10 Misconceptions in Photography
Well, this is a short little list of the common misconceptions that photographers in Singapore often have, or subconsciously attempt to foist on their peers or contemporaries.
They might apply to other photographers outside these borders, but that’s another story for another day.
From interacting and witnessing certain events, I’ve come to realise that these misconceptions transcend national boundaries, racial identity, religious convictions and general levels of wealth.
In no particular order of ranking..
1. The cost of one’s equipment is the sole determinant of image quality and photographic skill.
(Absolute bollocks. If you own a Hasselblad and you shoot like a drunk, it only reflects the lack of foresight the dealer had about you)
2. The range and/or variety (or lack thereof) of one’s equipment is the sole determinant of photographic success in assorted realms of participation, be it leisure shoots or amatuer competitions.
(Again, tough luck if you lose to a participant with equipment costing half of yours and showing more effort and conscientiousness than you)
3. Skills have a limit and you’ve reached the top of your game.
(If that were so, we’d have no need to hold ARPS/FRPS judging sessions)
4. Professional photographers create better works of art than hobbyists.
(Being professional merely means you do it for a living, to feed the cat and your mother-in-law’s oft-rabid passion for Coach handbags. It is by no means a fair representation of the quality of art produced, as your efforts are channeled into commercial client requests)
5. If you’re a full-time photographer, you are quite responsible in your workflow and you’re a paragon of good client relations and account management.
(Fair call, but one could get by with a competent assistant)
6. Rates are everything, much more than your relationship with your client.
(That’s fine if you’re alright with pulling the occasional fast one and losing a good long-term source of income. Be wise, not greedy.)
7. Your own career advancement is the only thing that matters.
(If you do not prosper your employer as an assistant, where’s your paycheck going to come from in the future? Whoops.)
8. Adobe Photoshop will take care of everything from loose hair to overexposed detail blooms.
(The basics of composition and lighting matter, no software will allow you to say “Let there be light” from a pitch dark image of a model whom you made to look like Eva Braun on an absinthe overdose)
9. Winning an award in a photographic competition means you are empirically better than your peers for life.
(Oh really? Wow. Shall we do away with the Pulitzers then?)
10. Film photographers are old fogeys and need to move on with life.
(Tell that to the filmmakers who still buy reel stock. They certainly have a good, enriching life right now, the last time I checked)
Somehow, I’m of the opinion that if one’s close-minded, or are unwilling to make the leap to look beyond and farther afield from the image candy, photography is not for you as well.
(Disclaimer : I don’t think I’m the final stop in terms of advice, but somehow I believe these are fairly valid to the best of my knowledge. But as a human being, and being human and bias, I must say that Jeremy Monteiro is still the best Singaporean jazz pianist.There you go, one indulgence for my very humanity. )
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