Many years ago, so many in fact it was well before my time, Noel Coward implored a Mrs Worthington to 'Don't put your daughter on the stage'. For him it was a profession full of pitfalls, dangers and vices. He sang the lines ' The profession is overcrowded, And the struggle's pretty tough, And admitting the fact, She's burning to act, That isn't quite enough'. Some, me included, would say the same about photography in the early 21st century.
If I see a blog post I really like I'll tweet a line or two about it on Twitter. I've never before reproduced someone's blog posting directly but today I'm making an exception (with his permission I hasten to add) as I've been touched by Glyn Davies' latest posing as
The Anglesey Photo Artist.One or two circumstances aside, what Glyn has written could have been written by me or maybe any established photographer. Photography is being hit by the double whammy of the global recession and the effects of the rush to become a photographer now that digital technology has opened the door for all. So we have an over-supply of photographers and vanishing markets. Having watched other industries implode I never thought it would happen to photography. Is digital technology is turning out to be a poisoned chalice?
I could go on but he says it so much better. Please read Glyn's posting and then head to his pages and explore his beautiful work and soak up a bit of his passion. A 'bit' I say because there's so much there and with his talent there is certainly more than 'quiet enough'.
Start:
'Is this the last of the light? A sad post.'
Latest seascape image from last weekend. It seems that escaping to see the light for an hour or so each weekend is the only real joy from all of this game at the moment. The gallery is too quiet, loads of compliments but people are really not putting their hands in their pockets these days unless their fingers are cold. The forecast for next year is just as dull and stormy and they promise more people will be out in the cold :-(
The general view of my career running a gallery, is that I am so lucky - taking landscapes, doing photography, surrounding myself with pictures, getting involved with large format printing and seeing my images nicely framed on walls. What they don't see is the damned hard work it all is, the endless hours of image manipulation, archiving, editing, preparing, printing, framing, ordering, sourcing, administrating, dealing with taxation, Custom's & Excise, accounts, PAYE, balancing books, juggling finance, switching suppliers, energy bills, rates, rent, insurances, overheads, renewing and repairing kit, updating software, learning new techniques and applications, troubleshooting, networking and finally getting that time for friends, family and ME time.
In the meantime, photographers are being accused of being terrorists or paedophiles, they are being stopped and questioned under Section 44 of the terrorism act, they dare not photograph many public places, landscapes or street scenes, they are the only ones stopped when photographing performances, even though everyone else will be using mobile phones and videos - and every family in the UK has at least one person who thinks they are as good as the pros and sets up their own website trying to flog A3 prints or play at weddings.
I have less time than ever to get out to do my own thing. I am getting more and more unfit as the business demands it's attention, and more and more mentally wiped by the sheer survival techniques that so many full-time professionals now have to adopt. I compound my problems because I want to stay true to myself and my art. I could easily knock out cheap canvas sunsets and flog off postcard snaps of iconic landmarks using grossly over saturated colours and cheap HDR techniques, but I refuse. There are too many of those sorts of snappers out there and I don't want to join their ranks.
I went into this nearly 30 years ago simply because I loved landscape and sharing my experiences through my photographic eye. My love is as strong as ever, but the public is presented with a bewildering array of over-cooked photographic nonsense. Prices are being constantly devalued by non professionals seeking vanity publication, and the professional image libraries have managed to create a commodity mentality whereby photography is equated with tins of beans, 'pile em high sell em cheap'.
For those of us still working in this profession full time, trying to put food on our kids tables, times have NEVER been so hard for us, nor has the competition from every man and his dog been so great. For those of us who also have integrity about what we do as artists, those who won't prostitute their art, it is even harder. Many of us never saw this profession as a way of making big money, it was an outlet for our creativity whilst living and breathing our subject, totally connected, intrinsic.
As I sit in my gallery on another quiet day, with stunningly beautiful light teasing me outside, I have to reflect on what is happening to me, to the profession, and what has been a way of life for many of us. I look forward to seeing another beautiful sunset but hope that the light of our profession doesn't go out too soon because more and more pros ARE going to the wall.
So if you've always wanted one of my prints or books, and want to beat the VAT increases in January, and help me out in the meantime, now is a very good time to give me a call :-))
All words and images are strictly copyright © Glyn Davies 2009
The Anglesey Photo Artist.End.
