else in their price offer. Ebay works. It lets people decide the price they are willing to pay, and as auctions go for goods in high demand, some auctions push buyers to spend somewhat more than they were planning to spend. Its a pride thing. Especially among photographers hunting for much needed gear.
Ok, so this isn't quite a lesson on economics, but is instead a light on what I've been through in trying to sell my precious Sony Alpha A300. Given how much I've learned from photography with this angelic piece of electronic, I never thought selling it would be such a hassle and to some extent, a learning process.
First assuming it to be an easy task, I threw in some posts in craigslist and kijiji. Kijiji being limited to Canada and relatively unknown to the United States (and most Canadians) is probably the most legit in business transactions and therefore much more trustable to either sell your stuff or not... Craigslist on the other hand is full of scammers from Nigeria (or some freakazoid seated in California pretending to be from Nigeria). So far craigslist's legitimacy rate states at around 20%. That means 8 out of 10 people ask me to ship them the item. Some will cleverly sound legit to establish contact and then come out of their hiding.
I have several problems with these low life ass-holes. For one, they do a terrible job at sounding convincing, especially given the amount of information that is available to identify a scam, and secondly, there's so many of them sending the same emails that you're bound to assume something is wrong. There are some clever ones though, but not by much. They soon show their true colours in some form or another.
I got an email from a Reverand John Campbell. Thank God I'm not a dogmatic believer who shreaks at the word Reverand, perhaps even going further on to give him as discount so that he can buy his daughter a nice birthday present. I'm sure he's had some success in the past. Still he was stupid enough to not see my craigslist post 'titled' MONTREAL BUYERS ONLY! and when I informed his of it, he mentioned that his company will wire me the money. #*^!ing Reverand...
So all in all, I've had a horrible experience with online classified ads. I've learned that the vast majority of offers are just completely ridiculous in this sort. There are so many scammers that they even compete with one-another to a level where people make offers for bicycles and pianos. Its one of those take what you can get industries. In fact, there's such an abundance that this brings interesting economics research prospects. Perhaps something in Micro-economics or criminal economy or more specific in Micro, game theory.
So my camera is still unsold. Business ethics are still on holiday and the economy is still in a recession. I'd like to go on to talk about the AIG bonus payouts but I've already ventured far away into a land that would have been completely disconnected to photography had it not been for the fact that it is my camera, a Sony A300 that I am trying to sell. If you click the link you will see the beautiful pictures taken by various photographers and yes you're right, I'm totally trying to sell my camera... Because I need to pay rent for next month!!! :(
Nevermind, back to the topic. If you are to post anything on craigslist:
a) EXPECT these weirdos to mail you and expect A LOT of emails.
b) Don't trust any of them. You could play with a few if you want and continue to play catch and ball until they give up (always thought of this one)
c) ALWAYS DEAL LOCAL!!! Don't even think about taking seriously any kind of shipment deal. If such is the case, do it over ebay so that ebay and paypall will cover you as the seller.
d) Try to state it clear in your email that you will simply ignore any non-local emails. Don't say you'll swear at them as curiousity will get them to email you anyway.
I am still waiting for my Holga. Will post again when I get it and hopefully I'll shoot my first roll with PanF Plus, my favourite film! Can't wait...
Thursday, March 12, 2009
A Holga?
So back into the world of photography...
There's been quite a bit that has happened since my last post.
a)I just upgraded my camera body and now shoot with a Sony Alpha DSLR-A700,
b)I just purchased the Holga GN120 - The 'G-series' glass lens version of the Holga
c)Immersed myself into the world of FIBER PAPER!
d)Feel like I might actually be going somewhere in the world of photography
First things first though, The A700:
Its a stunner and I can't believe the noise comparison at ISO 1600 to the A300. Whats more, I can actually use the ISO 3200 and a somewhat unusable but still handy to have ISO 6400. The body and feel of the camera are much better and the larger view finder makes a world of a difference... I think a larger view finder is key in getting good composition. I always marvel at how much better my film photographs tend to be and often credit it to the amazing view finder of the Maxxum 700si.
I have as a matter of fact achieved exactly what I wanted to: To get sister bodies of Minolta's 700 series with the Sony DSLR-A700 and the Minolta 700si, the later being 2 generations older (Previous bodies include the Konica Minolta 7D, the insanely amazing Maxxum 7).
Still I have to say that buying the A700 made me realize that this isn't quite what I was geared up for. I feel that the digital world is amazing, but my passion for event and studio photography are close to nothing, especially when I'm not being paid very much for using so much of my precious time. Most people don't realize the time commitment that one has to put in to take good photos and then work on them later on... There are constant requests to take pictures at an event free of charge, and the favors don't end here. They want additional work like a CD for example instead of just getting it straight off my website, and that I have to contact this person and that person. I personally cannot understand people who approach you for pro-bono event photographs that take up the bulk of your evening and more time to process and work on the photos. I once read a professional photographer's blog that talked about how shooting for pro-bono makes you exactly that: A pro-bono photographer and because you worked a couple of times for free, everyone expects you to do the same for them. The trap is way too obvious at the beginning and one has to be careful to what extent they take on these jobs.
When I just started shooting, the idea of commercial photography was something that I thought of as exploitation or extortion, especially the ones that charge up to $500/hour. 2 years ago, I would have been honored to take pictures at an event although with little confidence. But I guess its a complicated question here. I would hate to do a bad job and get paid for it. Whats better is that by doing it for free, you start of with low expectations and once you've done well, the praises do a great deal to boost your confidence. Back then, I would have taken whatever I could get as photo opp!
Things have changed now. My roommate and I decided to make something out of event photography as it would fund our much needed and ever ending desire to purchase new gear while giving back in the form of good quality photos. We created a website and decided to go from there. Our first few jobs in the paid photographer league were way below what someone else would have gotten. We averaged some $6/hour each after adding processing time... It felt somewhat bad to know that you're paid below minimum wage while doing a job that deserved so much more. But that's how contracts work. We had agreed to it and were going to a good job no matter what. We've matured quite a bit since, taking on probono contracts only for charities or causes that we truly believe in. For example, both Tyler and I are volunteer photographers for all UNICEF Quebec events. Its our gift to the organization and its efforts and we give in our 100% and enjoy it because we know the value of these pictures. Later this month we are doing the same for a management organization raising money for AIDS. Yet another great cause and I will gladly support it. For everything else though, we've decided to stick with the market (with a slight under-cut since our prices are for two photographers).
You might ask why I've decided to really look so deeply into this issue... The thought really, has come about since it's been a while since I've taken photos for myself. Its been months since I've wandered off to the Old port or somewhere else on my very own adventure, meeting people and asking them if I can snap a quick portrait of them or thinking about the perfect composition of a particular subject. I've even put off darkroom work for a very long time and there is very little that I could call personal in my work as of late. I think its fairly common for people to question their direction and often one finds themselves with a ridiculous answer to it like "I dunno!"
Yesterday evening, I thought I'd finally bite the bullet and make my way into the darkroom to give the new fiber paper a shot. Very expensive it is. Each sheet costs more than a dollar (more than double the price of RC Paper), but from professionals around the world still specializing in darkroom work, I learned that the extra dosh is worth the final quality. I decided to start small and print something a little smaller than 4X6 and giving it a nice panoramic frame (5X8 in total size). This was a special time for me. It brought back all the things I loved about photography and what initially got me into it in the first place. It wasn't just the feel of the shutter as you pressed the shutter release or that thought just after the click of a shutter where you know that 'this one's a definite yes' out of the 36 photo acceptance process. Its the lone times in the darkroom where I would think through things and ease off pressure, in a somewhat meditative environment of slow running water and safety lights. A form of getaway, doing something where the final product is a result of my very own work and very own effort.
One of my favourite photos, that's Razvan with his fancy umbrella. He claims to only buy the best umbrellas in the market... Yet he loses so many... This photo was taken with a Minolta 700si with Minolta 50mm f/1.7 lens at f/1.7, shutter speed 1/60 seconds with my favourite film, Ilford Pan F50 Plus
So this is why I took the plunge and purchased the Holga. It would be a step forward in the dying film world and I find both pleasure and fear in knowing that I might be one of the very last people to stop film photography because there is no more film left... Is that even possible? Pleasure because I will take pride in sticking to traditions and still valuing the 'old ways' (like being fluent in Sanskrit or something) Fear because it brings about scenes of Children of men in my head. (Shiver...)
There's been quite a bit that has happened since my last post.
a)I just upgraded my camera body and now shoot with a Sony Alpha DSLR-A700,
b)I just purchased the Holga GN120 - The 'G-series' glass lens version of the Holga
c)Immersed myself into the world of FIBER PAPER!
d)Feel like I might actually be going somewhere in the world of photography
First things first though, The A700:
Its a stunner and I can't believe the noise comparison at ISO 1600 to the A300. Whats more, I can actually use the ISO 3200 and a somewhat unusable but still handy to have ISO 6400. The body and feel of the camera are much better and the larger view finder makes a world of a difference... I think a larger view finder is key in getting good composition. I always marvel at how much better my film photographs tend to be and often credit it to the amazing view finder of the Maxxum 700si.
I have as a matter of fact achieved exactly what I wanted to: To get sister bodies of Minolta's 700 series with the Sony DSLR-A700 and the Minolta 700si, the later being 2 generations older (Previous bodies include the Konica Minolta 7D, the insanely amazing Maxxum 7).
Still I have to say that buying the A700 made me realize that this isn't quite what I was geared up for. I feel that the digital world is amazing, but my passion for event and studio photography are close to nothing, especially when I'm not being paid very much for using so much of my precious time. Most people don't realize the time commitment that one has to put in to take good photos and then work on them later on... There are constant requests to take pictures at an event free of charge, and the favors don't end here. They want additional work like a CD for example instead of just getting it straight off my website, and that I have to contact this person and that person. I personally cannot understand people who approach you for pro-bono event photographs that take up the bulk of your evening and more time to process and work on the photos. I once read a professional photographer's blog that talked about how shooting for pro-bono makes you exactly that: A pro-bono photographer and because you worked a couple of times for free, everyone expects you to do the same for them. The trap is way too obvious at the beginning and one has to be careful to what extent they take on these jobs.
When I just started shooting, the idea of commercial photography was something that I thought of as exploitation or extortion, especially the ones that charge up to $500/hour. 2 years ago, I would have been honored to take pictures at an event although with little confidence. But I guess its a complicated question here. I would hate to do a bad job and get paid for it. Whats better is that by doing it for free, you start of with low expectations and once you've done well, the praises do a great deal to boost your confidence. Back then, I would have taken whatever I could get as photo opp!
Things have changed now. My roommate and I decided to make something out of event photography as it would fund our much needed and ever ending desire to purchase new gear while giving back in the form of good quality photos. We created a website and decided to go from there. Our first few jobs in the paid photographer league were way below what someone else would have gotten. We averaged some $6/hour each after adding processing time... It felt somewhat bad to know that you're paid below minimum wage while doing a job that deserved so much more. But that's how contracts work. We had agreed to it and were going to a good job no matter what. We've matured quite a bit since, taking on probono contracts only for charities or causes that we truly believe in. For example, both Tyler and I are volunteer photographers for all UNICEF Quebec events. Its our gift to the organization and its efforts and we give in our 100% and enjoy it because we know the value of these pictures. Later this month we are doing the same for a management organization raising money for AIDS. Yet another great cause and I will gladly support it. For everything else though, we've decided to stick with the market (with a slight under-cut since our prices are for two photographers).
You might ask why I've decided to really look so deeply into this issue... The thought really, has come about since it's been a while since I've taken photos for myself. Its been months since I've wandered off to the Old port or somewhere else on my very own adventure, meeting people and asking them if I can snap a quick portrait of them or thinking about the perfect composition of a particular subject. I've even put off darkroom work for a very long time and there is very little that I could call personal in my work as of late. I think its fairly common for people to question their direction and often one finds themselves with a ridiculous answer to it like "I dunno!"
Yesterday evening, I thought I'd finally bite the bullet and make my way into the darkroom to give the new fiber paper a shot. Very expensive it is. Each sheet costs more than a dollar (more than double the price of RC Paper), but from professionals around the world still specializing in darkroom work, I learned that the extra dosh is worth the final quality. I decided to start small and print something a little smaller than 4X6 and giving it a nice panoramic frame (5X8 in total size). This was a special time for me. It brought back all the things I loved about photography and what initially got me into it in the first place. It wasn't just the feel of the shutter as you pressed the shutter release or that thought just after the click of a shutter where you know that 'this one's a definite yes' out of the 36 photo acceptance process. Its the lone times in the darkroom where I would think through things and ease off pressure, in a somewhat meditative environment of slow running water and safety lights. A form of getaway, doing something where the final product is a result of my very own work and very own effort.
One of my favourite photos, that's Razvan with his fancy umbrella. He claims to only buy the best umbrellas in the market... Yet he loses so many... This photo was taken with a Minolta 700si with Minolta 50mm f/1.7 lens at f/1.7, shutter speed 1/60 seconds with my favourite film, Ilford Pan F50 Plus
So this is why I took the plunge and purchased the Holga. It would be a step forward in the dying film world and I find both pleasure and fear in knowing that I might be one of the very last people to stop film photography because there is no more film left... Is that even possible? Pleasure because I will take pride in sticking to traditions and still valuing the 'old ways' (like being fluent in Sanskrit or something) Fear because it brings about scenes of Children of men in my head. (Shiver...)
Friday, February 20, 2009
The search for style
Photography is one of those things that everyone loves and cherishes. You don`t have to be a photographer to appreciate it. Good scenery, posters with colours that give the picture different moods or a particular type of lighting that stirs an emotion. The vast majority of people and in fact a vast majority of photographers, can`t tell exactly how such an emotion is brought out from them. I don`t want to sound like a snob and say that I do. In fact I don`t! Rarely do I find myself in situations that give me enough time to think about all these variables. Its only when we give each photo individual attention in the processing stage when we actually think about these things, and we take back what we have learnt into the field. This is why experience is such a crucial factor.
It was the National geographic that started me off on photography. I`d spend hours looking through pictures and wondering what an amazing job it would be to go to all these places and capture them for everyone to appreciate their beauty. To me, photography was an art that opened my eyes to a world. Calm get aways and fierce mountains, culture, people, no place was unfamiliarlu distant. Soothing rivers and green trees or white snow on the peaks of mountains. It was magical and sometimes, painful when I thought of how near they seemed and how far away they really are.
My camera was the first purchase I made on both my ebay account, and my credit card and its been almost two years into photography. The question now is where to now. I`ve gone through these stages and each time you go out and take photos, you learn a little more. About the physics in photography (albeit subconsciously) or about yourself. All the time you spent editing photos and reworking old ones or simply spending your time looking through flickr for photos that are absolutely stunning, each photo taking you through the stages of becoming who you are as a photographer.
And then there is also the other side to the coin. The photography that you absolutely dislike, a certain style or emotion that you hate to evoke, something is off with the photo. Despite its immense appreciation by others, you find that it is not to your liking. There's nothing wrong with that. Those are the bold photographers who went beyond the cliche stage and there are people that will criticize it for its non-mainstream perspective and then others that will marvel at its beauty. Its really a style and taste thing. And the more you immerse yourself into the world of photography, the more you realise what your style is. For example, take a look at my favourites on flickr here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arveyunni/favorites/. You`ll notice that most of them are very low in saturation (with the exception of my favourite colours blue and green to some extent) or are scenic shots of mountains and rivers. These are the photos that inspire me and I try to imitate a lot of the styles found among these photographs.
With time, we develop our own style that consists of a backbone structure of all those amazing images that inspired me and bring me back to view them again and again... But that is the beauty behind learning. Soon, you realise that through those photos and through the search for yourself in those photographs, you have imitated not just a style but also a bit of the persons personality. Such is the power of inspiration.
I`ve always felt that photography or any other art for that matter is simply a matter of practice and learning. I think like most things, talent is developed through constant effort by the individual. We see it as talent because to that person, everything just clicked and its usually the case that the more we learn to appreciate our own work, the better we get at it. It is experience that makes us better at what we do though. The power of the subconscious knowledge can only be developed through this and more than often, we need that knowledge to capture certain kinds of moments.
One day I will look back at this post and really wonder whether or not I really went through these stages. For the rest of you that are reading this, perhaps it is your turn to tell me how close I actually am to getting a consistent style.
It was the National geographic that started me off on photography. I`d spend hours looking through pictures and wondering what an amazing job it would be to go to all these places and capture them for everyone to appreciate their beauty. To me, photography was an art that opened my eyes to a world. Calm get aways and fierce mountains, culture, people, no place was unfamiliarlu distant. Soothing rivers and green trees or white snow on the peaks of mountains. It was magical and sometimes, painful when I thought of how near they seemed and how far away they really are.
My camera was the first purchase I made on both my ebay account, and my credit card and its been almost two years into photography. The question now is where to now. I`ve gone through these stages and each time you go out and take photos, you learn a little more. About the physics in photography (albeit subconsciously) or about yourself. All the time you spent editing photos and reworking old ones or simply spending your time looking through flickr for photos that are absolutely stunning, each photo taking you through the stages of becoming who you are as a photographer.
And then there is also the other side to the coin. The photography that you absolutely dislike, a certain style or emotion that you hate to evoke, something is off with the photo. Despite its immense appreciation by others, you find that it is not to your liking. There's nothing wrong with that. Those are the bold photographers who went beyond the cliche stage and there are people that will criticize it for its non-mainstream perspective and then others that will marvel at its beauty. Its really a style and taste thing. And the more you immerse yourself into the world of photography, the more you realise what your style is. For example, take a look at my favourites on flickr here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arveyunni/favorites/. You`ll notice that most of them are very low in saturation (with the exception of my favourite colours blue and green to some extent) or are scenic shots of mountains and rivers. These are the photos that inspire me and I try to imitate a lot of the styles found among these photographs.
With time, we develop our own style that consists of a backbone structure of all those amazing images that inspired me and bring me back to view them again and again... But that is the beauty behind learning. Soon, you realise that through those photos and through the search for yourself in those photographs, you have imitated not just a style but also a bit of the persons personality. Such is the power of inspiration.
I`ve always felt that photography or any other art for that matter is simply a matter of practice and learning. I think like most things, talent is developed through constant effort by the individual. We see it as talent because to that person, everything just clicked and its usually the case that the more we learn to appreciate our own work, the better we get at it. It is experience that makes us better at what we do though. The power of the subconscious knowledge can only be developed through this and more than often, we need that knowledge to capture certain kinds of moments.
One day I will look back at this post and really wonder whether or not I really went through these stages. For the rest of you that are reading this, perhaps it is your turn to tell me how close I actually am to getting a consistent style.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Dry spells?
Its funny how this blog is two posts old and I've already hit the topic of dry spells. There are a couple of reasons why I bring up this topic. For one, dry spells are something that EVERY artist must go through. I certainly have times when all I couldn't do much more than get frustrated. The first time I had a dry spell, I went to the shelter of my fellow film photographers on flickr and confided with the many experienced photographers in the community. I have honestly come to respect flickr with such a vibrant community of photographers that being a true part of it instantly brings out your true potential at the time. I say at the time because growth is an on-going process and takes time. Flickr's value to the amatuer photographer goes beyond the $24/year paid to become a pro user.
Back to the topic of dry spells now...
So I learnt a great deal from my friends on flickr and the most important one is that dry spells are a natural part of growth at every stage. In a constant search and find of ideas, your mind tires out as you go into the more narrow fields when you are searching for something so specific that you get lost, and your mind can simply not bring out any ideas. Its when an individual loses inspiration. You reach a point where you just are not satisfied with what's out there and you then know that you need to break out of the box. Often the best way to tackle a dry spell is to switch to something for a while. Like reading, or sketching or blogging for that matter... Just wait it out until the closed box of ideas opens up again. Its your attitude at this point in time that will determine the direction you go. If you lose touch, then you're obviously going to go backwards. The trick is not to give up, but cut down on how much of it you do and turn to other hobbies. Soon you will discover a new and a more creative side that will take over and lead the way.
Also, I hope to find time to go shooting during the day sometime next week. Hopefully for this shooter, all will be back to normal... For now, I take to my reading to both fall asleep and be inspired.
Back to the topic of dry spells now...
So I learnt a great deal from my friends on flickr and the most important one is that dry spells are a natural part of growth at every stage. In a constant search and find of ideas, your mind tires out as you go into the more narrow fields when you are searching for something so specific that you get lost, and your mind can simply not bring out any ideas. Its when an individual loses inspiration. You reach a point where you just are not satisfied with what's out there and you then know that you need to break out of the box. Often the best way to tackle a dry spell is to switch to something for a while. Like reading, or sketching or blogging for that matter... Just wait it out until the closed box of ideas opens up again. Its your attitude at this point in time that will determine the direction you go. If you lose touch, then you're obviously going to go backwards. The trick is not to give up, but cut down on how much of it you do and turn to other hobbies. Soon you will discover a new and a more creative side that will take over and lead the way.
Also, I hope to find time to go shooting during the day sometime next week. Hopefully for this shooter, all will be back to normal... For now, I take to my reading to both fall asleep and be inspired.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
The start
Its a while now that I've been thinking of getting serious about blogging. Since taking up photography, I've become someone that really appreciates my immediate surrounding and the world in general. I think it has opened up a world that I never knew existed. Its only a question of perspective. I always thought photographers were not artists. They are different from 'artists' as they don't create anything. They simple capture what is already there with the aid of a machine. I thought it was unfair to put photographers in the same elite level as painters and composers. Slowly, that changed and I believe that a photographer is someone who has the responsibility of taking what is already there and conveying a message, an emotion and a perspective with the goal of bringing out the same feelings from the viewer. Its a constant challenge that requires an endless amount of time to perfect. Because unlike other artists, we cannot manipulate our surroundings and if so, there is only that much we can do. Our work is based on reality and with that comes great responsibilities. War photographers always dream of taking that one photo that will stop the war, such is the power that this amazing art has. It is used to tell the truth, to bring sights and images in our minds that would otherwise cease to exist.
Photography to me has become more than just another hobby. Its a damn passionate hobby but more importantly, it is something that I have come to take very seriously and of all the things that I have taken up in my life, probably one of the few things that I will stick to. For me, it is a philosophy, a constant strive for perfection, something of an inspiration and is very much a part of me. I hope you enjoy this blog as I share with you my world, my philosophy and my journey...
Arvind
Photography to me has become more than just another hobby. Its a damn passionate hobby but more importantly, it is something that I have come to take very seriously and of all the things that I have taken up in my life, probably one of the few things that I will stick to. For me, it is a philosophy, a constant strive for perfection, something of an inspiration and is very much a part of me. I hope you enjoy this blog as I share with you my world, my philosophy and my journey...
Arvind
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