My son has a funny/cleaver T-shirt from Threadless called the “i in Team”. I find it very humorous and great design but the “Team in I” is way more important.
I recently was told of a very prestigious architectural design competition where the jury was very turned off because the Design Architect kept talking about himself and not the group of individuals it would take to make the design happen. The jury is still out but I will be curious if they select the Design Architect who was obviously the “I in Team”.
Anyone who is an artist, has an ego. Whether photographer, architect, graphic designer, painter, etc., we all have ego. Your ego is integral to who you are and what you do. I think it is important as an artist to have a point of view, to have perspective and be willing to express you opinion in a tactful and persuasive manner. That said, one does not work in a vacuum. To create something special, it sometimes requires a group of people coming together to make magic happen.
I often find myself talking of “we” and not “me”. I recognize that there are a team of individuals involved to help create a great image. Yes, I am composing the image, framing the image, determining time of day and the lighting necessary to do the image and so, in essence, the image is mine but there are certainly other players. I have always worked with an assistant. An assistant serves many roles, an extra set of hands so much primary focus can be on image composition, an extra set of eyes to see a trash can or something else I may have overlooked, an collaborator with whom I can bounce ideas off of and, in more recent years, a digital tech. There is also my fabulous Retoucher who has worked with me for over 12 years, knows my shooting style, knows what I like and takes our muddled notes and creates magic. There is my wife, who holds down the fort when I travel and my two boys who have often offered their talent to race through a building at dusk to manage the motion sensors and thus keep the lights on. There is my Associate who covers things in my absence and the building owners who grant access and help with coordination and last but CERTAINLY not least, you have the wonderful Designer/Architect who has created this wonderful project to photograph. It is very obviously a “Team” effort and one should not forget it.
So, be more cognizant of the “Team in I” instead of the “I in Team”.
