Versatility

[Kirk Gittings]

When Qt saw my recent architectural video from a link I posted over ar Google+, he remarked about how versatile I was. It got me thinking. This month in particular is filled with allot of evidence of my very diverse career in photography. Too many links to post here-see the post on my blog (http://kirkgittingsphotography.blogspot.com/2011/10/versatility.html).

All these activities have a strange kind of synergy-they build off of each other. At times when I am really busy it all seems like too much, but in this economy I have really appreciated the diversity. Its kind of like diversifying your investments to protect your retirement from economic problems (Retirement? Hmmm I have a vague memory of what that means....).

I'm curious about others versatility, FE I know Petronio does allot of diverse things. Maybe we can all learn something useful.

[Mike Anderson]

In my experience, in a good economy being (or painting yourself as) a specialist pays off, but in bad times emphasizing your versatility pays off.

I'm not talking about photography just in general.

...Mike

[Greg Blank]

I think you should always have a specialty and be willing to tell other people about it. I've been doing photo for 29 years. I don't show this often but I have another site its www.gregblankphoto.com & I have a local publication that pretty much only assigns me people shots. But I have been shooting 4x5 landscape and architecture since I was twenty. Weddings I had to work into and it was not my first choice. It sort of honed other skills like communication with groups of people- which is a good skill. After over 200 I sort of burned out on them, at least for a while. With a lot of diverse interests my take is it all works if your interest is in what you do.

[mdm]

Even though Paul Strand made his living with his Ackley his motion looked like it was made by a stills photographer. Your video is very boring, like an invlountary slideshow on a flash site with music. Or uncle Joes interminable Hawaii slideshow from the eighties. Or Merinda's wedding pictures, all 1000 of them. Sorry to burst your bubble. A string of good stills do not make a good video.

[r.e.]

At bottom, I think that this is a question of temperament. Some people are happiest being generalists and some are happiest being specialists.

[Vaughn]

Excellent video, Kirk. Wonderfully done. True, it does not have the pace, quick jerky cuts, multiple images layered on top of each other, etc, that YouTube viewers have come to expect -- thank goodness!

I am not diverse, but then I am not a commercial photographer, with the needs they might have. As a professional artist, I keep fairly limited to the various types of landscapes and my kids in those landscapes -- and in a couple of photographic printing processes. I do stretch myself occasionally, but not to the extent of a commercial photographer trying to make a living in these difficult times.

[Kirk Gittings]

Even though Paul Strand made his living with his Ackley his motion looked like it was made by a stills photographer. Your video is very boring, like an invlountary slideshow on a flash site with music. Or uncle Joes interminable Hawaii slideshow from the eighties. Or Merinda's wedding pictures, all 1000 of them. Sorry to burst your bubble. A string of good stills do not make a good video.

Fair enough. I've been in this business for 30+ years and have a pretty thick skin .......but better yet I know my field and clientele. Fortunately for me the clients absolutely loved it, it paid well and the project has led to two more well paying projects for top national firms. It was my first effort and will get better, but not from the point of view your criticisms suggest (which fail to understand my clients needs). It was also shot and produced on incredibly primitive equipment and software which will change as volume and budgets for this type of work increase. I never believe in going into debt to finance photo projects-let the work pay for the equipment-especially true in this economy.

PS the Strand reference....you made me smile....exactly! The best architectural photographer, still or motion, ever.

[QT Luong]

Here's my take on the subject: http://bit.ly/otXYab

[Kirk Gittings]

At bottom, I think that this is a question of temperament. Some people are happiest being generalists and some are happiest being specialists..
I am by far happiest being a specialist, but economics are forcing me to diversify some. I also love (not always at first) a new challenge. It gets me out of my comfort zone and gets the creative juices flowing.

[jnantz]

it used to be a running joke back in the 1980s here in rhode island ...
whenever you ran into a photographer you asked them what kind of
work they did ... " besides weddings " because no matter who you were
chances were you always had to pick up some side work and weddings
allowed for a little bit of everything .. product, architectural, editorial, portrait
and glamour photography ...
these days, with the slick $10K all digital + 25,000 proofs to choose from
and 2hour long multi media display it seems that most photographers
are doing other things to help make ends meet ... ...
i always enjoy picking up editorial portraits ... its hard to have a conversation
with a building ;)

[Kirk Gittings]

Weddings? I'm not that versatile! :)

[ROL]

Wonderful work. Nice architectural concept, if a little "Burning Man", representing the indigenous culture. Subtle, artful, and sensitive. Can't imagine who the person is that "disliked" the video. What did you shoot it with? (Your stills, I'm guessing)

[Kirk Gittings]

Thanks. Everything, stills and video were shot with my 5D II and various lenses, 24 T/S and zooms.

FWIW I had to use that music and the end credits they were handed to me by the client (music was performed by one of the architects). They are ok-I go back and forth on them..............but could be a bit better IMO. I may redit a "personal version" with other music and credits when I get some time and distance.

[Greg Blank]

Weddings take balls :D Where else can you stand up in front of two-three hundred potential clients and lose them all instantly when your equipment fails :0)

In high school I always thought I wnated to be a chef. Then I got the chance to work in a few restuarants, I learned I did not like the hours. But I still really like to cook.....I made Gyros from scratch a couple of days ago. Ground the lamb,made the τζατζίκι Sauce and homemade Pita bread.uhm Toasty!

[r.e.]

The secondary issue that has arisen in this thread about still photography and motion pictures/video brings to mind one of my favourite films: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_jetée In addition to the Criterion edition, the whole of La Jetée appears to be available on YouTube.

[Kirk Gittings]

interesting. I was not familiar with that film. I will check it out for sure.

[jnantz]

interesting. I was not familiar with that film. I will check it out for sure.

you have to have the volume kind of loud or headphones
there is a lot of mumbling / murmuring :)


yeah, weddings can be kind of crazy ..
nice work btw!!

[r.e.]

interesting. I was not familiar with that film. I will check it out for sure.

You might find some of the references here interesting as well: http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/eventseducation/film/photofilmseasonseries.htm

[Struan Gray]

I have a sideline in sports photography (http://www6.idrottonline.se/H43Lund-Handboll/UNGDOM/BlueKids/Lagen/Flickor01L/Fotoalbum/), but I steadfastly refuse to make any money at it :-)

I am a generalist by nature, and resist the urge to converge all my interests - professional and amateur - on a unique selling point. Sometimes the combination can be more unique than the parts. In my happy moments I think of myself as an emergent Renaissance man.

In my depressed moments I think of myself as a master of none.

[Jim Michael]

Kirk, I thought your video was outstanding. Very smooth, nice transitions, perfect color grading, and very interesting visuals like the contrast of plants and spars, and the airliner riding along that spar. The only thing I didn't care for was the series of pans and zooms at the end.

Re versatility, sometimes it makes sense to become more specialized rather than less. Is there a sub-specialty in architectural photography in which you could establish a niche which others can't or won't fill?

[Corran]

I have always tried to have a diverse set of skills to use in finding work. I hate the old adage "Jack of all trades master of none." I try to master a skill before adding another to my arsenal. I think the phrase really applies to those people who try to do 100 different things, not 5.

I personally am first and foremost a professional musician. I have three degrees in music (composition, education, and performance). But even playing a lot of gigs it's almost impossible to make a living short of the top 20-30 orchestras. So about 8 years ago I started doing recording engineering, which has grown to become my main source of income. Photography started as a hobby, and then people started asking me to shoot events and portraits, so I ran with it (LF photography is a hobby though, but I'm trying to get involved in the local art scene). I also teach music and photography on the side as well as moonlighting as a computer technician.

Maybe some people can make it as a specialist but they've got to be lucky and in the right area.

[Brian Ellis]

When Qt saw my recent architectural video from a link I posted over ar Google+, he remarked about how versatile I was. It got me thinking. This month in particular is filled with allot of evidence of my very diverse career in photography. Too many links to post here-see the post on my blog (http://kirkgittingsphotography.blogspot.com/2011/10/versatility.html).

All these activities have a strange kind of synergy-they build off of each other. At times when I am really busy it all seems like too much, but in this economy I have really appreciated the diversity. Its kind of like diversifying your investments to protect your retirement from economic problems (Retirement? Hmmm I have a vague memory of what that means....).

I'm curious about others versatility, FE I know Petronio does allot of diverse things. Maybe we can all learn something useful.

I understand what retirement means. I don't understand how to "protect your retirement from economic problems." If you figure that one out please let me know. : - )

[Scott Davis]

I understand what retirement means. I don't understand how to "protect your retirement from economic problems." If you figure that one out please let me know. : - )

That one's simple- be born rich, or marry rich (enough) that even if your investments tank and you have to sell them all, you'll still have enough cash to live on and it won't run out until after the funeral.

[Kirk Gittings]

Kirk, I thought your video was outstanding. Very smooth, nice transitions, perfect color grading, and very interesting visuals like the contrast of plants and spars, and the airliner riding along that spar. The only thing I didn't care for was the series of pans and zooms at the end.

Re versatility, sometimes it makes sense to become more specialized rather than less. Is there a sub-specialty in architectural photography in which you could establish a niche which others can't or won't fill?

Thanks I think those are valid points, pro and con. This is unapologetically a promotional piece for the architects and contractors. The end is a compromise because there are some problems in the building that had to be photoshopped-so the stills were the only way to solve that issue (within reason budget wise-this is not Hollywood:)). So as not to end it with a glaring change in image type I added some more additional panned stills to effect a more deliberate transition. Everyone in the architecture business who has given me feedback have been unanimously positive about the end.

As per versatility, I have been too specialized. As some markets went down the tubes, like magazine work (half my income in 2008), I was left with just shooting stills for architects (the other half of my income in 2008) and needed to expand my offerings.

Understand New Mexico has the highest number of professional photographers per capita by far of any state. Santa Fe is the second largest art market in the country. Photographers and artists are as ubiquitous as praire dogs here. I have faired far better than most. Many of my friends and competitors have filed bankruptcy or have no photography work at all and have moved to other professions. Every little niche has a herd of wild dogs trying to break in.

[Robert Hughes]

That one's simple- be born rich, or marry rich (enough) that even if your investments tank and you have to sell them all, you'll still have enough cash to live on and it won't run out until after the funeral.
One of the smartest things that Bill Gates ever did was to choose the right grandparents...

[sanking]

Kirk,

I also enjoyed the video. And there is no question but that you are one very versatile dude, a master of your commercial work and also a wonderful landscape photographer of the American southwest. I know you have worked hard at your craft and it is nice to see talent recognized.

So a big congratulations to you.

Sandy King

[tgtaylor]

Understand New Mexico has the highest number of professional photographers per capita by far of any state. Santa Fe is the second largest art market in the country. Photographers and artists are as ubiquitous as praire dogs here. I have faired far better than most. Many of my friends and competitors have filed bankruptcy or have no photography work at all and have moved to other professions. Every little niche has a herd of wild dogs trying to break in.

I did a quick google search Santa Fe list 120 "Professional Photographers" including you
http://www.marketingtool.com/channel/photo/b.465.g.5226.html?photographers_region=new+mexico&photographers_city=santa+fe&page=all
while San Francisco lists 300. Note that many of the photographers in the Santa Fe listing are, like yourself, outside of Santa Fe whereas the San Francisco listing is confined solely to those within the city. The population of SF is approximately 700K.
http://www.allonesearch.com/professional-photographers/california/san-francisco

I find it intriging that Ansel Adams, with a subject matter as immense as the Sierra Nevada, the California deserts, the California coast..., seriously considering relocating to New Mexico early in his career. Maybe Moonrise started to get the better of his judgement before he snapped out it:D

Thomas

BTW, I thought the video was well produced. Your client(s) got their money's worth.

[Kirk Gittings]

Thomas, There was an article in American Photographer some years ago about the inordinate number of photographers per capita in NM. I don't remember the source of their stats. That article bowled us all over-no wonder things seem so damn cutthroat around here.

I don't suggest any pro artist move to NM unless they can bring their "big City" clientele with them.

Thanks for the kind words about the video.

[Kirk Gittings]

Thanks Sandy-means allot. You seem to be very versatile in your retirement, writing, teaching, showing. Does it feel that way?

[Jim Jones]

Single-minded specialization has resulted in many of the great accomplishments of humanity. Consider Stradivarius, Galileo, Shakespeare, Beethoven, John M. Browning, Einstein, Edwin Land, and so many others. However, for many of us mortals, diversification is more practical. In my agricultural neighborhood, an ability to fix whatever is broken or improvise whatever is needed is expedient In more structured environments, such ability can be even more critical. Early in a Navy career I was trained to repair communications equipment. However, the Navy can't have a specialist for every task on every ship or at every station. For example, at one isolated duty station, in addition to supervising other communications repairmen, I was the armory custodian, marksmanship instructor, photographer, antenna rigger, movie projectionist, courier, machinist, and perhaps a few other tasks that don't immediately come to an aging mind. It was more satisfying than being perfect at one specialization.

[Vaughn]

I was only thinking of "versatility" in regards to the type of photography I do...instead of income generation.

I sell fine-art prints at an established well-know gallery. I also sell them at a local gallery of which I am one of the owners (a cooperative of 30 artists). I give workshops in carbon printing. I also work halftime at a university (w/ benefits) running/maintaining the Art Dept's teaching darkroom. So 100% of my income is from photography from a variety of sources. Semi-versatile, I suppose.

Vaughn

[Greg Blank]

I found aspects of the video interesting, liked the music, liked the more dramatic sky shots - gotta love NM for those! I found the welding parts interesting, last year I started welding and really began to enjoy it as a creative process- so thats more diverse I think. I am plotting to buy a tig welder for some custom stainless steel darkroom projects I have in the back of my gourd. Back to the video: I would most likely do it with a bit more time lapse type stuff speeding up portions to enhance interest of the final result. I read a while back that in the future all photographers were going to have to incorporate video in thier business models to survive...I think in Rangerfinder. I don't completely agree, but who am I :)

[mdm]

This is my point. If you replaced the whole video with only the final take, what information have you lost. None. Thats because Mr Gittins is a very good still photographer, that shot contains all the information you have spent 4 minutes looking at. Why waste 4 minutes when you can get it all in 1 spilt second. An excelent director would show us all sorts of information in that 4 minute space. What is the function of this building? How is it used? What do the occupants look like. What does the upside down teepee look like in gale force winds? Is the receptionist hot? Why would I come to this place? Why should you come to this place? Why should you hire theese people to build a place like this for you? This video is about the directors photographs.

[r.e.]

This is my point. If you replaced the whole video with only the final take, what information have you lost. None. Thats because Mr Gittins is a very good still photographer, that shot contains all the information you have spent 4 minutes looking at. Why waste 4 minutes when you can get it all in 1 spilt second. An excelent director would show us all sorts of information in that 4 minute space. What is the function of this building? How is it used? What do the occupants look like. What does the upside down teepee look like in gale force winds? Is the receptionist hot? Why would I come to this place? Why should you come to this place? Why should you hire theese people to build a place like this for you? This video is about the directors photographs.

Hi David,

In four minutes, one has time to tell a short story. In this case, the story is about the design of the building and how the design emerges. There are arguably some additional social references, but they seem to me to be secondary to, although supportive of, the main theme. Given who commissioned the film, the storyline should not be a surprise. Nor should it be the object of scorn. I think that there is a lot to be said, given the clients and the length of the film, for the fact that the film maintains focus from beginning to end. I think that it might be quite a challenge to make a four minute film that embraced all of what you suggest, and indeed that the resulting product might well be labeled scattered.

One of the things that interests me about this film is that part of it was shot using a digital still camera in video mode. If I was surprised at anything, it was Kirk's comment that the film was shot with "very primitive equipment". I'm not sure what he meant by that, but if it was a reference to his Canon still camera, I am for my part convinced that digital still cameras in video mode have enormous potential when used within their limitations. As for the relationship between still images and moving images in video, I think that it is beyond obvious that that the mix works, and offered some examples earlier. For another example, have a look at the opening sequence of the Polish Brothers' film Northfork. Then, maybe for a comparison, have a look at the long tracking sequence in a classroom near the beginning of Truffaut's 400 Blows.

Beyond that, we are into questions of photographic style and pace. I may prefer a more dynamic pace, but that is a reflection of my personal taste, not a reflection on Kirk's film.

[Kirk Gittings]

I had no intention of this thread revolving around the video. But I am learning allot and I appreciate the feedback. To me personally the video isn't a tenth as important as the upcoming "Contemplative Landscape" show which includes a mere 5 prints done many years ago-some of my most heartfelt b&w images.

Back to the video. Here is what one of my biggest supporters and critics had to say. He is a magazine publisher/editor and a novelist who I worked for for many years. Someone who's opinion I highly value:

"I should have known that by the time you got around to doing video, it would be great. This is so "Kirk." And I assume those are pans of your stills at the end--lovely images.

You create a great sense of narrative and mystery, early on, before the whole building is revealed. I like those construction sequences a lot. And fantastic clouds. But just the way your framed and shot all this is of a piece with your photography."

IMO he really gets what I was trying to do and expresses it well (as some here above have too). Here is a poetic book review (http://www.gittingsphoto.com/users/KirkGittings2359/docs/SU%20CASA%20review.pdf) that I love he wrote a few years back.

and here is what an architectural historian at SAIC in Chicago had to say:

"Congrats on the new format. This will work for the owner, for the architect, for the contractor and, of course, for the photographer. I was particularly impressed by the way you mixed live action video with motion camera shots of your stills: very nicely done, indeed. You were able to control the light and capture the image as you wanted it, without the variables of live action, yet retain the sense of movement already established in the piece without an obvious change from live to stills. This has to be a significant addition to the service you already provide. Motion images for internet marketing: it only makes sense. Love those twilight shots!".

He gets the commercial nature of the piece and who it is intended to reach.

MDM, I think you are asking good questions, but perhaps don't understand the intent and the intended audience. This is very much architecture for architectures sake (art for arts sake).

[sanking]

Kirk,

Retirement has given me the time to devote more energy to my photography, which has always been a passion, and I am very grateful for the time. As you know I have a particular love for old processes, but at the same time I try to keep up with new digital technologies both for their own potential and for the ability to use new techniques to enhance my traditional printing. The opportunity to share this knowledge in teaching and showing work is enriching because the student/teacher process is a two way street and I often come away from workshops feeling that the learning experience for me has been as great as that of the students. Virtually every time I do a workshop someone comes up with an alternative way of doing something that improves on what I taught, and that is how it should be in my opinion. We learn from our teachers, but if that is all we do the art is not advanced. It is very important in my opinion to remain open to new ways of doing things and to avoid being shackled by dogma and ideology that attempt to limit the potential of our art.


Sandy