Can you guys critique my website/portfolio of my large format photography work?

[Greg]

Your work is fine. Just make sure you are up on the Art Speak BS. Took me four years of a BFA, before I was fluent at that.

Got my MFA in Photography at the age of 57. Biggest hurdle was learning how to Art Speak BS. Took me a month or so to be fluent in it. Promised myself that after I graduated, and was teaching college level courses in Photography, that I would never use that language in any of my classes. Actually ended up using it only once when one of my undergrad students tried to use it to impress me. He was no match for me, and never saw it coming back on him and his work.

[Ootsk]

.....

[Drew Wiley]

Any pontificating art guru who needs to resort to "art speak" has about as much depth as a bird bath.

[xkaes]

Someone who sees photography as mostly a avocation (a hobby or minor occupation) sees it differently from someone who sees it as an occupation.

As an occupation, you have two paths -- with some possible overlap. You can work alone (or with a partner or two) in your own business -- or you get a salary from someone else.

The first option takes a tremendous amount of effort, time, $$$, business acumen, and luck. 90% of all new businesses fail in the first year.

The latter means you are competing with other photographers who might have better qualifications, skills, knowledge, talent, connections, "art speak", etc.

A formal degree is a definite advantage in the latter "employee" track, but no guarantee of anything. A minor or additional degree can also help -- say in journalism, engineering, business, biology......

Just some late night musings.

[Pieter]

Someone who sees photography as mostly a avocation (a hobby or minor occupation) sees it differently from someone who sees it as an occupation.

As an occupation, you have two paths -- with some possible overlap. You can work alone (or with a partner or two) in your own business -- or you get a salary from someone else.

The first option takes a tremendous amount of effort, time, $$$, business acumen, and luck. 90% of all new businesses fail in the first year.

The latter means you are competing with other photographers who might have better qualifications, skills, knowledge, talent, connections, "art speak", etc.

A formal degree is a definite advantage in the latter "employee" track, but no guarantee of anything. A minor or additional degree can also help -- say in journalism, engineering, business, biology......

Just some late night musings.

In this gig economy, and with everyone having a camera that will automatically take a technically decent photo, plus all the smartphones having more and more sophisticated cameras, there are very few staff photographer positions available and an MFA is not much of a plus in the commercial, editorial and photojournalistic world. For commercial work, it is all about your portfolio and website. If the art buyer, editor or art director doesn't see what they feel they need from you as a photographer, they are not going to give you an assignment based on your resumé. Which brings me to editing (not in the digital sense) your work. When I was assigning commercial jobs, the great work in a photographers portfolio was important. But just as important was whether there was mediocre work being shown as well. That said to me that the photographer might not be able to distinguish great from good from so-so. And I did not want that lack of a critical eye from a photographer working on my assignment. I was just as responsible for the quality of the work as the photographer I hired. Except maybe it was my job on the line.

It might behoove you to talk to some of graduates of the programs you are applying for. Who are the professors and do they actually teach any of the classes or mentor any of the students? Graduate work, especially in the arts is about independent projects and developing a voice. You might need to learn some art-talk, but as long as you realize that that is what it is and don't drink the kool-aid, you'll be OK.

[xkaes]

Trying to live a life as a Gig-Photographer is a recipe for the poor house. You're better off playing the lottery.

[manfrominternet]

I disagree with the comments so far. I think you have some very strong images. Go for it!

Thank you, kindly! I really, really appreciate your kind words! It's always nice to hear someone appreciative of your work.

[manfrominternet]

Nice stuff (and I recognize many of the locations), but the tough part now is editing and post-conceptionization... (What/why these images are together???) Besides that you did them, what would someone figure why their experience seeing them on a wall or book, what ties them together between experience and viewer's thought...

School will bring critical thought to sequence and concept, often based on trends in art thinking in art market and theories, and trend in/out, often based on past/present theories in art crit...

A whole other animal in difference between work, and what can be said about it...

Good work!!!

Steve K

Hi Steve,

Many thanks for your kind words and thoughtful comments. I completely agree with you regarding the sequencing and concept and am glad you brought it up. But that's just it - I don't usually work in sequences. Practically all I have to say about of given subject or theme is in a single work. In no way would I ever dare compare my work to, say, Jeff Wall or Andreas Gursky, but I suppose that's the best way I can describe the way I work. That's something I'm going to have a tough time parsing out as it seems like 99% of photographers work in some kind of sequence. MFA programs practically require sequencing, so I'm not sure how I'll be able to make this fly. Other than a vague, tenuous similar theme, each work has little to do with one another.

[manfrominternet]

Kris,
Speaking not seriously, and maybe seriously - leave as far as possible from these places and as quickly as possible.
Don't be offended. Life is short.

Hi Yuriy,

First let me just say that I really like the work on your website. Very impressive work. Anyway, a few people have told me that a MFA in photography is just not worth it, unless it's from Yale, UCLA, or RISD. Then again, I certainly don't want to drown in student loan debt, so you do have a good point.

[manfrominternet]

Great work, reminds me a lot of Todd Hido, Nadav Kander and similar artists. You could benefit from sorting your images in distinct series and then shooting more images that fill up these projects. Check how Todd Hido set up his first series (Homes at Night, Interiors). You can also try and add people in the foreground, as well as portraits, thus coming closer to Alec Soth's seminal work.

I think you have a great chance of getting into a photography course.

Just my two bits.

Thanks for your kind words! I absolutely love the works of Todd Hido, Nadav Kander, and Alec Soth. (I was lucky enough to meet both Todd Hido and Alec Soth and talk with both for a bit.) I think your strategy of sorting my images and shooting more to fill up the projects is a good and valid strategy. This year will be dedicated to getting out of my comfort zone, meaning that I'll hopefully build up the courage to start photographing people.