Nobody cares about your photography

1. Is there an article to be read? 2. How do I see it? 3. I'm beginning to think the premise of this thread is true.
 
It’s a bit of a clickbait headline but he’s right, no one cares about the photography*. It’s the subject matter in the photograph they care about.

*unless you’ve been commissioned and made a pigs ear if it, then the client will probably care a great deal
 
viewfromthenorth said:
It’s a bit of a clickbait headline but he’s right, no one cares about the photography*. It’s the subject matter in the photograph they care about.

*unless you’ve been commissioned and made a pigs ear if it, then the client will probably care a great deal
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Yes, very true.
 
It did take rather a lot of words to say (in effect) "do what you want to do and ignore the people who don't like what you do". :tumbleweed:
 
To constantly look for the adoration of others is the way to madness and disappointment. Look at the people who live their lives through 'likes' on Tiktok, perhaps they really believe that people give a monkey's toss about who they are and what they do but they are only the current fad and people are fickle and move on to the next great thing in the blink of an eye. Unless you are top of your field or your livelihood depends on what you achieve it's best you do everything for you because that is what's most likely to make you content. Plus, as Dood says, get a couple of likes on here and that'll do for now.
 
I watched an interview with the lead singer/songwriter in an indy band years ago. The band went around playing their own stuff to pubs and clubs and the guy said that if there were a hundred people in the pub and ten of them liked his music, then he was happy. I know where he was coming from as I too was in a local band ten years ago and we too used to do local pubs and clubs and it was truly gratifying if just a few people stood in front of us actually listening to the music rather than standing at the bar chatting. We played to those few people and it was the best feeling in the world. If no one was that interested, we just played to ourselves, still fun though.
 
This from 6 years ago. Same title. Similar (but IMO better worded) sentiment.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4pE-pdhnJw


I stopped watching Ted Forbes when gear became a focus for his channel, but the sentiment of making "work that matters" stuck with me. I take photos for me. Sometimes it's just decor, but most of the time it's for a project. Often, it's a project only I am interested in doing.
 
I used to get disappointed when I’d spent time and energy to get a photo I liked and then get thank blank expression from my wife, but I realised a while back that people just don’t care and since then I’m just happy if I like it and don’t worry if it gets likes from anywhere else.
 
snerkler said:
I used to get disappointed when I’d spent time and energy to get a photo I liked and then get thank blank expression from my wife, but I realised a while back that people just don’t care and since then I’m just happy if I like it and don’t worry if it gets likes from anywhere else.
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I think you've almost answered your own question. You're into it and can see something there. But that's you. It's unlikely another person will appreciate your motivation and see the same.
 
I think people care if someone is fashionable and it is cool to be seen to care. Someone cared about this:

untrustyou | Tracey emin, Tracey emin art, Monoprint

Tracy Emin

But no one cared about this:


paapu.jpg


A N Artist


My point is that you have to do what makes YOU happy and maybe some sucker will buy it for a lot of money -- but don't hold your breath?
 
ShinySideUp said:
I think people care if someone is fashionable and it is cool to be seen to care. Someone cared about this:

untrustyou | Tracey emin, Tracey emin art, Monoprint

Tracy Emin

But no one cared about this:


paapu.jpg


A N Artist


My point is that you have to do what makes YOU happy and maybe some sucker will buy it for a lot of money -- but don't hold your breath?
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This is a great example of what I see as people jumping on the bandwagon. I don't know how or what got Tracy Emin famous but it was deemed "In Vogue" to like her and I'm pretty sure she could do any kin of drivel and people would find something to rave about. It's a bit like the Rhine II, up until fairly recently is was the most expensive photograph costing over £2m but I can't see any merit in it what so ever :thinking:

Screenshot 2023-06-03 at 07.45.32.jpg
 
The23rdman said:
I thought this was an interesting read on taking our work too seriously.

Article
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This article like the video article above, loses its way a bit towards the end, but both make some good points.

For me photography is, and always has been, an escape from my everyday world, it is an excuse to explore and learn about things that interest me. A few years ago, it was all about exploring the high Tosco Emilian Apennines. the experience of the hike was as important as the photography. Right now it is an exploration of some aspects of the cultural heritage of Italy and the spontaneous architecture in the area where I live. When I first came to Italy, photography was the key that unlocked the door of the world of performing arts. I was lucky that the local theater liked my photography and let me loose on the world of Theatre, Opera, Dance and Music. It was a good education in areas where my knowlege was lacking.

So, for me photography is just an incidental tool that aids my intellectual curiosity.

I like to post stuff to social media. Sometimes I get some feedback and interest and sometimes, it is obvious that nobody cares. When I did theatrical photography, the theater and the artists certainly did care about the quality of my shots in the short term, until the next production came along.

Maybe the thing to do, is to aim, to make photographs of things that will interest others. Pictures that show things and places that really are interesting. I used to post on another forum where a guy who lived in Papua New Guinea, posted pictures of everyday life, in a place I will never see for myself. I like quite a few others enjoyed looking at the stuff he posted
 
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tijuana taxi said:
I find most people who say they don't care what others think actually do.
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I think most/all appreciate getting positive feedback, it's human nature, but I don't get upset/disappointed if I don't (y)
 
snerkler said:
I think most/all appreciate getting positive feedback, it's human nature, but I don't get upset/disappointed if I don't (y)
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That is true, perhaps i should have said those who emphasise their indifference to others opinion
 
ShinySideUp said:
I think people care if someone is fashionable and it is cool to be seen to care. Someone cared about this:

untrustyou | Tracey emin, Tracey emin art, Monoprint

Tracy Emin

But no one cared about this:


paapu.jpg


A N Artist


My point is that you have to do what makes YOU happy and maybe some sucker will buy it for a lot of money -- but don't hold your breath?
Click to expand...

I have never understood why on earth some people like Tracy Emin stuff, think I read ages ago someone said A 5 year old could of done a better job than she did. Hers is a mess where the other image is great. Like others here I take images for my self and if folk like it then good, if they don't then it's not the end of the world. I think back to my days of shooting jazz gigs in a pub here and I would edit them to be dark and moody, some hated it but I loved it.
 
Fuji Dave said:
I have never understood why on earth some people like Tracy Emin stuff, think I read ages ago someone said A 5 year old could of done a better job than she did. Hers is a mess where the other image is great. Like others here I take images for my self and if folk like it then good, if they don't then it's not the end of the world. I think back to my days of shooting jazz gigs in a pub here and I would edit them to be dark and moody, some hated it but I loved it.
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Discounting the value of art works I did find the Bed piece by Tracey Emin quite evocative.
Lots of people go through a rather dark period and thought it captured that quite well.
 
snerkler said:
I think most/all appreciate getting positive feedback, it's human nature, but I don't get upset/disappointed if I don't (y)
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That is so true as having others look at an image we take and get different feedback can be worth thinking about, like others might notice something that the photographer did'nt at the time.
 
Fuji Dave said:
I have never understood why on earth some people like Tracy Emin stuff, think I read ages ago someone said A 5 year old could of done a better job than she did.
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They should have read this:

Why Your Five Year Old Could Not Have Done That: Modern Art Explained: Amazon.co.uk: Hodge, Susie: 9780500290477: Books

Buy Why Your Five Year Old Could Not Have Done That: Modern Art Explained 01 by Hodge, Susie (ISBN: 9780500290477) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
www.amazon.co.uk

:)
 
tijuana taxi said:
Discounting the value of art works I did find the Bed piece by Tracey Emin quite evocative.
Lots of people go through a rather dark period and thought it captured that quite well.
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I remember the first time I saw The Bed and thought OMG that is not art at all, it's just a bed that is a mess. Years later I totally changed my mind about it as my thoughts then went to it's about life and mental health issues and ended up liking it. It's her only piece that I thought was good but very powerful.
 
NCV said:
For me photography is... ...an excuse to explore and learn about things that interest me.

So, for me photography is just an incidental tool that aids my intellectual curiosity.
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Similar for me. I've also always liked making pictures, and the limits of how you can make pictures with photography (before AI :LOL:) is a challenge I enjoy.

NCV said:
Maybe the thing to do, is to aim, to make photographs of things that will interest others.
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I think a lot of hobbyist photographers (and 'art' photographers such as Gursky) are making photos that are likely to be of interest to other photographers of a similar leaning. Which is why the public at large couldn't give a toss about them. So there's another challenge for me. To make photographs that work for people in the the photographic realm and for an audience that is interested in the subject matter.
 
Fuji Dave said:
I remember the first time I saw The Bed and thought OMG that is not art at all, it's just a bed that is a mess. Years later I totally changed my mind about it as my thoughts then went to it's about life and mental health issues and ended up liking it. It's her only piece that I thought was good but very powerful.
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It's also a different experience to see it for real than to look at it on a screen. It gets a thumbs up from me.
 
snerkler said:
This is a great example of what I see as people jumping on the bandwagon. I don't know how or what got Tracy Emin famous but it was deemed "In Vogue" to like her and I'm pretty sure she could do any kin of drivel and people would find something to rave about. It's a bit like the Rhine II, up until fairly recently is was the most expensive photograph costing over £2m but I can't see any merit in it what so ever :thinking:

View attachment 391345
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It would be so easy to do this now there's Generative Fill! :LOL:
 
Thank you for sharing the article @The23rdman and for the informative discussion from everyone else. It's a timely article and reflects what I have been feeling for almost a year now and has caused my departure from a sport focus in my photography. In my sport photography, it's all about the subject, which I understand, but as my confidence (in my self) has grown and I am more open and in touch with how expressing myself through photography affects me, I began to feel very numb towards my sports photography and caused me to reflect on my why and how I shoot.

I have always been fascinated by fashion and portrait photography, reviewing my portrait work and gear that I had invested in, I found I was shooting in a style that I thought was popular etc. essentially, I was shooting for the approval of others, rather than for my expression of what I see in my subject. I noticed I had spent a huge amount of money in achieving a shallow DOF for my portrait work, assuming this was needed as I see so much of it on instagram. Taking a more academic approach to exploring my photographic style and consequent gear acquisition, the super shallow DOF look is absent from a lot (nearly all) fashion photography and some of the great portraits I enjoy concentrate on conveying the scene, rather than isolating the subject - at least to my eyes, that's what makes a great portrait.

Essentially, I agree with the article, it is a trap I feel into, shooting for the approval of others, often noticing that nobody cares about your photography, which I agree. It's encouraged me to allow myself to express myself in my photography, and shoot to convey what I see and feel (emotionally) of my subject. For me at least, it's a very liberating and exciting time.
 
Is it about having an opinion and the bonus is that we are allowed to express it? Whether you like Tracy Erin or any other artist doesn't necessarily matter to anyone other than you - but that fact that you gave it thought and decided one way or the other meant you engaged at some level and that gives it a value.
 
toohuge said:
Thank you for sharing the article @The23rdman and for the informative discussion from everyone else. It's a timely article and reflects what I have been feeling for almost a year now and has caused my departure from a sport focus in my photography. In my sport photography, it's all about the subject, which I understand, but as my confidence (in my self) has grown and I am more open and in touch with how expressing myself through photography affects me, I began to feel very numb towards my sports photography and caused me to reflect on my why and how I shoot.

I have always been fascinated by fashion and portrait photography, reviewing my portrait work and gear that I had invested in, I found I was shooting in a style that I thought was popular etc. essentially, I was shooting for the approval of others, rather than for my expression of what I see in my subject. I noticed I had spent a huge amount of money in achieving a shallow DOF for my portrait work, assuming this was needed as I see so much of it on instagram. Taking a more academic approach to exploring my photographic style and consequent gear acquisition, the super shallow DOF look is absent from a lot (nearly all) fashion photography and some of the great portraits I enjoy concentrate on conveying the scene, rather than isolating the subject - at least to my eyes, that's what makes a great portrait.

Essentially, I agree with the article, it is a trap I feel into, shooting for the approval of others, often noticing that nobody cares about your photography, which I agree. It's encouraged me to allow myself to express myself in my photography, and shoot to convey what I see and feel (emotionally) of my subject. For me at least, it's a very liberating and exciting time.
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I fell for the trap of shooting what’s popular and needing the gear to be perfect too. There was a rich source of learning and inspiration from the great photographers of the past that I simply ignored.

This time around I’m doing my due diligence and learning to ‘see’ instead of shooting by numbers. It’s refreshing.
 
The23rdman said:
This time around I’m doing my due diligence and learning to ‘see’ instead of shooting by numbers. It’s refreshing.
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Most of my photography life I just shot what I liked and it has taken me many years to change my thought, as now when I take a photo I won't just snap it as I use to. I will look at all the different angles and how the light might and does fall on the subject, sometimes I might still just take the shot but most of the time I like to watch and see how something can change.
 
Because I started taking pictures to sell, very early on, my mindset tends to be "will someone like this"?

Even though I ceased to regard photography as a source of income at the end of the 1980s, I just can't stop thinking that way. It's not a problem but I do wonder whether I'd enjoy it more if my mind worked differently, when I pick up a camera. :thinking:
 
In a way one can be self-sufficient in deriving pleasure from one's own work - I enjoy having my own images on the walls around me as I go from room to room in the house. But it would seem to give one's images added purpose if others can see them and possibly relate to them. Exactly how others might relate to them though can be something of an enigma. However I enjoy looking at other people's work, so some sort of communication is obviously possible.

It seems that people generally tend to be (often hugely) inarticulate in describing their responses to a photograph or other type of work. Saying that they 'like it' sounds to me to be a kind of brush-off that doesn't begin to describe the nature of any engagement. But perhaps the engagement really was that slight.

I think that this issue, though, (if it is an issue), is common across all the arts and crafts.
 
snerkler said:
This is a great example of what I see as people jumping on the bandwagon. I don't know how or what got Tracy Emin famous but it was deemed "In Vogue" to like her and I'm pretty sure she could do any kin of drivel and people would find something to rave about. It's a bit like the Rhine II, up until fairly recently is was the most expensive photograph costing over £2m but I can't see any merit in it what so ever :thinking:
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Emin was part of a generation of young British artists who were fortunate to be active at a time when the art market was looking for a new 'gimmick'. It had become quite stale, with little real progression, and needed shaking up. The traditional norms and conventions about art needed challenging. The Saatchis came along with a big bundle of cash, and started filling galleries with all sorts of this 'new' art, the more controversial the better. Sharks in tanks of Formaldehyde, unmade beds and derelict houses filled with concrete suddenly shook the art world, and set fire to the status quo. It wasnt about the actual creative merits of the pieces or artists, it was all about one thing; money. It was a huge gamble and it paid off. Sure, people can wax lyrical about an unmade bed or a head cast from frozen blood, but that's because they've been told it's 'art', because it's been placed in context of 'being art'. So the characters only because famous because some marketing geniuses decided to use their work to get rich(er). It's really no more complicated than that. Right place, right time. If you were lucky enough to be at Goldsmiths or CSM or the RCA etc, in the late 80s/early 90s, then you were in with a good chance of having a name made for you regardless of your actual creative skill. Art has power when it has commercial value. Of course, through all of that, you did get the odd genuinely thought-provoking piece such as Marcus Harvey's 'Myra', but mostly it's just pretentious art college guff. The move away from actual creative talent and skill towards 'concept' art was largely cos it had all been done before and there was little value in the same old thing. Don't get me wrong; there was still some genuinely progressive work being produced, and in time, this will be remembered more in terms of actual art, than most of the other stuff.

One documentary I can highly recommend, for those interested in the whole art market phenomenon, is 'The Price of Everything'. Fascinating. It was onNetflix I think, but may now be harder to access. Also, the BBC have a series on the YBA thats very good: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001cbst

As for Andreas Gursky; 'Rheine 2' doesn't speak for the rest of his work. I really like his stuff, but again it's about context; he produces images that look amazing when printed up huge, like several metres across.

Andreas Gursky | home

Welcome to the personal website of the German artist Andreas Gursky. Check out his latest exhibitions, get news and explore the artwork of the Düsseldorf based photographer.
www.andreasgursky.com www.andreasgursky.com
 
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