Don Denton is a photographer, photo editor and photo coach who lives in Victoria, British Columbia.
Della Rollins – Interview
November 19, 2010 | Filed Under Careers, Interview, Photography | Leave a Comment
1) Photography is a second career for you. What advantage and/or disadvantage did that create for you?
I’ve actually found it quite to my advantage that I had a previous career in public relations.
My PR background gave me some solid skills that I have found to be quite useful, namely:
- Networking:
I hate this term since it sounds so phony, but it really is important. In my previous career it became evident that there were people who were quite good at what they did. I would make every effort to get to know them and learn what I could from them.
In photography I was able to quickly size up the industry – who was who, who makes decisions, who is good at their job and is well respected – and then seek them out to meet them. That alone has helped a ton.
I’ve found that if you’re eager and willing to listen, people are more than happy to help.
- Expectations:
I think I was pretty realistic about what to expect when starting a business. I knew it would take time, that I’d have to work hard and put in my time at the bottom and that the work ethic I had applied to my previous career would carry me through in this new job.
- Marketing:
The basics of getting myself up-and-running were easier. I was familiar with invoicing (as I managed clients I knew what I liked/disliked in invoices I received). I know what clients expect from suppliers. I was not nervous about creating a business plan, how to find clients and how to keep clients happy. I knew how to sell myself.
- Writing:
Some projects I picked up this year involved writing. I’m able to market myself as a writer and photographer, a skill that a lot of my clients appreciate.
- Service:
Having worked on the client side of the business, managing suppliers (in PR) I knew how I wanted people to manage my account. I instinctively knew what newspapers and other clients were looking for in a photographer beyond just technical skills.
I took editors to lunch and for drinks, I dropped off thank you cards to anyone who spent any iota of time with me, I brought Christmas gifts for the editors who gave me work, I did pro-bono work on small projects for corporate clients who gave me large chunks of business. All these small things really make a big difference. People want to work with people that they like.
- Clients:
I had a base of clients immediately upon arriving in Toronto. I did a quick tour of all the major PR shops in town and picked up work from them. I also checked in with some of my PR colleagues working at companies (e.g., pharmaceutical companies). Building up a network like that would have been challenging otherwise.
2) You are now a few years into your career as a photographer so what are your thoughts on the photo education you received before embarking on this career? What mattered and what didn’t? What do you wish you were taught that you weren’t?
I did a commercial photography course but ended up going into photojournalism. Looking back, I wish I had done strictly a photojournalism program. Some of the skills I learned in the commercial program were great, but took up a lot of time that I could have used to hone my photojournalism skills (e.g., all the printing courses and some of the high end photoshop courses).
Also, it was that much more of an uphill battle to find a job since the program at Loyalist seems to provide students with more contact with the newspaper industry than other schools.
I wish I had been taught more on-site lighting skills. We mostly did studio lighting and while the principles are the same, the actual technical details of using your speedlight got skimmed over. To this day I’m still not 100% comfortable with my speedlight.
I wish we had done some multimedia. The commercial program didn’t do this at all but it would have been nice to have at least a basis in it.
As much as I enjoyed the film component of the course at WAP, I felt that it took away time from learning the ins and outs of digital photography.
I wish we’d learned more about managing your workflow and backing up your work. I had/still kind of have an ad hoc process. It’s getting better but a firm foundation to work from would have been helpful.
I also wish there had been more emphasis on finding out your style. I found that on the photojournalism front (and Loyalist is guilty of this as well – I was a judge of this year’s NPAC student of the year portfolios) there is too much emphasis on producing the portfolio of a well-rounded wire-shooter or at a daily.
Everyone produces a portfolio that has three features, three sports shots, three portraits and three news images. It created a generic look and everyone’s stuff starts to look the same. People need to learn to shoot these things, but I’d really emphasize the importance of shooting work to stand out. Shoot what you love. I’d really like to see more documentary work from students – from a project they are working on – than the crappy university rugby shot that they needed to round out the sports section of their portfolio.
To be honest, the best education I got was actually working on the job and meeting with working photographers. My internships at papers were invaluable.
3) What lessons have you learned from actually working as a photographer that you wished you knew when you began shooting as a pro?
I wish I had known just how stressful assignments would be. I spent my first eight months freelancing for the Globe and Mail thinking I was going to throw up every time my phone rang.
I would sometimes go to assignments and think to myself, “How am I going to turn THIS into a photo?” (I did a lot of R.O.B assignments early on – generic, boring offices). Now I’m calm and know that I’m always going to produce a publishable shot (and more than one).
There’s so much technical know-how to absorb in school that I didn’t know how to deal with people when I first showed up at assignments. Now I have a little bit of a routine. I ask them if they’ve had their photo taken for the paper before. I explain that it’s not like having their photo taken by their friends for facebook, that I have to provide at least six different shots for the paper, that it’s not going to take five minutes. Giving them some context for this really helps.
People don’t like ambiguity. They want direction. They want to feel like they know what’s going on all the time when they’re having their photos taken. They need to be told to relax when you’re taking a few seconds to adjust something with your light or with the camera. They want to know when you’re going to start shooting.
This is obviously different for a documentary style shoot. In those cases people need to be told to “just ignore the camera – just do whatever it was you were doing before I showed up.”
4) How important has your website and blog been to your career?
I think having a web presence is essential. However, I’m finding that having a blog is more important than a website.
The blog has an ongoing evolution that I enjoy. You can post pics from assignments, from your day-to-day living, from trips or anything you find interesting.
The web site is more fixed and I keep meaning to update it but never seem to find the time. I’m thinking of possibly transitioning to a hybrid site/blog where I have a portfolio posted but the bulk of the content is constantly new on the blog portion of the site.
5) Do you use social media for work at all? If so how?
I find my facebook to be an important photography networking tool. It’s become a virtual community for me. It’s how I find out about photography events going on in Toronto and how I keep in touch with other photojournalists.
I don’t have a “fan” page up on facebook yet, but I’m considering doing that next. I think it’s just one more resource for people to find you and the work that you do. It’s just another way to share what you’re doing with friends, clients and other photographers.
I used Twitter for a while, but found eventually that I was just using it to pick up information from others. I haven’t used it in over a year but I’m considering picking it up again.
6) Is video a part of the photo services you offer. Why or why not?
Right now video is not one of the services I offer. When I met with John Lehmann from the Globe he told me to focus on being a better photographer first.
I recently took a course with Brent Foster at Pikto on multimedia. However, it seems super expensive to get into and if I’m going to go that route I want to be sure I’ll make money off of it. Recently a number of freelancers have sold off their audio and video gear. No one is asking them for it.
7) What types of photo assignments are you doing these days?
I’m shooting mostly for the Globe and Mail and very occasionally for the Post.
I shoot a lot of portraits, but not traditional portraits. The Globe wants to see more of a documentary approach – people doing their thing as opposed to a posed environmental portrait. I much prefer this type of assignment.
I also shoot a lot of concerts. Lots of late nights, lots of weekends and lots of last minute requests.
Finally, I’ve been shooting a ton of “Society Page” events for the Globe. These are parties where I literally hunt out famous or attractive people at exclusive events (where the Globe is usually the only photographer allowed inside) and ask people to stand together, like for a facebook picture. It’s not super challenging but it’s great for contacts and I’m starting to make the most of it by shooting interesting things that I see on my own since this type of access is usually pretty limited.
I shoot very little “news” (that tends to go to the staffers but I’m occasionally at press conferences or outside courthouses) and have not shot any sports since the fall of 2008 when I shot the Senators pre-season exhibition games for the Ottawa Sun.
What has been your most memorable assignment so far?
Easily the work I did for an NGO – Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR) in Uganda and Tanzania. I spent the month in refugee camps in Uganda and on rural farms in Tanzania. It was absolutely incredible.
Editorially, the assignments I remember most were spending the day with Canada’s youngest breast cancer survivor (four-years-old). I also spent an evening with a family in Regent Park (a social housing project in Toronto). Finally, one day the Globe sent me to photograph cows that had been set up outside the ROM. It was so fun!
9) What are the advantages for you of working in a large city like Toronto?
The sheer amount of work available in Toronto is staggering. I cannot believe how much work there is! So many stories originate from Toronto so there is a ton of editorial work and most companies are based here so there are a lot of corporate clients to pick up as well.
In fact, it’s been almost a burden for me because I’ve spent the last year and a half constantly taking assignments and haven’t really taken some time to figure out exactly what it is I want to do next or what I want to shoot myself.
There’s a huge photo community in Toronto as well. Photo festivals like Contact are inspirational and allow you to meet other photographers. It’s a lot to wade through but it’s wonderful.
10) Are you working on any personal projects?
I’m ashamed to say that I’m not right now. Since landing in Toronto in April of 2009 I’ve been so busy chasing work with clients that I have not left myself an iota of time to work on things I would like to.
Every time I decide to start on a personal project I get derailed. So the goal is for January (when it’s quiet) to work on one personal project, get my website revamped and set a course for 2011. I have a book where I keep a number of project ideas and I know which one I’d like to start with.
You can see more of Della Rollins work and read her blog here.
Photographers’ Collectives
November 17, 2010 | Filed Under Collectives, Photography | 2 Comments
I ‘ve mentioned it before but I’ll say it again.
I’m a big fan of photographers’ collectives.
Collectives aren’t a new idea of course. Magnum, the prestigious photo agency is perhaps the oldest photographer’s collective or cooperative having begun in the late 1940’s.
The past few years however have seen, if not quite an explosion, then certainly a surge in the creation of collectives.
Collectives, for those who don’t know, are simply a group of like minded photographers who band together in order to further their photography and interests. A collective can be as simple as a few photographers pooling money to purchase and share studio lights to the previously mentioned Magnum which is a full agency with over 50 members.
One of my favourite collectives is Oculi, an Australian group. I personally like the styles of the photographers in the collective and I like the fact that one of the forces behind the creation of the group was the promotion of things and events Australian. Check out Tamara Dean’s Ritualism project.
A newer group of young American photographers, Luceo Images, has been getting a lot of attention lately. There’s good reason for that. The photographers are all talented, highly organized, they’ve been winning a ton of awards and their site is extremely well run.
In Canada we’ve recently seen the formation of two collectives.
Boreal was the first. Formed by five photographers, Rafal Gerszak, Brett Gundlock, Jonathan Taggart, Aaron Vincent Elkaim and Ian Willms who are all about the same age and stage of their careers. Their site states they are “committed to the documentation of injustice and inequities that exist environmentally, socially, culturally and politically in Canada and abroad”.
The site is interesting and easy to move through. Limited to an info page with bios and links to the photographer’s individual sites, a projects page and a blog it’s simple to get right to the work.
I’ve got one complaint with the blog and that’s when the individual photographers post a series of photos, they don’t often post any text or commentary with them. Personally I like to know if images were shot for an assignment or are personal. An example is the recent posting by Taggart of photographs simply labeled Main Street, some intriguing images and maybe I should just enjoy them as posted but I’d like to know more.
I do like that they don’t just post about themselves but will post about other photographers they know or work they like, such as John Lehmann’s phone images of roadside memorials.
Another new group is Rogue.
This group is a little more diverse with a mixture of female and male photographers with a greater range of ages and who live right across the country, well, aside from the Maritimes and one member is in New York.
The photographers in this group are Brett Beadle, Todd Korol, Marianne Helm, Tim Smith, Jennifer Roberts, Deddeda Stemler, John Morstad and Jimmy Jeong, the recent NY transplant and they have a pretty cool logo.
The Rogue site is brighter, literally, brighter colours, lighter screens as opposed to their Boreal counterparts site which is quite dark. The Rogue site is almost a little too light I had trouble seeing some of the links on the front page.
Their blog does include text with most postings and since they are very new, there’s not a lot up yet.
I should also mention The Photographer Network which has been around for a few years, a group of five photographers Ben Benvie, Chris Webber, Jenna Shouldice, Ryan Macdonald, and Tristan Shouldice.
This site is much more basic than either Boreal or Rogue with the simple posting of single images by the photographers. Interesting images though and with less pronounced photojournalism feel than the first two Canadian collectives.
Litherland Blog, Arias Book and Taylor Wessing Prize
November 17, 2010 | Filed Under Blog, Photo Book, Photography, Portrait | Leave a Comment
Chip Litherland is all over the photo blogosphere today with his Open Letter To Newspaper Photographers which starts out ” Dear Newspaper Photographer, if you think you’re safe in your job, you aren’t”. Litherland, as always, is provocative but to the point. He stirred up a lot of discussion a few weeks back with his post Step Away From The Holga And No One Gets Hurt.
For those of you who like to light with one light Zack Arias has just published the book for you. The OneLight Field Guide combines short descriptions, diagrams and the resulting photograph.
Check out the winners of the Taylor Wessing Portrait competition at London’s National Portrait Gallery.
John W. MacDonald interview by George Murray
November 7, 2010 | Filed Under Photography | Leave a Comment
A link to an interview with Ottawa photographer John W. MacDonald by Bookninja’s George Murray at Open Book.
What Makes A Professional A Professional?
November 4, 2010 | Filed Under Blog, Featured, Photography, Photojournalism | Leave a Comment
A few months ago Neil Burgess caused a stir with a posting on the EPUK site when he declared that photojournalism was dead. His comments created quite a debate in the world wide journalism community.
This included the NPAC site where debate ranged back and forth between agreement with Burgess and others who felt the opposite was true, that photojournalism had never been healthier.
I joined in that discussion with one post. I started that post with two recent quotes from photographers Louie Palu and Stanley Greene.
This is what I wrote then:
‘Louie Palu -NPAC site – “I rent a room in a house, own no real estate or vehicle, I have an old bike and take transit. I own no furniture except a cheap IKEA desk. Right now I am living out of a bag in Kandahar.”
Stanley Greene -NY Times Lens blog – “let’s be real here. I don’t own an apartment. I don’t own a house. I don’t own a car. I don’t have any stocks and bonds. All I own are my cameras. That’s it. And some cowboy boots.”
There are almost two directions to this discussion. Yes there are lots of places and spaces to display photoj, probably more places than ever, but it does seem to be harder to make a living at it. A good living meaning the basics like being able to buy a house, a car etc. The two guys above are success stories, well respected, great shooters and they’re not 19 year old rookies, they should be able to afford more than a bus pass from their work.
If guys at the top of the profession struggle to make a living what kind of a profession is it?’
I’ve had some time to think about my comments and I’ve changed my opinion somewhat.
I do think this is a wonderful time for the creation of photojournalism. There are incredible photographers creating amazing work. The internet, through news sites, photography sites and photographer’s sites, is a cornucopia of photography, displaying more photojournalism than magazines ever did.
Photographers can create their own books at a reasonable cost. There are lots of venues available where images can be displayed, from high end galleries to local cafes and community centres.
At the same time there are less staff jobs and many of those still around now pay less. Many online sites pay nothing for the photos they display.
I do believe that a professional at the top of their game should be able to make a good living.
What I believe though and the reality of life may be two different things.
Sometimes the chance to work at what we want is what counts. That work, though it may not bring us what would be considered even a mid range salary, may be enough to pay our bills and allow us to work at what we think to be important.
The real downside to that though is that it means that many young photographers will tire of funding their own projects, tire of trying to attract an online audience that looks but doesn’t pay and move on to other careers.
I‘ve always joked that I’ve never had to work for a living and it’s true. I’ve never felt that what I do is work in the sense that I’ve never felt like a wage slave. Not like the days when I worked in sawmills when time crawled so slowly that I didn’t look ahead to the end of the shift, that was too far away. I just waited for the next coffee break. While I’ve had bad days in my photography career I’ve never felt like that.
It may be enough for photojournalism that there will always be committed photographers for whom only the imagery matters not the pay cheque.
In the end though there’s still one thing that bothers me. It seems to be the elephant in the room that nobody wants to acknowledge.
It’s generally understood to be a professional at anything, you have to get paid for what you do.
In any career, certainly at the beginning, you may work at improving your skills by practicing or volunteering, work that you’re not paid for.
However, eventually if you do something you enjoy a lot for no pay then you are simply a hobbyist. If you pay your bills by taking photos of weddings and in your off time travel to international hotspots to take photographs on your own nickel you’re not a photojournalist you’re a wedding photographer who takes cool holiday photos.
Not that there is anything wrong with any of that. It just seems people are avoiding the obvious, that there are a lot of people (talented people) calling themselves professional career photojournalists who are in reality nothing of the sort.
Helpful Hands
November 3, 2010 | Filed Under Featured, Photography | Leave a Comment
DIY photographer Arnold Lim takes advantage of colleagues Travis Paterson (hand model)
and Kyle Slavin (backdrop holder) to create a photo illustration in the offices of Black Press.
Why Can’t PR Pros Organize A Useful Press Conference?
November 2, 2010 | Filed Under Featured, Photography, Public Relations | Leave a Comment
Working in the media means working with public relations professionals. Their job, at least in regards to the media, usually means two things. These would be trying to keep you from publishing information about their client or trying to get you to publish information about their client. Sometimes on the same day.
PR pros uniformly do a great job when they try and keep you from finding out information. They ignore emails, don’t return calls, give you vague and unhelpful answers and make sure you’re at the front when the client goes out the back.
That’s why it is such a mystery why they have such difficulty trying to present information they want published.
The main vehicle the PR industry uses for media is the press conference. An arranged situation where the client or product is shown off, allowed to talk (even if heavily scripted) and just generally put on display.
Now there are a couple of things to mention, especially from the photographer’s viewpoint. In order for a photo to get decent play in a newspaper there must be something visually interesting happening.
Visually interesting is not a person behind a podium with a logo plastered wall behind them. Not unless the person is on fire. That rarely happens.
A real life example from last week. I attended a press conference at an educational institution (no names as this type of thing is so common I don’t want to single anyone out) to celebrate the opening of the newly renovated library.
Walking in to the library I could see in front of me a beautiful revamped space, students were jammed around new computers, relaxing in overstuffed chairs with books and magazines while other students and staff strolled the aisles looking over striking backlit shelves showcasing different publications. Picture windows at the back looked out onto the campus.
Lots of opportunities for photos that would truly showcase the library.
The press conference was not set up there though, no no no, it was to my immediate left, in front of a brick wall. A podium at been set up in front of the wall, a big poster extolling the generosity of the federal government immediately to the left and a wall mounted TV screen showing the educational institution logo on the right.
To make the press conference even more interesting they had scheduled nine speakers, because nothing says interesting like nine people patting themselves and each other on the back.
Then they were having lunch, in a different room.
Another wasted opportunity.
An event that could have resulted in a decent coverage and promotion of a useful and well designed (and used) space (which is what pr types are supposed to be trying for) was just another boring waste of time.
The most frustrating thing is that not even the people involved with press conferences, the organizers, the clients or the audience (especially the audience) find the podium/speaker/logo wall interesting.
Come on folks, you can do better.
Interviews With Photographers
October 30, 2010 | Filed Under Featured, Literary Photographer, Photography | 1 Comment
I hope to start posting new interviews with photographers shortly. In order to give you an idea of what I hope to post here are a few links to interviews with photographers from my literary site Literary Photographer. I’ve put that site on hiatus in order to concentrate my energies here. These interviews all have a connection to writing but give you a pretty good insight into the photographers and the work featured.
It’s Not a Mistake If You Meant To Make It
October 26, 2010 | Filed Under Blog, Photography | Leave a Comment
Atlanta based photographer Zack Arias had a recent blog post called Imperfect Work: Blowing it on Purpose with samples of work that was technically off but worked for the assignment he was working on. He showed images that were blurred, out of focus, had unusual focus or awkward posing.
They were all ‘wrong’ but they worked for shoot in question.
The one thing the photos are not, is mistakes.
The photographer made deliberate choices to create the an effect even if traditionally that effect has been considered an error.
It’s an important distinction to make especially for beginning photographers. You have to learn the rules before you can break them properly.
When marking students papers I’d often come across a photo that was tilted, out of focus or blurred. The out of focus or blur was usually just sloppy photography. The tilted frames though were often deliberate. The tilt usually added nothing to the image, was usually inappropriate for the assignment. When asked why they had shot the assignment that way the most common answer was that they thought it made the photograph more interesting but they weren’t able to answer why that was so or how the tilt enhanced the image. The reality was they had seen where a photo had been tilted for an effect and it struck them as an easy solution to photographic challenge. Instead of finding a better location, pose or lens they simply tilted the camera and there it was, an interesting photo.
It wasn’t though. It was still a failure, but now it was a tilted failure.
It’s easy to look through magazines, blogs and websites and to see lots of examples of blurred, out of focus, grainy, distorted imagery that is stunning but there is an equal amount that is just lazy or unskilled photography.
Photographers need to know not only how to create effects or looks, they need to know when they are critical for the image or assignment in question and then apply them.
Make sure when you make an error, it’s not a mistake.
I Only Miss The Photographs I Didn’t Take
October 24, 2010 | Filed Under Blog, Featured, Photography | Leave a Comment
I think a lot about the images I didn’t take.
I’m not talking about the images that you were unable to capture because you messed up, your exposure was off, you had the wrong lens on the camera, that sort of thing.
I’m talking about the perfect image you see in front of you as you’re rushing to the airport or another assignment that you’re late for. That perfect sun lit sky that has disappeared by the time you find a parking spot.
The other morning I was driving to work and as I stopped for a red light, took a good look at the vehicle in front of me. It was a beat up old Chevrolet pick up truck with a cowboy hat wearing driver. The driver was perfectly silhouetted through the back window by the rapidly lighting morning sky (dark blue with hints of orange). My headlights illuminated the lettering on the back tailgate without taking away from the glowing red tail lights. I saw it all, a perfect, for lack of a better description National Geographic photo, all saturated colour. It was there for a few seconds and then the light changed and we all moved on
At the next light the truck was still in front of me but the cowboy silhouette was now marred by trees in the background. I was stopped at a slightly different angle so my lights didn’t pick out the Chevrolet letters on the tail gate the same way.
That perfect picture was gone, captured only in memory, and replaced in reality by ordinary morning rush hour traffic.