Comments on: Ansel Adams And Paul Strand On Self-Promotion and Exhibitions

By: David Leland Hyde

David Leland Hyde — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 04:16:03 +0000

Thank you for returning Jim. Excellent insights into marketing and into the TV show, especially coming from a genuine outdoorsman. This is good validation that our scoffing is not off base. His videos struck me the same way. I grew up in the outdoors and his approach to scaring people about the natural world is not good PR for nature. Oprah Winfrey said that nature loves him. I disagree. Maybe he is doing his part to help protect the wilderness places he photographs by scaring people away. On the other hand, there will probably be plenty of ignorant lemmings who will go running out to “his” locations just for the so-called challenge and “danger.” The sad thing is that this kind of marketing merely perpetuates the idea that nature is to be feared and conquered, rather than enjoyed, revered, communed with, hugged and maybe even worshiped. Your blog is well worth visiting. I will shoot for being more regular.

By: Jim Sabiston

Jim Sabiston — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 01:55:50 +0000

Interesting updates to this old post. I am of Sharon’s mind as much as any – I dabble in the various social marketing processes, but the only thing that truly expands my marketing presence is the old fashioned stuff: knocking on gallery doors and personally selling at the outdoor art shows, easily my most productive venues. Word-of-mouth is starting to show results as well as former customers actively search me out at shows to buy additional prints. Having a full time job apart from photography limits my ability to expand into other areas, although I get teaching requests regulary.

I’ve seen the TV show of the photographer in question and found it laughable – not so much from the photography aspect as the commentary about the risk associated with being outdoors in these dangerous places/conditions which are highlighted and overplayed for dramatic effect. I am an avid outdoorsman and trained winter mountaineer and my photography started out as a natural extension of exploring some of the remote places of the world. The way he plays up the ‘danger’ and risk is a bad joke to any experienced outdoorsman – but then he isn’t catering to us either as outdoorsman or photographers. he is selling to people who do not know better on either topic and will buy into the shtick – and there are apparently many who buy into it. For the rest of us, whose interest lies in the art of what we do, the approach must be different and rather more subtle.

My blog is not so much a marketing tool – I’m reasonably certain no sales could be traced back to it – but rather a venue for organizing and expressing my creative thoughts and ideas. Dave happens to be one of my favorite semi-regular visitors and often leaves valuable comments which further refine my own thoughts.

By: David Leland Hyde

David Leland Hyde — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 23:39:57 +0000

Thank you so much, Derrick, for returning and giving us that rundown of insights. You have been productive this year. I wish I had taken as many photographs or visited as many photo blogs as you have. I don’t know what to say about the invitation except that perhaps your landscapes are the least like his of any of us, a scary (for us) and supreme compliment to you. I like what you say about workshops. Some of it depends on who teaches them and how they are taught.

By: Derrick

Derrick — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 21:27:30 +0000

1st off! I’m a bit hurt that I didn’t get an invitation I could turn down!!! WTF??! LOL.

As for what I’ve learned in the past year now that I’ve shot my mouth off….

I would have to say that it’s been a mix of technical skills, like learning how to better use the camera’s functions to get what I want or in learning (still) how to use Lightroom – again, to better represent what I remember seeing.

There’s the mental stuff, on how to look or see a particular shot – before I was content to find a good shot and not really work the scene over, experimenting with different things. Not so much any more. (thanks Bill Neill!)

I learned I don’t really like workshops. Not that I don’t enjoy shooting with masters like Wyman Meinzer, but I just don’t feel that I accomplished anything by taking the same picture that 10 other guys did.

I’d rather find my own way, I suppose.

I also have shied away from taking pictures of sunsets, David. It’s really got to be a GOOD one to capture my imagination now.

My eyes continue to learn to see, whether or not it’s in my own work or in the work of others.

And I’ve learned that you don’t have to be a very good photographer to generate a lot of readers/comments. There’s a ton of rather ordinary photogs out there that have huge followings while conversely there are several gifted photogs who have practically none at all…. which brings us back to the whole marketing thing.

By: David Leland Hyde

David Leland Hyde — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 16:36:48 +0000

Hi PJ, you are entertaining plenty enough without making yourself into a cartoon character, and you do it genuinely as your real self. Since I already am a cartoon of myself at times, maybe I could do something though. I could have a name like Super Chicken with a mission to bring the steak back to landscape photography. I could go around asking people if they are BURNED OUT on SIZZLE…

By: pj

pj — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 15:33:02 +0000

I did, but I refused. I haven’t seen it but who knows… maybe it’s great TV but it just didn’t sit right with me. It seemed to me that it was marketing a personality rather than any particularly unique work. I don’t know… maybe that’s what marketing is really all about. Selling the sizzle not the steak like the experts say. I know I’m not very good at it. Maybe I need to create an online cartoon character of myself or something…

By: David Leland Hyde

David Leland Hyde — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 15:29:25 +0000

Glad you returned again Sharon. I have a background in writing and an edge that way, but you are a superb photo blogger. What I observe about you, if I may, is that you make interesting and sincere comments on other blogs that add to the discussions and help people see something they wouldn’t have previously.

By: Sharon

Sharon — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 15:22:27 +0000

I got the request you are referring to, David. I declined as I can see you did.

You are a much more skillful blogger than I am, David. I’m more a photo poster.

Sharon

By: David Leland Hyde

David Leland Hyde — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 15:05:24 +0000

LOL, PJ. Yes, a TV show. I am sad to have missed the premiere. The funny thing is that Art Wolfe already had a high quality photography TV show long before any other along the lines you are suggesting. I feel that Art Wolfe’s show was done with taste, considering it was TV after all. I haven’t seen this new photography TV show. So who knows? It’s hard to talk badly about someone when their people were so nice to me, asking me to write for them, etc, etc. Did you get the same invitations, PJ?

By: pj

pj — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 13:45:13 +0000

“Do you want to know how to make millions a year marketing landscape photography? Work out in the gym a lot, get really tan, wear a muscle shirt and an Indiana Jones hat, talk with an exotic foreign accent about how you had to risk your life to capture your photographs, take photographs in each exact location in America that someone else made famous long before you and develop a super-glitzy, super-slick marketing machine. That’s it. That’s the real secret.”

Maybe someone should do a TV show along those lines. Oh wait…