November 12, 2019

Future Of Photography

In this unnerving future of photography it has become apparent that cliches are the new mantra of the photo agencies. When you look through the millions and millions of images on these stock agencies photo sites you don’t see originality but a redundant expression from a narrow herd mentality. Everything looks the same, happy people (actors) doing what they do in rooms of bright lights and staged props all for the chance to be put in an ad and gain some money. These actors will reap the benefit of payment for the time spent posing for the camera but will the photographer make the necessary money to break even. The answer to that is no, not when the photographer is getting 20% of the sale and the agencies take 80%. 

If you want to know one of the reasons why Royalty Free is a bad deal for the photographers that is one of them, the money split is taken by the powers that be and the photographer is left holding a few pennies.

The agencies will claim look, these RF sales will be multiple sales to many buyers not just one offs and you will reap the benefit of more money from RF than you would from Rights Managed. 

Very doubtful when you look at the buyers getting giddy over the usage of these repetitive boring subjects by paying the stock house a cheapened sum of cash while the photographers hard earned efforts gets the shaft. 

And because of RF the agency takes their 80% while cutting more editors and staff because lets be honest everything will be done electronically without the need for a human presence. 

There is nothing original in their subjects chosen and photographed, supposedly representing, according to the agency, real life. If we could live like these superficial stage performers we would be as far away from real life we live now. Poverty, crime, racism, anguish, health issues,… and yet the agencies try and sell us photos that are supposed to make us believe that these are real households and real people. Right, I have some mountain view property in Florida I want to sell you. 

There is no realness in the images created, nothing that would suggest that these are intimate moments

between people that know each other, just paid actors acting a part trying to express real emotions in front of the camera.

There is no personality in the image creation, no connection with the subject, just a surface reflection of the same boring pictures we see time and time again in ads that are suppose to represent real people, in real life situations. These are not real people but actors posing for the product that is always forefront in the image. 

The redundant themes are now in place. Casual conversation with an expression of concern, love in the models eyes toward the actor playing a role, a smile, a laugh, never a tear, maybe a serious face of importance, but nothing original, the scripts are in place and the photo agencies are all playing the same tune, boring images without originality. 

Royalty Free is confusing but in one instance it is appropriate. Royalty Free for the photographers that took the image. 

Everyone chases the photographers dream to be seen as a great shooter, creating images of beauty and depth without the redundant cliches we see constantly in travel and people images. But everyone will eventually realize that photography today is not the photography of the past. There is so much images being snapped and then put online that for the stock shooter he/she will never reach the heights of their expectations. 

Sure their will be some good shooters that will try to be authentic in their approach to creating a realistic scene, a natural expression, an intimate moment. 

But the majority of images taken now are copycat imitations of already created images, a continual regurgitation of past shots where the subject is posed in shallow depth without originality. 

These images are not created out of love of nature or people but to exploit the external world for profit. 

All great images are made because the photographer took the time to know his subject. To explore the many facets of the subject habits and personalities and this guided the image creator to connect on a deeper, personal level with the person, place, or animal.  

Photography now is chasing the sameness of content, happy faces wearing the newest trend in clothes, hairstyle, makeup, props and phony expressions.

Honesty in todays stock horror show of repetitive trends is undermining originality and purpose in image creation.  

The old masters made images through their own inner vision and not a list of posed images to shoot by an agency that couldn't care less about the time and money spent making the requested images, all they want is more and more images to demean photography by making it a lost art, turning image creation into a commodity, a commercial enterprise for shareholders profit!  

The loss of caring about truth in image creation, assuming images are an honest view of a subject, is settling over us and eroding the meaning of the image, lessening our awareness of how to make unique expressions of our inner being.

This poser photography of snap and go as if you could really see the final subject in a split second of observation. 

We are diminished in our ability to present a subject in a new light, an authentic representation of a life we thought we knew.  

Great photography is not done in time’s movement, a great image is created when time stops for the photographer and his impressions of the scene developing before him unfolds slowly as he seeks a deeper understanding of the details of the burgeoning light that is revealing to him a new perspective that the image creator will use to express his intuition that is seeking answers to reveal a unique vision.

My advice to younger image creators is be true to yourself and create images you like and don’t rely on content briefs to trap you in an image box you can’t climb out of, use your own unique perspective to create images with purpose that express you inner world externalized for all to see.