Remember those great American cars from the 1950's? They were enormous and had wonderfully rounded and sculpted lines. Five tons of rolling art. Back seats that doubled as beds. Infinite trunk space and so much more. My very first car was a 1965 Buick Wildcat. It had an enormous V8 engine, a hood that took up real estate and an air conditioner that could chill a six pack of beer between San Antonio and Austin. Not quite as voluminous as the 1950's Cadillacs but still formidable in its presentation.
Except for collectors we don't drive those cars anymore. Cars have evolved. Maybe not in a sexy direction but certainly in a more practical direction. Padded dashes replaced sweeping metal ones. Headrests and seat belts were added. As gas soared in price cars shrank in size and weight. The sexy lines of the body styles were replaced with "jelly bean" designs that are more efficient at moving through air.
These cost cutting and efficiency changes were partly a result of the 1950-1990's exodus by Americans to far flung suburbs which created Herculean commutes. Cars had to be cheaper to acquire and operate as families moved from owning one car to owning two cars and accumulating mileage at a dizzying rate. With the decline of small towns and compact cities it became impossible to commute by walking for most people. Now (with the exception of people living directly in downtowns) it's virtually impossible to go anywhere without a car. That moves the idea of the car away from an aspirational acquisition to a necessary commodity, which strips away the glamour and allure of owning and using them.
If the millennial generation is any indicator we won't be going backwards to big car worship any time soon. In fact, this rising generation is almost completely car indifferent. Makes sense that something like 90% of Corvette buyers and 80% of Porsche buyers are also getting ready to apply for Medicare.
So, when I went out to buy a car a few years ago I had three parameters on my radar: Good gas mileage. Reliability. The ability to put enough gear into the car to make it efficient for business. Gone was any desire for the 400 horsepower cars of my youth. Where could I drive them fast? Not in Austin. Too much traffic. Gone was my lingering nostalgia for my old Karmen Ghia. Where would I put that Pelican case full of LED lights? And the C-Stands? And the nine foot long roll of seamless paper? I bought a Honda CRV but I could have done just as well with a Jeep Compass or a Ford Escape or a Toyota Rav 4....
In decades past Texas photographers seemed to have a penchant for purchasing used (or New, if they were doing well financially...) Chevrolet Suburbans. The rationale was the sheer amount of gear they could load into the vehicle and still have room for an entourage of assistants. I wonder now if there are any clients left who really need photographers to show up with tons of gear and a gaggle of people to move it around. It seems so ---- inefficient.
But that brings me to photography in general. When I started shooting for fun, and then for money, the camera that the masses (and I) thought was the coolest thing to own in the imaging universe was the Nikon F2, with a big motor drive on the bottom. There were some zooms floating around but those were the days when we strived to arrive on our jobs with a shiny Halliburton suitcase full of prime lenses. Single focal lengths. And we didn't want to specialize so we felt like we had to carry a full range of lenses in order to be ready for anything. It wasn't at all rare for someone to arrive and open their steamer trunk-sized Halliburton to reveal lenses from 15mm to 400mm in closely spaced focal lengths. Something like: 15, 18, 20, 24, 28, 35, 50, 55(macro), 85, 105, 135, 180, 200, 300 and 400mms. No wonder we felt the need for assistants; especially when one considers that there were no wheels on those Halliburton aluminum cases...
With bags full of Kodachrome 25 slide film we also needed as much light as we could deliver to the film gate. Those were the days of 2400 watt second and 4,000 watt second Speedotron and Norman electronic flash systems that tipped the scales at 30 to 60 pounds. And that was just for the box, it doesn't consider the weight of cables and heads and stands and more.
And none of this was efficient. Not at all. With the extra people, and the mountains of gear to get from one location to another, or one room to another, a hard working professional might only get four or five set-up shots done in a day. Add models to the mix and the number of shots shrinks even more.
So, what is my point in recounting this stroll down memory lane? Just as we are paring down the size and inefficiencies of our transportation options it would seem, from looking at the photography landscape, that it makes sense to do the same with our cameras and our basic working tools. We can still get from point "A" to point "B" with more efficient gear, we'll just spend less money and less time getting results that reflect the targets at which we are now aiming.
Just as independent bricks and mortar book stores have disappeared from our daily environment so too have traditional portrait studios. I can no longer drive around Austin and see large, gold framed, 24 by 30 inch "master" portraits in mom and pop studio show windows. No more large and gaudy portraits of debutantes and pledge sisters. The saccharine, soft focus child's portrait with a field of bluebonnets in the background has disappeared as have most of the local labs that counted on gauzy, big canvases of heavily retouched portraits to make a profit. Gone except in the most depressed and backward areas. Relics of a different aesthetic period in our culture.
Along with the retreat of the big framed, canvas portraits is the retreat of diffusion filters. vignetters, posing blocks, posing tables, English countryside backgrounds. Weathered (plastic) brick backgrounds and all the trappings of conventional, last century portraiture. It's a similar view over on the commercial side. The portraits we do now are environmental, for the most part. The lighting is either what is present in the environment or a good, designed approximation of that light. The key to success is in making the images seem real. A slice of life. The ultimate ascendency of the "snapshot aesthetic" sometimes helped along by "supporting" light not obvious light.
I am rarely asked to shoot portraits for display anymore. Recently we did one for a utility company located in rural Texas. We were following a tradition in their offices but, with the arrival of a new CMO (chief marketing officer) that may be a thing of the past as well. No, most of our work is headed to websites. Microsite or pop-up online campaigns. Little of it ends up in printed magazines or brochures, and even less is destined for walls. We mostly get paid to deliver images for three targets: websites, trade show graphics, video displays. Many of these projects, I think, could be done with cameras like the Sony RX10iii which can handle a surprising variety of visual content creation needs. I'll confess that many jobs now can probably be done with the latest iPhone, with the value add being the styling, lighting, point of view and taste of the photographer.
Photographic jobs did not magically grow in complexity, level of difficulty or sheer technical demand as the cameras have gotten better and better. In fact, we are at a point where we are still buying cameras to handle the memory of previous times and not really accessing them for the performances needed today. Products and portraits still need to be lit and composed well. They still need to be post processed correctly. But the need for hyper performance faded as post production creation blossomed.
We may still want, or be able to, continue to do the work the way we've always done it but I think it is smart to acknowledge that so much has changed and, along with it, the way we do the business of photography has changed. We charge now for what we know instead of how long we work or what kind of equipment we bring to bear. The client is licensing the look, not the machinery of production.
I've proven this to myself so many times in the last few years. It's the reason the Sony A7ii trumps the A7R2 for everyday use. I use the full frame camera not for the high resolution or the low noise but for the basic look that lenses provide on the full sized sensor. When I don't need or want that look there are many cameras with smaller sensors that work as well or better for specific tasks. To pretend that we spend our days shooting double truck print ads for very high production value magazines is self-defeating. Like trying to drop a 600 cubic inch engine into a Volkswagen Jetta for one's daily commute. At some point the suspension gives out. Or the post processing load becomes unwieldy.
Newer cameras may make some tasks easier but a well honed skill set makes jobs easier still.
The latest Zeiss (or fill in the blank with your favorite lens brand...) lens may make for sharp photos but I'm betting the discipline of using a tripod with your existing lenses will provide a lot more bang for the buck.
You don't have to change. But you should be aware that the photographic world is changing around you. I know this is an Olympic year and the focus is on the high end DSLR cameras made for capturing sports. But the other 98% of the market might (most probably) be better served adapting the newer technologies and formats in order to make their work the best it can be.While being affordable, portable and fun to drag around.
I like change. If I can add value to any camera then all change works for me. If I can't add value without a specific cameras system then I have become nothing more than an equipment rental house. No glory for me there.
Shift happens. It may mean your cameras become cheaper, lighter, easier to use and more fun. Can't see how fighting that makes for a good business strategy. We're all in the consumer culture together. The DSLR was an aspirational tool a few years ago. Now vision and knowledge are the aspirational tools and the cameras are just the conduits. The big camera and the bag of lenses seems now a bit like a Member's Only Jacket or a Camaro with a hood scoop. No longer cool and coveted. Now just an ungainly tool. No wonder sales are dropping; we no longer need to bring "window dressing" cameras to work. Now we can just use what works for the projects in front of us.
The lights are still too big....
I look forward to reading about a photographer from a newer generation who ably does high end advertising photography work with nothing but a long focal range fixed lens camera. Something like a Panasonic fz 1000 or a Sony RX10ii. It would signify to me that his or her client was hiring based on a portfolio of well seen images or video and not the last century swagger of gear ownership.
17 comments:
Ugh, film, don't remind me.
Hey Kirk, you're shooting mirrorless, all you need is a Smart Car or maybe a Mini given your corporate clients, and a Domke F2.
P.S. Just checked the price of the used Domke F2 on Ebay. Lowest was $75, most are $149. I don't remember the F2 demanding status-enhanced prices, it was just a humble, sublimely comfortable photographer's pal.
If I'm trying to "status compete" with millennials my kid would tell me "no car." Just do ride share. Already have an ancient, well broken in, Domke F2. Love it.
Thankfully, I am only a hobbyist so I don't have to constantly shift with the times - well, up to a point: I can honestly say I never want to shoot another roll of film ever again! ;)
Ken
This article has been a quite fascinating read, thanks.
Kirk I am a follower and always interested in New LED lighting. I shoot Architecture and I have found this light I wanted to share with you. I love it and it is so simple and cheap ... see what you think. Amazon-Bonlux 50W Landscape Outdoor LED Flood Light
Enjoy your writing. Gary Matson Columbia SC gmatsonphoto.com
"I look forward to reading about a photographer from a newer generation who ably does high end advertising photography work with nothing but a long focal range fixed lens camera. "
Me too. I'm just an old retired photographer who shoots mostly for pleasure, but I'm loving my FZ1000. It can easily handle anything I do today, including the occasional 16x20 print, and could have handled almost all of my pro jobs back in the day. At the same time, it prompted me to upgrade my micro 4/3 kit -- I wanted to see how Panasonic's newer generation sensors and autofocus carried over to a larger chip. And again I am well pleased. After a side-by-side comparison with my D800 on a portrait shoot the big Nikon is officially retired from regular use. For now I'll keep the body and 105 micro for still lifes -- where I really like having all those pixels -- but the zooms are headed to ebay. The body will stick around until I can afford an A7Rii, which I expect will work nicely with the 105 and will be a big improvement over Nikon live view.
I agree the lights are too big, though for most things now I'm down to a set of Yongnuo hotshoe flashes. My current quest is for some sort of power remote to aim the background light.
And I still have a Domke F2. My general rule is if the kit won't fit the F2 I'm probably trying to pack too much stuff. And that's usually right.
Another view : http://petapixel.com/2016/04/04/sonys-full-frame-pro-mirrorless-fatal-mistake/
Anders, The author of that piece is a moron and doesn't understand cameras. If he had a bad experience shooting a Sony A7R2 or A7ii he is operating the camera incorrectly or focused on stuff that doesn't matter anymore. And, as I've said a billion times, the advantage is the EVF, the astoundingly good video, the fabulous sensor, and the Zeiss/Contax lens I have mounted on the camera right now. I call that article nothing but click bait.
The petapixel piece reminds of the pedantic crap the forums are so full of.
You raise an interesting point about a new generation potentially working with the new tech and not giving a rat's fart about how we did things before.
I think Bob Krist is one of the pioneers, though as he confesses is not next gen :) He was, like you at one point, a Nikon guy and now does the majority of his work with the RX10. Reading his blog and observing his Vimeo pieces has given me a LOT of new ideas about a minimalist approach to combined media.
Your mention of the Buick brought a smile to my face. I had a '65 2 door Wildcat that I leased back then. Size was never an issue because that was what we were used to - what a beautiful car. I still remember driving it on highways and having some wise guy with whatever the fancy foreign car de jour coming up on the outside to show off and riding up with him to what was probably as fast as he was willing to (or could go) and then just pulling away with ease. When you kicked that car down and all the carbs opened up you could hear the gas getting sucked up like a vacuum cleaner. There was enough steel in that car to built three of today's mostly plastic toys. As much fun as cameras are, cars are better.
"The camera for us is a tool, not a pretty mechanical toy. In the precise functioning of the mechanical object perhaps there is an unconscious compensation for the anxieties and uncertainties of daily endeavor. In any case, people think far too much about techniques and not enough about seeing." — Henri Cartier-Bresson
HI Kirk. I write for DearSusan (http://www.dearsusan.net) and think this piece is especially germane to our readership. Would you have any objections to my re-posting it as a guest post at DS? A couple of your work images would also be good...
You can reach me directly at paul@paulperton.com
Best,
Thank you for a very interesting article. Contrarily I think the Petapixel article was right about the IBIS on the A7rII. I find it mostly ineffective especially with my Contax G lenses. Also I still prefer an optical viewfinder on my DSLR. Though the A7rii has a marvelous EVF, I still feel like I am looking at a video game, not a real scene, and this effects my creativity, more than all the other technological features aid my creativity. I sometimes still shoot film on my Rollei TLR because I love the viewfinder. You are dead right unfortunately about the near death of framed pictures. I have been saying for years that we are very close to the end of book printing.
I love your article. It's funny now, fifty year ago I did some work for Life magazine with a Nikkormat, a 50 mm and 200mm lens (before zoom). It wasn't until mirrowless that I really began to feel my photography started too feel really good. I have noticed in advising my 14 year old granddaughter that because of the advantages of mirrowless and Photoshop she is more advanced than I was after twenty years of experience.
Kirk, when you told me this morning that you were buying up Zeiss lenses for your Sonys, I didn't know you meant C/Y. I'm using the same C/Y adapter but the C/Y to Leica M version. From there you can stick it on the new Techart adapter and have AF a la the old Contax AX. Holler if you want to check it out.
https://chadwadsworth.com/2016/07/18/autofocus-anything-techart-pro-autofocus-adapter-with-zeiss-manual-focus-lenses/
Hi Tuck. I live in Todos Santos Mexico. A small pueblo on the Baja Peninsula midway between LaPaz and Cabo San Lucas. there is a black Buick Wildcat of that vintage driving around down here by a permanent resident. I remember it looking original as opposed to restored. I'll get the year and motor and probably a photo if you are at all interested ?
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