I dont know – what I actually find much more astonishing is that how many people, friends and strangers actually do agree on a good wine, concert, music, picture etc.. Yes there are differnt opinions and contexts and some wines may be overpriced (as we all know) but I find again and again that quality is recognized consistently.

What and who influence our direction-taking and decision-making act on us on a scale of daily, yearly, and over our lifetime.

When I was vice president of a local camera club years ago I showed several lesser-known (almost unknown) works from photographers such as Edward Weston and Ansel Adams, and a couple recognizable pieces from them as well and requested critique of these works without the audience knowing who the creators were. All works were of comparable quality. The recognizable works received the highest praise of composition, subject matter, and quality of work while the lesser-known work from the same artist received comments regarding the lesser technique of composition, choice of subject matter, and quality of reproduction.

We know what we know and are attracted to what we think looks good. Perception and impression are important, it seems.

http://www.blueplanetphoto.com/wordpress/?p=534

“It is not a lie if you believe it”.

rocksteady,
danno~

The majority of ad work I do is not on my site only a few and I post them without any copy on them. I’m also not a fan (personally) of listing who I worked with. I figure if a art buyer likes my work we can have a chat and talk about their project and the work I’ve done for other clients.

The Funny things is, when we have our own personal experience, we wont admit our opinion was faulty, unfounded, Wro…. Wron….I can’t say it.

… Or, maybe it was these factors: http://tinyurl.com/yhzj7a4 (Her weirdest post ever, but sadly, probably true).

If we can show that passion in our images, I do think that changes the perception others have of our images. That’s a good reason to take on projects in which we have interest, and passion, and not just for the money. Of course, we need to continue to show that passion, and I think that is why our personal work has become vastly more important than tear sheets.

How I have seen this apply to photography has been in writing proposals for shoots. Knowing how much to bid is a fine balance of perceived value and expectations. Too high and one becomes unaffordable, yet too low and one becomes too risky.

Before I became a photographer I was a mechanic for about 12 years, the last 2 of which being spent working with Ferrari and Maserati. Having seen the “other” side of those cars I can loosely say that they are pieces of shit. The engineering is spotty, the fit and finish isnt always correct, the reliability is not great and they are not the FASTEST or BEST HANDLING cars out there. Yet see one parked on the street and a crowd gathers, hear one tear by you on the highway and your ears prick up, see one coming the opposite way on the road and you will stare. Im not saying that they arent fantastic cars, but there is more of a hype that carries them then anything else. After all its the way they appeal to the senses that will let you forgive its shortcomings I think. They are just a vehicle, four wheels, a motor, and a steering wheel after all. But the color, the shape of the bodywork, the sound of the engine is what makes it unique. If you could theoretically put earplugs in, and a brown bag over the car, you may not be able to tell the difference between it and a sports car costing a fraction of its price.

The same holds true with our industry. A lot relies on hype and the show. Sure its just images, but execution, color, composition and presentation all play a vital role in reception and perception. ITs human nature after all. 99.9% of he time the “Ferrari” photographer would be chosen over the “Hyundai” photographer.

My two pennies

Having an open mind is a lot more difficult than we thought.

I have friends that land some huge jobs and they are masters of bullshit. They drop names at the right time, wear the right clothing and give just enough gifts to the clients so the client thinks they are not getting their ass kissed but rather have a friend.

It’s fucking disgusting when I see this in action and hear how good it works with some people at agencies but then again he’s landing way more work then I am.

Maybe its my morals to feel wrong about whoring myself out but the idea crosses my mind often.

Weingarten’s Mea Culpa: http://tinyurl.com/6avzk7

Thanks for the post. Reminded me of something I heard from Leslie Burns Dell’Acqua at an ASMP business seminar. To paraphrase: ‘DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT design your own website. You will look cheap.’

In the wedding photography segment, at least, it seems every photographer bills themself as “high-end” or a “destination photographer available worldwide”–naturally because they want to attract high-budget clients or exotic locations.

The reality, of course, is that they have little (if any) experience working with such clients and venues. And the truly talented/experienced photographers often get lost in the mix.

I guess my question is–does the notion of “perception is reality” change if everyone attempts the same perception through their marketing?