LenKowitz.com: Stressing over the entry to a little show

Monday, January 08, 2007

Stressing over the entry to a little show

Here I am as insecure as a person can be.
I'm stressing over the work I'm going to enter in the Houston Center for Photography members show. Why in the world??????
It really means very little in the big sceme of things except for the fact that I would love to have the juror declare the work wonderful.
I've got to get over that and get back to doing the work. Whatever any juror or any one else for that matter thinks of my work should make no difference to me, but I certainly seem to let it get to me.
I guess that's a natural reaction when you take your work seriously as I do and are trying to do something worthwhile. Perhaps it comes out of the fact that I'm not really tested in the court of public opinion, The Market Place.
When I come right down to it there is a real wisdom in what A.D. Coleman says about those who don't put forth the effort to get the work in front of the public. I think the whole experience makes one "tougher" and I'm guessing it helps strengthen the work as a result of the experience.
Maybe it's time to start to try and "compete" more.

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It occurs to me...

I've been thinking about the business of making photographs and I'm going to use this forum as a place to share some of those thoughts.
I'll also post new pictures as they get to the "finished" state and provide information on how you can go about having your very own copy. Taking a cue from Duane Keiser, http://www.duanekeiser.com/ , I think marketing my own work is the best way for me to go, at least for the time being

As I think about becoming a "photographer", I've spent some time with people who have made that choice long ago and are now working very hard at it.The work they have produced is in many cases, excellent. What I have noticed is that the profession has a very low return on the time invested. It's far cry from my previous career where the return on my time was actually very high.
Great credit is due those individuals who choose to become photographers and then actually make a "living" by making pictures.

One night last week I took two "portfolios" to the Houston Center for Photogrphy to have them "reviewed". It was an interesting experience.
I was told that the landscape work had no relationship to the short set-up comments I made and that I should keep working on the blk&wht, "Ode to O'Keffee" portfolio.
It was pointed out to me that "landsape" work is highly competitive. Interesting observation, how did I fail to see that?
It occurs to me that showing my work to strangers is a productive activity, at least for me. Unfortunately, I probably gain more from the experience than those who see the pictures for the first time. Maybe it's a fault of the work, not strong enough or unusual enough? Maybe it's the "reviewers" problem?
In any case, it's all just opinion and not fact. I will continue to seek out the opinion of anyone who is willing to look at the pictures, I will also continue to make pictures that I like.