If You Just Keep Taking The Same Picture

on September 22, 2023
You’ll have a life-long career in catalog photography. Or school portraits. Or book copying. Or medical recording.

Do not scream,...particularly if you are currently employed in any of these fields. Look at your pay cheque and think of the beautiful engraving they do on $ 100 bills.

The business of taking one style of image time and again is sometimes seen as tedious, simplistic, and valueless. Not so, as anyone who has tried to do a serious scientific series of images. Very few things look the same twice, even when we want them to. Making them do so is serious professional work.

Similarity can serve commerce as well as science. If you look at Ken Rockwell's images that accompany his reviews you'll see that the studio shots are very alike...and all extremely well done. This is a blessing when we want to see the equipment clearly and in great detail.

Catalogue shots can also be much the same in their sequence and need to be carefully sized to pack the most appeal into multiple presentation. The studio shooter needs to bend heaven, earth, and a few optical rules to get light into every attractive surface while excluding it from the bad bits.  Done well, there are no bad bits.

If you would try the genre for yourself, catalogue a coin or stamp collection for someone. Charge a modest fee for doing it, and say " Aw shucks..." when they pay you, but concentrate on getting it right and consistent. Then do the same for yourself when you go on holiday - take the same photo of every bridge you cross. Or every breakfast you eat.*

* There is a monograph here for the good photographer and Instagram posts for everyone else.
LEAVE A COMMENT

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published


BACK TO TOP
x