Waht is your audience?
 

Is it more important that 'other photographers' think highly of one's
work, or one's intended audience (meaning primarily
non-photographers)?

Waht is your audience?
 

On 14 Oct 2003 09:07:34 -0700, (Michael
Scarpitti) wrote:

Is it more important that 'other photographers' think highly of one's
work, or one's intended audience (meaning primarily
non-photographers)?

Michael:

Is that a serious question that you cannot answer yourself? Or are you
just trying to get a thread going?

Perhaps you've not heard this story....

A young violinist travels to the master to play for him and have his
work judged.

The master listened and when the young man is done says, "That was
horrible. You'll never amount to anything. You'd better plan a
different career."

The young man drops the violin and becomes an accountant.

Years later he bumps into the master on the street. He goes up to him
and says, "Thank you for helping me not waste my life."

The master is confused. The young man says, "Don't you remember? I
played for you and you told me to stop wasting my time."

To which the master replies, "Oh. That! I say that to every young
artist who comes to play for me. But if you really had the fire of an
artist, you'd have ignored what I said and strove for greatness
anyway."


-- JC

Waht is your audience?
 

(Michael Scarpitti) wrote:

Is it more important that 'other photographers' think highly of one's
work, or one's intended audience (meaning primarily
non-photographers)?

As a sign of advanced self-absorption, I'll admit that it's only
important to me that I like it myself.

I had the very interesting experience of showing my portfolio to a
panel of well-known photographers at an organized critique event.
During a 2-hour period I showed 6 people my stuff, in private
15-minute sessions. Some of them liked it and said so, and some of
them did not like it and said so. No doubt most photographers have the
same experience--they find that a certain number of people like their
work, and others don't. That's always going to be true, so the
question to me is, do you like your own work yourself?
---
David Meiland
Friday Harbor, WA
http://davidmeiland.com/

**Check the reply address before sending mail

Waht is your audience?
 

Hi Michael,


I begin by saying that I am a serious amateur, and that while some of my
images have been exhibited, I am not actively trying to sell images or
otherwise publicize myself. So, the circumstances are limited in which
other photographers or non-photographers generally might even become an
audience for me. That said, I agree with David Meiland. I am only
trying to please myself. There are a few people close to me to whom I
can show my work and get a truly honest opinion, meaning they know they
can criticize without offending me. When they don't like something, I
actually get constructive criticism. "It's too dark." "Not enough
contrast" or [ouch] "It's dull." They do not always agree with each
other. But I have often made better images after hearing what they have
to say about the ones I've shown them. In the end, though, it has to
please me.


Francis A. Miniter


Michael Scarpitti wrote:

Is it more important that 'other photographers' think highly of one's
work, or one's intended audience (meaning primarily
non-photographers)?

Waht is your audience?
 

J C wrote in message ...
On 14 Oct 2003 09:07:34 -0700, (Michael
Scarpitti) wrote:

Is it more important that 'other photographers' think highly of one's
work, or one's intended audience (meaning primarily
non-photographers)?

Michael:

Is that a serious question that you cannot answer yourself? Or are you
just trying to get a thread going?

I have my own opinion, not that I'm open to persuasion, that a 'good'
photo should appeal to a broad range of people, but not always is this
possible.

My work has always been well-received by its intended audience.

I don't think enough consideration is being given to this concept by
photographers. I personally find some other photographers' work boring
or unappealing, and they feel the same way about mine in some cases...

but non-photographers love it...

So?


Perhaps you've not heard this story....

A young violinist travels to the master to play for him and have his
work judged.

The master listened and when the young man is done says, "That was
horrible. You'll never amount to anything. You'd better plan a
different career."

The young man drops the violin and becomes an accountant.

Years later he bumps into the master on the street. He goes up to him
and says, "Thank you for helping me not waste my life."

The master is confused. The young man says, "Don't you remember? I
played for you and you told me to stop wasting my time."

To which the master replies, "Oh. That! I say that to every young
artist who comes to play for me. But if you really had the fire of an
artist, you'd have ignored what I said and strove for greatness
anyway."


-- JC

Waht is your audience?
 

(David Meiland) wrote in message ...
(Michael Scarpitti) wrote:

Is it more important that 'other photographers' think highly of one's
work, or one's intended audience (meaning primarily
non-photographers)?

As a sign of advanced self-absorption, I'll admit that it's only
important to me that I like it myself.

I had the very interesting experience of showing my portfolio to a
panel of well-known photographers at an organized critique event.
During a 2-hour period I showed 6 people my stuff, in private
15-minute sessions. Some of them liked it and said so, and some of
them did not like it and said so. No doubt most photographers have the
same experience--they find that a certain number of people like their
work, and others don't. That's always going to be true, so the
question to me is, do you like your own work yourself?
---
David Meiland
Friday Harbor, WA
http://davidmeiland.com/

**Check the reply address before sending mail


I shoot primarily for my own pleasure, but it is always with an
'assumed audience' in mind. My practices are based on publication work
more than anything else, so I shoot lots of vertical subjects with
tight cropping.

I like simple, bold compositions and lighting. The subtleties are
there, but the photo cannot rely on subtleties for its main thrust,
which must almost always be simple and bold.

Waht is your audience?
 

First, I have to like it, then anyone else. If I print what I don't care
about, with other people in mind, I get bored, and turn out boring stuff.
But, to each his own.


"Michael Scarpitti" wrote in message
om...
Is it more important that 'other photographers' think highly of one's
work, or one's intended audience (meaning primarily
non-photographers)?

Waht is your audience?
 

(Michael Scarpitti) wrote in message . com...
Is it more important that 'other photographers' think highly of one's
work, or one's intended audience (meaning primarily
non-photographers)?

Hi Micheal

It's always satisfying to be positively judged by your peers. But the
problem with any art is that response can be subjective to the
individual. My view is that I always try to create pictures that I am
happy with. Thought I admit that I do prefer some of my work to
others. Saying that listening to both photographers and
non-photographers can lead to ideas that be incorporated into the
creative process and lead to better work. The worst thing to do though
is try and target an audience too forcefully. I'm convinced that doing
so can only lead to bland and passionless photographs. All art needs
to come from the heart


Robert Davies

www.findingviews.com

Waht is your audience?
 

(Robzilla) wrote in message . com...
(Michael Scarpitti) wrote in message . com...
Is it more important that 'other photographers' think highly of one's
work, or one's intended audience (meaning primarily
non-photographers)?

Hi Micheal

It's always satisfying to be positively judged by your peers. But the
problem with any art is that response can be subjective to the
individual. My view is that I always try to create pictures that I am
happy with. Thought I admit that I do prefer some of my work to
others. Saying that listening to both photographers and
non-photographers can lead to ideas that be incorporated into the
creative process and lead to better work. The worst thing to do though
is try and target an audience too forcefully. I'm convinced that doing
so can only lead to bland and passionless photographs. All art needs
to come from the heart


Robert Davies

www.findingviews.com



The point of my question was that making photos that are pleasing to
other photograpers above all is not necessarily the way to make the
best work. When making photographs, it helps to have some 'purpose',
some 'use' in mind. Since I began taking pictures seriously in high
school in the mid-60's for our school newspaper, I have always had a
journalistic orientation to my 'seeing', rather than the more recent
'fine art' (what a term!) 'seeing' that seems to have beome so common.
Many of these so-called 'fine art' images leave me cold, if not
nauseated, in their tritenes and one-dimensionality.

Waht is your audience?
 

On 14 Oct 2003 09:07:34 -0700, Michael Scarpitti wrote:

Is it more important that 'other photographers' think highly of one's
work, or one's intended audience (meaning primarily
non-photographers)?

If you are shooting professionally, the only opinion that matters is the
client's :-)

If you are shooting for pleasure, the only person whose opinion matters is
you. If you want to have feedback, however - and this is always useful -
try to find other photographers whose work you admire and who you think
might understand what you're trying to do. To put it simplistically, if you
ask the opinion of someone who insists that all subjects in the picture
should fall 'on the thirds', yet this is a rule you feel should be broken,
how valuable is that opinion?