I’m Not A Photojournalist

art, photography View Comments
Jul 072010

One of the most compelling things about photography, as an art form, is that photographers are limited to the single image.  A single moment of time captured, hopefully aesthetically, by a person who’s vision and clarity provide a window into a still moment in time.

As a painter I had the ability to create any atmosphere I wanted with whatever tools and techniques were at my disposal.

That’s taken away from photographers when you think of the photograph in it’s purest form.

This isn’t to say that “pure photography” is the end all be all.  I do enjoy looking at digitally manipulated, as well as dark room manipulated, works from stellar artists.

I’m not a photojournalist.

But I think it’s the challenge of working within those limitations that draws me to photography as an art form.  Perhaps that’s why I’ve moved away from pixel punishing in the past few years.

Posted by Damien Franco at 12:27 am Tagged with: , , , ,

I’m Not a Teacher

Blogging, art, photography View Comments
May 012010

There are many aspects to the thought of “teaching” or becoming a teacher.

It’s a journey I, unknowingly, began over 4 years ago when I started blogging.  The first “blog” I had was on MySpace and it was used mostly as a promotional vehicle for the portrait and wedding studio I owned in part.

Teacher.

I’m not a teacher.

I was hardly ever a good student so the thought of actually being a teacher just seemed, to me, like a big fat lie.

During that first stint as a “blogger” I quickly noticed that the posts that happened to gain the most traction or got the most attention weren’t posts on what was going on with the photography studio.  They were blog posts that were “teaching” something.

I guess I had read somewhere in one of my dozens of marketing books that you had to educate your clients so that they would be able to realize your true or full value.

That still makes sense BTW.

So I would write about how the work we were doing in the studio wasn’t just portraiture.  It wasn’t just pretty weddings.  It was rooted in artistic learning and application of aesthetics and design as it relates to photography, art, portraiture, and wedding photography.  We were artists not “just photographers”.

Whatever.

Fast forward to now.

Now I run a fairly successful photography tutorials blog that has allowed me to stay in touch with the photography community while I reshape my own photography career.

I could have written about anything photography related to accomplish that goal.

But something compelled me to “teach” photography.

I’m still not sure why but I’m happy that I do that.

See, to me, photography for the average user is kinda like a gateway drug to a better appreciation of art in general.

Everyone has access to a camera.  Everyone is exposed to photography in their daily lives.  And while everyone is also exposed to art in their everyday lives, they seem not to be able to recognize, or appreciate, it as easily.

So, somehow, I’ve tried to bridge the gap of teaching photography technically AND creatively.  I sprinkle in as much “Art” as I can.

Teaching the rules so they can break them.

I honestly don’t know how successfully I do that or how much of a contribution that I make in the art world but I have to believe that there is some contribution.

Posted by Damien Franco at 1:25 pm Tagged with: , ,

Big Deal

Personal, art, photography View Comments
Feb 272010

One of the things that I’ve had to battle internally is this whole notion of what it means to be a photographer.  More specifically an art photographer.  Even more specific I suppose would be “artist”.

I used to be a “professional photographer”.

Big deal.

I used to charge thousands of dollars to take pictures at people’s weddings.

Big deal.

I have over a decade of experience with a camera to my eye.

Bid deal.

Now?

I haven’t made very much money directly from my photography in a while.

Making the switch from a working pro to an artist is probably harder than starting from scratch.  There’s this whole stigma that follows you.

“Oh…you used to do weddings.  That’s nice.”

You kinda get that from the gallery owners and art buyers.

I need to stop telling them that.

Sometimes, when I’m feeling a bit bogged down by financial worries, or just thinking about how this will all pan out, I think about the knowledge I have now and how I could easily tear up this town doing weddings and portraits again.  With my knowledge of website building, SEO, tons of built in contacts throughout the community (especially in the right tax bracket), I could easily become one of the top wedding photographers in West Texas.

But that’s not what I want.

It really wasn’t ever what I wanted.

At one time, sure, it mades sense.  Sometimes, financially, it still makes sense.

But man…I hate shooting weddings.

Posted by Damien Franco at 9:17 pm Tagged with: , , , , , ,
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