Is Photography now a Commodity?
Photography is the true global language; the number of images being created every day is testimony to the simple fact that photography makes visual expression available to everyone.
Can you imagine any event you’ve had that didn’t have a photograph to represent it and re-experience it, family event, night out, eating out, anything?
We don’t like to talk about beauty anymore especially in the world of business or art but beauty is central to our existence, when we see the beauty in our lives, it makes us feel a whole lot better.
The photographer's job is to find beauty in anything - and that’s why I’m interested in everything, food, people, landscapes.
No matter what you're photographing you have to fall in love with it otherwise you cannot bring out the best in it. The best photographers understand that.
But can you order up creativity by text?
I am shocked by the number of times I get calls mostly from direct clients who want to purchase photography. It’s like they are purchasing a commodity, just give us 10 and how much for that? Or can we have an hour of your time?
Despite the fact that almost everyone is aware of photography, the purchasing of creative services by the corporate world has become rote and uninspiring.
Thankfully we still have our champions - agencies and art directors and designers that are on our side. When I work direct for clients it makes me aware of the key role the agencies, art directors and designers play. Clients often don’t know how to brief work or manage a creative task through from concept too finishing. They can’t visualize it and need reassurance and direction.
The Japanese writer Junichiro Tanizaki writes “Our thoughts don’t travel to what we can’t see” and it’s true, there has to be a picture in our mind first -the picture drives our feelings, our feelings influence our actions.
A New York hotelier that purchased a Castle in Ireland told me last year - your photographs are the first thing people will see of our business. I was shown some examples from another project in America.
It was just that simple, the shots had to be great - no pressure!
