Too many pictures syndrome

[al olson]

Tomorrow my exhibit at the Open Shutter Gallery in Durango will close and I will be returning 14 prints, framed at 26x30, home to store. Almost all of these prints were created as fresh work for the Lifes Stills show. (For anyone with photographic interest traveling through southwestern Colorado, this gallery is noted for the quality of its shows.)

When Frank first posted his comment below, I was going to express my thoughts with regard to how difficult it is to be recognized. From my perspective Frank is correct about the futility of participating in galleries and shows.

My opinion is that you have to realize that soliciting galleries and shows is next to worthless -- it is a far better return on investment (of time, money, energy) to produce more and more great work until it is impossible to be ignored. And then the audience will come to you. Most people start submitting to galleries or try to sell higher-end prints too early in their careers and wind up getting discouraged.

You have to figure out how to be a productive artist/photographer for years and years without a return. If that means being a plumber or shooting ordinary things to pay the bills then so be it.

So I will be bringing home 14 prints in frames 26x30 to store. I am out of wall space so framed prints sit stacked on the floor. Matted prints are stored in 5 bins throughout my house. More matted prints are filed away in storage boxes that fill cabinets. Unmatted prints are in archival albums.

I have been doing photography all my life, at least since 1952 when I discovered the darkroom. Initially I was using 35mm but learned large format in high school and did press photography in college. For a long while thereafter I only did slides of the family activities until the color printing of negative materials became feasible in the late 70s.

About 12 years ago I returned to the LF and MF. That has been my emphasis ever since. The problem is that over time I have produced far more prints than I sell. This is probably typical of most amateur photographers. While I am not attempting to make a living at photography it would be nice to sell enough to cover expenses. More important at this time I need to relieve the storage burden.

When my work is in exhibit, it is nice to hear the compliments. It is good for my ego, but the buyers are rare. Continually creating fresh work for the galleries and shows means that when the work is returned home it simply adds to the accumulation.

I try to produce subjects that I think people would be willing to place on their walls. In the past three years I have specialized in monochromes of ghost towns and Anasazi ruins, hoping that the second home dwellers in this back-water, wannabe resort town would decorate their walls with pictures that are characteristic of the area. Pictures of mountains, trees, or clouds don't sell either.

I don't think my pricing is out of line. It is in the $200 - 300 range for unframed, matted prints with image size from 11x14 to 16x20. I end up giving away prints to friends and donating others to charitable activities. But I keep this to a minimum to protect the value of my work from being severely eroded.

This has reached the point where I hesitate to create new work. Hence I am turning down shows. I still use my MF and LF cameras, although not as much as I used to. I still develop my negatives, but seldom make prints except for an occasional contact sheet. Why bother to make another print? What is the point? I can tell if my negatives are good. But making another print that will gather dust just costs money.

I find that I have become very critical of evaluating subject matter for the worth of turning it into a photograph. If there is not extraordinary (in my eyes) visual impact I don't bother to set up a camera. I call this TMPS (Too Many Pictures Syndrome).

My joy of photography has taken a turn. I get more satisfaction out of talking with other photographers than I do from creating the exposure and making a print for others to view.

I am wondering how many participants on this forum feel the same way?

[sultanofcognac]

Al,

I tend to enjoy the journey of carrying the gear to a place where I can feel comfortable - it doesn't have to be secluded, just where I find a shot to fill my need.

I then take all the time in the world to set up the camera and arrange everything; composition, framing, focusing, movements. Then I spend some time viewing the image in the GG. What pleasure!

I then either take a shot or sit on my little foldable stool and read or just watch the day happen. I often don't take the shot, and quietly pack up and move to another location or go home.

To me, going through all the movements and setting up the shot IS creating an image, albeit only on the GG.

I enjoy taking that journey, as it gives me time to focus on (pardon the pun) something other than my life and all the other projects and problems that orbit my 'space'.

If I don't take this exercise once in a while, I find that my cameras spend more time looking nice rather than being used.

The shutter doesn't have to fire, but my creativity and passion for generating that image must be fed.

Cheers,

Johnny

[GPS]

Al,


...

The shutter doesn't have to fire, but my creativity and passion for generating that image must be fed.

Cheers,

Johnny

That's absolutely correct. Hence my advice to Al - stop caring about sales, prices etc. Great photographers would take pictures for themselves even if they needed to be hungry because of it. If the best and the only reward for them were only the creation of the picture they have in their mind it is enough for their heart. The rest can go to hell...

[jp]

You mentioned you are trying to make photos people will want to hang on their walls. Perhaps there is a disconnect between this task and what photography YOU want to do. You mentioned it's good for your ego to make photos other people like; my ego is more excited when I make photos I like. I think when these two things are reconciled, you'll be a little more upbeat.

I've provided photos for charity auctions before, and it totally depends on the audience what will sell. I've had photos I couldn't give away at well attended successful school auctions and I've had the same photo that sold for what I'd expect (same as everyone else's similar quality media) at auctions known to attract art seekers (local animal shelter). Thus, I've learned what other people think is not real important. If you want your hobby to produce money, do a couple weddings once in a while on the side rather than change your whole hobby to please others. While I don't make money providing images for a charity auction, I do it once in a while for a combination of liking the cause, being curious what it will sell for, and to expand my potential audience.

[Chuck Pere]

Maybe you need to sign-up for Holga therapy. That might help take the pressure off and put the fun back in. I just buy more boxes and rotate new things into the wall space.

[Jeff Graves]

Al, I've been through the same thing. My solution...contact printing on platinum/palladium! It seems to be the latest thing with me...use a large camera to make small images :-)
I've also been mounting with adhesive corners, that way I can rotate images through a set of boards/mattes.

[Eric Rose]

Unfortunately many people with disposable income want to spend it on things that will impress their friends rather than enrich their souls or personal environments. Hence the proliferation of Hummers (parked in the driveway so everyone can see it), Beamers galore and 8 foot photographs that start at $8000.

Print bigger and up your price. At the next show hang these large prints with no pricing. If they ask just tell them if they have to ask they can't afford them and/or they don't fully appreciate the image. In either case indicate you wouldn't sell it to them, period. That will get around and the snobs will beat your doors down.

[jnantz]

yes it is depressing isn't it ?
look at it as an opportunity ... instead of
big master-prints, keep making negatives,
scan them and have collections made into blurb books.
maybe selling coffee table books through blurb ( or others frequently mentioned here )
will get your work noticed by more then the circles you show it in, and in your book you
can mention that originals are available through you.

yes i know that blurb or the pod printers quality isn't as good as the real print
but at least the books will be out there and in circulation and a business-card.

good luck !
john

[Andrew O'Neill]

This has reached the point where I hesitate to create new work. Hence I am turning down shows. I still use my MF and LF cameras, although not as much as I used to. I still develop my negatives, but seldom make prints except for an occasional contact sheet. Why bother to make another print? What is the point? I can tell if my negatives are good. But making another print that will gather dust just costs money.

I find that I have become very critical of evaluating subject matter for the worth of turning it into a photograph. If there is not extraordinary (in my eyes) visual impact I don't bother to set up a camera. I call this TMPS (Too Many Pictures Syndrome).

My joy of photography has taken a turn. I get more satisfaction out of talking with other photographers than I do from creating the exposure and making a print for others to view.

I am wondering how many participants on this forum feel the same way?

I've been feeling this way for several years now. I have piles of negatives that need to be printed and find it impossible to get to if I keep adding to the pile. I only take a photo if I am truly moved by what I see now. Also, I have been teaching myself carbon transfer printing for a year now and love it. I've been using old negs and new. My silver printing has come to a stand still. Carbon printing is slow and a labour of love.

[Ken Lee]

Greatness, Fame, and Wealth: They're loosely connected at best.