You Don't Have to Be Artsy

I freakin’ LOVE shooting on the beach. Art be damned.

A trap I think a lot of artists fall into is this notion that you have to be artsy in order to be an artist.

If you’re a photographer, you have to do some intellectually charged art project in order to be accepted by the high brows of society. Even my favorite photographer, Richard Avedon, fell into this trap. His commercial/editorial photography was immensely successful both critically and especially financially. He was rich off the beautiful images he created for glossy fashion magazines. But the art community at the time frowned their noses up and didn’t really embrace him into their elitist fold. This bothered Avedon and he would go on to labor for years on work that would earn him that seal of approval from this group of “tastemakers” of the time.

Truthfully, whether you like it or not, all of it is art. To what degree is certainly debatable, but it all falls under that umbrella. Whether you’re doing it for money or doing it for passion, it counts as art.

The thing to remember is that you don’t have to be artsy in order to be successful and/or appreciated. Daniel Day-Lewis is one of my favorite actors of all time, but I wouldn’t consider his films as entertaining as Tom Cruise’s. He’s considered more of the “artist” between the two, but that doesn’t make Cruise any less successful or appreciated for the entertainment he provides.

Your films don’t have to be these pretentious affairs with fancy cinematography set it the countryside of Europe. Your photographs don’t have to be black-and-white melancholic street scenes. Or portraits where everyone looks sad and vacant. And your music doesn’t have to be classical for it to be “art”.

Glossy, popular, even trendy work has a place. There’s no shame it and you should create it proudly. And audiences/customers love it and are often asking for it.

Don’t feed them salad when they’re asking for cake.

If you’re doing what people love and they clamor for more, give them what they want. That’s Business 101.

Speaking for myself, I dabble across genres. There’s the more serious studio portraiture. Then there’s slick, colorful photos of beautiful models in swimwear. I also do nudes. I plan to shoot lingerie. I do street photography on occassion. And I plan to produce much more color work going forward. Do I give a shit if some snob in an art gallery or pseudo intellectual type appreciates my work? It’s nice if they do, but I’m not working for their approval.

Story time. I had a colleague who’s not terribly familiar with my work, but she remarked rather ignorantly, “I think your black-and-white portrait work is more you than your swimwear stuff. It’s more like art.” Mind you, she said this more out of her disinterest in and bias against swimwear photography or work featuring models. She fancies herself an intellectual and praises the work of the French New Wave. Of course she wouldn’t like glamorous imagery of attractive models on the beach. And she’s welcome to that preference. But do I change my direction because I don’t meet her personal standard of what is art? Of course not.

I do work I personally enjoy and I encourage other artists to do the same. I don’t “chase the market”. If people like what I do and are willing to pay me for it, then I’ll continue to serve them that.

But it won’t always be salad. It will likely be cake.

Something for you to ponder on your own artistic journey. Do your glossy, colorful, trendy, beautiful, glamorous, sexy work with pride.

You too, are an artist.

Kadeem (Portrait Photography)

Some portraits I did recently with model Kadeem Samuel in my studio. This was a fun, somewhat experimental shoot as I wanted to play around with a cool mask I found online. It’s a small accessory, but the mask gives the photographs a bit more character and creates an interesting narrative. Who is this masked man?

I used the Sony A7RV with the Sigma 105mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART during this session and find it a winning combination. The A7RV has been a revelation, especially coming from the Fuji GFX 100 II. Although medium format does have the edge in terms of image quality and rendering, the A7RV produces a beautiful, detailed image with greater versatility and a much more fun shooting experience.

There are so many great options from this session so I’ll be sharing more in the future. I’m trying to be more economical when I shoot and what images I ultimately decide to post. But it’s time to start posting more work. Less chitter chatter.

More to come!

Sometimes I Just Wanna Ask...

Have you ever dealt with someone who behaved in such a way that just leaves you utterly puzzled? Like it betrays all logic and reason? You can’t talk to them. Or get them to relax enough for civil conversation. They just want to throw everything away for nothing. Just a Juggernaut of unchecked, irrational emotions launching furiously in one direction.

Sometimes I just wanna ask…

I guess I’ll never understand.

The Gear Bubble Has Burst

Photography (and videography) went through an amazing growth period in the mid-2010’s. Especially with the popularity of platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. Plus the prospect of becoming an influencer as a viable career option. This lead to the rise in popularity of various channels centered around photography and video. Blogs, YouTube Channels, entire websites centered around these disciplines saw large amounts of traffic for a good 3-5 years. All of which pushed gear, luts, workshops, tutorials, etc. But mainly gear for that sweet, sweet affiliate revenue.

The niche was red hot.

Now? Not so much.

DPReview almost shuttered for good last year. Various YouTubers have called it a day. Photography blogs aren’t what they once were. And even the actual camera companies aren’t producing a ton of gear as in years past. They see the writing on the wall and they’re in the act of course correcting. Which has also resulted in gear rumor websites declining because they have nothing new and exciting to report on at a high enough frequency.

I’ve noticed some of the channels I use to keep up with have become somewhat of a ghost town in the comment sections. Views are down across the board and I’m sure they’re feeling the pinch if all their eggs were in this basket.

The industry is declining and the “Gear Bubble” has burst. And with it, you’ll notice a steep decline in interest in the art form. Not to mention the rise of A.I. and other disruptive technologies. Some avenues such as becoming an influencer or YouTube content creator aren’t as commercially viable anymore with drastic changes to algorithms that impact growth on said platforms. You can be posting everyday, using catchy titles, commenting on other people’s post and see little to no growth. But big brands, i.e., corporations, see huge growth on the platforms. The social networks have sold out. They no longer care for the small content creator and instead want the big bucks and prestige associate with large brands.

So people are throwing their hands up and looking elsewhere for the next gold rush.

As for gear related content in the photography niche, the party’s over guys. You’ll actually have to generate interest in your art or other endeavors. But sadly, most of the audiences that follow this niche aren’t interested in that. They just want to know which lens is better than the one they already have. Or if Sony is better than Canon. They were never in it for an interest in you or your work, just the gear. And now that that’s dead, your channel probably is too.

Sad, that.

RIP Akira Toriyama

It was announced over the weekend, that manga icon Akira Toriyama passed away recently on March 1st. Fans of his work (myself included) mourn the loss of one of the most iconic manga/anime artists of the past 40 years. His style is so distinctive that I think only Studio Ghibli can rival it in terms of being as easily identifiable.

I first encountered his work upon seeing Dragon Ball Z figurines featured for sale in the back of the videogame magazines I used to buy as a kid. But it wasn’t until 1995 that I picked up the game Chrono Trigger at my local Blockbuster Video that I gained an appreciation for his work.

This game right here?! Defined my childhood easily. Solely responsible for my JRPG addiction.

I would come across his work in subsequent years, especially during the late 90’s/early 2000’s when Dragon Ball Z was all the rage. I would even improve my drawing skills practicing on my favorite Dragon Ball Z characters. I can’t tell you how many times I drew Goku in high school. Fast forward all the way to 2020 and I would once again be charmed by Toriyama’s work, this time in the videogame Dragon Quest XI. A game full of so much charm and character, it’s become one of my favorite games of all time. I even went down a rabbit hole learning about the history of Dragon Quest, a series I knew about as a kid, but never got into. Dragon Quest XI got me started down the path and I’ve found nirvana.

This game hits me right in the feels every time I play it. It’s my happy place.

It was nice to discover how Toriyama was recruited to work on Dragon Quest alongside creator Yuji Horii and composer Koichi Sugiyama. They would go on to create one of the most iconic(there’s that word again) game franchises in history, collaborating on each subsequent release in the years to come. So from Dragon Ball to Dragon Quest Toriyama had already created or worked on two historical franchises. He would go on to continue to cement his legacy working on videogames, manga, and various short stories. Tragically composer Sugiyama would pass away in 2021 and now with Toriyama’s recent passing, only Yuji Horii remains from the original Dragon Quest trio. He’s currently working on Dragon Quest XII which will probably be the final project Toriyama’s work is featured in. It breaks my heart just to type that.

An absolute legend of a character. I always hated how Toriyama treated him, but glad he made him so dang cool.

As a fan, I think my personal favorite character design (and character) is Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z and a close second would be Veronica from Dragon Quest XI. She’s a major inspiration for the fantasy novel I’m working on.

It’s sad to write about the death of your heroes. Fixtures of your childhood that we wish could always be around. The youth of tomorrow may never understand the impact of people who came well before their time, but if you were someone into manga, anime, or Japanese videogames, undoubtedly you knew and respected the work of Akira Toriyama. Thank you for all the wonderful memories, amazing characters, captivating stories, and fresh ideas. May you continue to create and inspire from the heavens.

Rest in peace.