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Dawoud Bey | 2017 MacArthur Fellow
Portfolio Events May Not Be Worth It For Established Photographers

11 Comments

  1. Isn’t this just another wave of Vernacular Photography? The Carte-de-viste was perhaps one, then the Brownie, instant Polaroids, and now Instagram et al.

  2. I would say it is an art form that everyone can perform flawlessly. There are a lot of crappy images on pintrist, twitpic, instagram, tumbler, 500……unless you consider the crappy images as crappy artwork. Personally I think people should stick to what they are good at or is it that the family vacation is artwork?

  4. On one hand having more access to photography and self promotion tools (aka social media channels for example) is a very positive shift in the photography world.
    On the other, I believe that the overwhelming amount of images produced nowadays doesn’t necessarily result in the creation of a bigger number of good photographers. I feel that the risk the acceptance of mediocrity as we get more and more used to see the same type of pictures all over again.
    Said that, I am an amateur and I use social media channels..

  5. Where’s the tipping point? At some point a market becomes so flooded with imagery that the non-use of imagery makes a product or service stand out. Will the bottle of ketchup with a white label that says Ketchup in black Arial Bold become the new best seller?

    • The market has always been flooded with imagery, that’s kind of my point. But it’s vernacular photography. It should not be a threat to what someone of a higher level of sophistication can do.

  6. All I have to say it, it’s not for us to decide… Case in point, Thomas Kincaid.

  7. Why can’t the family vacation be artwork? What is the difference between that and using a model? It’s just as a valid if it’s quality work.

  8. How about asking this question instead. Should professional wedding, or portrait photographers have any say in what’s creative given the fact that what they do for a living is so boring and uninventive? Having read and seen wedding and portrait photographers work in all of the pro magazines for years and years, and their books about that subject, I’m so tired of their type of professional photography that I welcome the Instagram photographer with open arms. Suck on that one!

    • I completely agree with you on that. It isn’t really creative and they don’t want the creative shots; they want the boring shots. I have seen some creative wedding photos but those are few and far between.

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