Every year, I have countless college seniors come by to meet and show me their portfolios, many of which show very good work. Then I pose the question, “How long did it take to create those 12-20 images?” The answer is always the same, “This is my work, which I did over the last year.”

That’s wonderful, but in the professional world, you need to be creating 12-20 AMAZING images day-in and day-out, everyday, regardless of circumstances, since that’s what is demanded (expected?) of you as a professional.

This is not only true in the world of the collegian, but equally true in the professional world, especially with the adoption of the “Prosumer.”  This type of photographer has become so pervasive that the American Society of Media Photographers has adopted an “Associate” level for part-time professionals because (as one of my fellow ASMP members said), “We would rather have them, as they say, inside the tent peering out as opposed to outside the tent peering in.”

To aspiring architectural photographers:

The ability to capture the innate beauty of a significant piece of architecture over just a few days, and then return with exceptional results, comes from the experience gained over a period of many years. It also requires the knowledge of light, lighting, and architecture. In his book, The Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell referred to this as the 10,000 Hours Rule. This is why most of our great architectural photographers — Peter Aaron, Nick Merrick, Tim Hursley, and others — are in their 40s, 50s and 60s.

Yes, digital has changed the landscape, but the ability to SEE architecture is one acquired over time.

A dear friend of my wife’s family lost her battle with cancer last week.  She was fairly coherant until the final days and therefore was able to plan her own funeral.  She wrote this piece called “Togetherness” that I was touched by so much that I felt it worthy of reprinting.  Here it is:

In this era of Social Media there is much to be aware and of which to beware. This concept was made ruefully apparent in a recent movie release, CATFISH. Via IMDB

“In late 2007, filmmakers Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost sensed a story unfolding as they began to film the life of Ariel’s brother, Nev. They had no idea that their project would lead to the most exhilarating and unsettling months of their lives. A reality thriller that is a shocking product of our times, CATFISH is a riveting story of love, deception and grace within a labyrinth of online intrigue.”

SPOILER ALERT: Ariel’s brother, Nev, comes to find that the woman he was communicating with, along with all of her purported friends, was an extremely elaborate ruse propagated by a single lonely woman, Angela, who seems to have fabricated these fictional people on Facebook as a way to escape the regrets that came with sacrifices she had to make in order to have a family and a stable life.

Why do I waste your time with a silly movie plot? Because it relates to the professional world as well, where “Fake it till You Make it” is frighteningly rampant.

I personally know of photographers whose “client” lists are largely embellishments, if not outright fabrications, and their work gives the “impression” that they are doing incredible things for incredible architects. Whereas the truth behind the images is that it was either a personal or portfolio-building project or the architect had nothing to do with the photography. These embellishments are promoted via Twitter, Facebook and blogs — not unlike Angela in the film CATFISH.

As Guy Kawasaki said in his book Enchantment, “…enchanting gullible people – is immoral.” Sadly, social media is the perfect forum for enchantment, but not in the wrong hands.

So, before you readily go out and hire your next photographer, scratch at the facade and find out how much substance is beneath the surface. You may be surprised that it is largely a facade. Caveat emptor.

All the Best,

Brad

About a week ago I received a very unexpected phone call from an elderly gentleman by the name of Mr. Jones.  He relayed that he had been looking for a photographer for the last year to do a portrait of him.  He said he had a portrait of his deceased wife whom he wanted to try to replicate stylistically.  Mr. Jones was somewhat hard to understand on the phone but he insisted that he wanted to come down to my studio and show me her picture and we could go from there.  We set a time and two and a half hours after our appointment time, in walked Mr. Jones, a sweeter person I cannot imagine meeting.  He shared with me this picture of his wife and explained that since she was looking upward in her portrait, he wanted to be looking slightly downward so that when the two pictures were hung on the wall they could be staring into one an other’s eyes.  Yes, I am a romantic at heart and at that point, my heart melted.

Here is the portrait he shared:

Now, keep in mind I am primarily an architectural photographer but I LOVE TO DO PORTRAITURE, as well.

Well, we spend the morning trying to replicate the look and feel of a 1960s portrait and then Mr. Jones arrived.  He was a bit nervous about the sitting but, was excited nonetheless.  We helped him button his collar, fixed his bow tie and helped him with his jacket.  We asked him to look off and think pleasant thoughts and one could just tell by the twinkle in his eye that he was thinking sweet memories of his wife.  I asked him look off to the left, I had him lift his head slightly, I tried to have him bring up a smile but it all was not working.  At one magical moment, he turned and looked back and I said, “Stop, don’t move”.   I could see that this new & unexpected body position not only complimented the picture of his wife, it complimented Mr. Jones, as well.  I often find, whether portraiture or architecture, having an openness to being able to see is ever so important.  It often happens that I will be walking through a space I have walked for three days but not at that particular time and I see something I never saw before.  You can plan and plan but the ability to see is what it is all about.

When he saw the results, his eyes lit up and he exclaimed, “I didn’t think someone could take a picture like that of me.  I think I picked the right photographer.” I wish I had a recording because in black and white, his heartfelt joy cannot be expressed adequately.

Here was the result:

As he left, one could tell that he was very moved by the experience.  The fact was, we were moved too.  Something special happened right before our eyes, almost divine, and as he left, he said what a true pleasure it had been.  He said, “You made my, day, my weekend and my week” and, I will tell you as I told him, “YOU made ours”.


I encourage you to look beyond that which you expect to see, as things will appear out of the unexpected that will astonish and amaze you.  Look with your heart and it will help your eyes to see, and sometimes the little things you do to help make someone else feel fulfilled, to help create a memento that may last for generations, can be one of the greatest gifts you can give someone else but, also one of the most emotionally fulfilling things you may do for yourself too.

All the Best,

Brad