As an artist, you have to learn to differentiate between good advice and just plain overkill.
Recently I have asked some well known photographers what they think of my doll work. I was told by one person that I should leave in the chains and stands that aid in posing the dolls (I discarded that advice), and that I should do a lot more photoshop to make them look real (this negates his 1st bit of advice). I was told by another that I need to add motion (which results in a lovely motion blur, THIS is great advice). I was told by another (and this one I had to laugh about) that I have framing problems and I don't know how to use negative space. This from a guy who definitely shouldn't throw stones from his glass house... albeit a lovely house (after all, he IS good). He has some photos with weird cut off limbs and negative space that is filled with blown out highlights. I chose to ignore 95% of his advice. He was conceited and to me the affliction was unfounded. Because I find a lot of his work is utterly and tragically forgettable.
He told me my work was "boring as shit", and that there is none of "me" in my work.
I literally lol'd...
My work reeks of me. I am sometimes vapid and sometimes full of emotion. The gamut of my work reflects that.
He than spent the next 5 minutes tooting his own proverbial horn! He bragged about taking photos as a kid... Really? I mean if that's all it takes to make you special, good! Because I used to shoot my Barbie dolls! Started painting on canvas, sewing clothes for my Barbies and photographing them, all by the tender age of 6!!!! He bragged and bragged about shit that most artists do anyway. *He is NOT special* He simply believes his own hype. And although I found his "critique" gratuitous, self indulgent and just plain inaccurate, I did learn one very valuable lesson...
You have to be convincing in selling your worth as a photographer, or you've got to have delusions of grandeur.
Me, I've got a little of both.
*the above pic is Valentina in some shots from a series that I took for my personal work. There are six other photos in this set. I have pics of her with motion blur actually punching the other doll in the face, but I didn't want to post the whole set here. Recently I have decided to show the Ying to my Yang... and it's ugly.
8 comments:
Your photos are so strong and capture some of the unseen nuances of beauty.
I wouldn't change a thing.
Very Interesting!
Thank You!
I have found (as a writer) when seeking advice or input/suggestions from others, that they all seem to want to make you more like them, as if their voice is the only one that matters. The best you can do is be true to your own vision. You did well to disgard most of the advice.
As my friend Chuck Bukowski once said "Critics are like flies on the same turd."
To paraphrase Robert Heinlein, a critic is like an editor. They want to take someone else's work and pee in it until they like the flavor more. If I were you, I would listen to requests and ignore criticism. Always listen to "more of this" and never to "less of that."
The spark of life.
I feel it in your photos.
This is how a doll should look like!
Stacy i love your pictures.
A lot of love for Stacy from,
Erik
Stacy, you have more artistic talent in your smallest finger than I have in my entire existence. I only accidentally discovered you just now, but I have to say that I'm impressed. I suppose I would answer to the advice you were given, "Listen to the advice honestly, but throw away anything that goes against your grain." Because you "grain" is pretty amazing.
Darren
PS I wish I could even see the type of pictures you can take... I'm too much a rank amateur to even see, much less actually pull off the technical bit to produce it.
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