Cheat

I am not sure which title I shall give to this thread a few moments from now but something will come to the surface. I hope.
-
For almost two years I have been taking pictures of people from the Portuguese cultural area coming to my hometown at the invitation of someone. 21 months to be more precise.
During this period I made about 60 portraits.
At the end of 2014 my host decided an expo should be done in the first days of 2015. Good. That had always been in mind on both of us.
After closing now two years of work, a new part of the project was about to begin for the coming years.

A couple of months ago we have made an experiment in a non photographic printer somewhere in town. I said the quality was not enough and I could print the images myself in my R3000 if I receive some money for the ink and paper.

Time passed and two days before the date scheduled for the expo, I was invited to go and see some test prints made in a large printer for graphic arts.

Here I felt I was under pressure and I accepted the results. That were bad prints ! Even worst that those we had made previously. If I said no, there would be no exposition whatsoever.
And this is what I regret deeply. I regret I have accepted the last minute prints.
The exposition is a success because he has invited 60 persons but my work has been diminished, minimized.
I have been so dedicated, commited to get beautifully made photographs and images, but...

Oh money ? No way ! Low cost at "all costs" !

Never allow such thing to happen to you !
See what has been exposed and a sample of a final portrait.

I put my cooperation to an end.
New challenges / projects ahead !
Let's move on !

Antonio,

From what I see, the exhibition is on a grand scale. Using triptychs to show aspects of a person is a great idea. The public, I'm sure were impressed. They have, likey as not, little savvy and skill in judging or recognizing the finer nuances of a technically stellar print that we feel they should expect of us!!!

To that point, my son's wedding photographer was not as expensive as Annie Lebowitz, but she was as long legged, lanky, blonde and charged a lot! Her samples were immaculate! Still the weddings pictures, to me at least, were high contrast for drama and the details of the veil lace and the surface patterns of the wedding gown were lost as well as the black silk of my son's tuxedo.

No one else noticed or cared! The poses, gestures, happiness and expressions won them over! From that, I discovered that we want all these success factors, of course but also, for our own standards, demand technical prowess and fidelity from the printer, even when the public wouldn't even notice the difference! In fact, in many prestigious international art exhibitions, the prints are merely "adequate" in workmanship and craft. This always puzzles and annoys me that "They get away with it."!!

So, read my current thread on processing and printing and my frustrations with a printer sending odd "pixels per inch" to a Canon printer that cause the system OS driver to step in and make "on the fly" rough upressing adjustments that degraded my precious pictures!! Despite this, everyone seeing the prints thought they were fabulous! But why? The core basis for these pictures is our set of design and esthetics that defy even less than optimum printers!

Of course we can do far better, printing ourselves, but in reality, when the essences of the picture are superb, this will still make the picture captivating as we are able to read the expressions and get the experience even when a grandfather with tears in his eyes emerges from a veiling mist!

Asher

It looks from your photo, that it was a wonderful venue and display of your collection of images. I tend to agree with Asher - that unless there is something that I am not seeing in the photos of your post and the printing is of such poor quality that it would be noticeable to anyone - most viewers will have no idea about how you would have preferred your images be printed. So hopefully you find success despite your displeasure in the print quality.

For best and complete control over printing, it is hard if not impossible to beat doing it yourself. Yes - MONEY FOR PRINTING AND DISPLAYING - - - unfortunately always a heavy cost to pay for being a photographer and something that can result in compromises. At any rate congrats on the exhibit and I feel bad for your disappointment.

Asher reminds us of an essential tension felt by all artists, artisans, engineers, and such.

• On one hand, we would like to have the best imaginable result.

• On the other hand, we must choose from among the available alternatives, and then often ask "is it worth another xx dollars to improve the quality of the result from 8.8 points to 9.0 points".

And of course, rarely is there any metric that will guide us to make that decision "perfectly".

What is important is that we remain conscious of the tension between, and importance of, the two motives.

If we ignore the latter, will will never finish any project, or will go broke in our enterprise.

If we ignore the former, our work will grow worse and worse until no one will pay any serious price for it, nor will we be at all happy with our work, even if done wholly avocationally.

And if we are not happy with our work (in the context of a balance between opposing motives), then no one else will long be either.

Best regards,

Doug

Doug Kerr said:

Asher reminds us of an essential tension felt by all artists, artisans, engineers, and such.

• On one hand, we would like to have the best imaginable result.

• On the other hand, we must choose from among the available alternatives, and then often ask "is it worth another xx dollars to improve the quality of the result from 8.8 points to 9.0 points".

And of course, rarely is there any metric that will guide us to make that decision "perfectly".

What is important is that we remain conscious of the tension between, and importance of, the two motives.

If we ignore the latter, will will never finish any project, or will go broke in our enterprise.

If we ignore the former, our work will grow worse and worse until no one will pay any serious price for it, nor will we be at all happy with our work................

Click to expand...

Doug,

This is such a constant dilemma! Right now, as a finalist, I have to produce an 1 inch to 1 ft scale model of a sculpture I submitted for a local city. If my work wins out, then I get the grand sum of $3,000 for showing it for one year. They have the first option of buying it! The fabrication cost of the 21" inch high model, so far is over $6,000! I'm working hard to redesign components to do well for about $2,000 to $3,000 but then, it must be still fine enough to allow my work to sine above the others!

In the end, it may be worthwhile to invest in oneself and take the financial loss in order to show well! In a competition, one cannot rely on the assumption that "They won't know or notice!"

Asher

Asher Kelman said:

Antonio,
From what I see, the exhibition is on a grand scale. Using triptychs to show aspects of a person is a great idea. The public, I'm sure were impressed. They have, likely as not, little savvy and skill in judging or recognizing the finer nuances of a technically stellar print that we feel they should expect of us!!!
To that point, my son's wedding photographer was not as expensive as Annie Lebowitz, but she was as long legged, lanky, blonde and charged a lot! Her samples were immaculate! Still the weddings pictures, to me at least, were high contrast for drama and the details of the veil lace and the surface patterns of the wedding gown were lost as well as the black silk of my son's tuxedo... Asher

Click to expand...

Thank you Asher, Robert and Doug.
Asher our images can't be compared with those from a wedding photographer. Each of our own images takes time and we do not want to produce 100 prints in a couple of days.
-
It would have been a heavy cost just for the prints if they were printed A3+ using the right paper.
Then frames would be needed. More money !

If things were prepared a month time in advance - at least - the exhibition could have been done with small size images in A5 using cheap frames.

I have calculated that one framed A5 image could be as low as 7 Euros. But multiply 7 by 60 and we come to 420 € ! On the other side if you use a graphic printer - like the one used - where 3 images go out at a time I am sure the price goes down to ... 200 € ? 250 € ? I was not told or enquire.
And... the frames in this galeria are always the same. I mean they are used over and over. They are from Ikea !

The framed A5 option would have been very low cost while maximizing the final results. As together they are 60 and the room is not very large or big this option would have been a great one.

Another advantage would be that the portrayed themselves or some of them at least, could have bought the frames for say ... 20 € each. Meaning 20 images sold=400 € ! when the total spent was 420 €. How about that ?
I would be happy and so would he.

Now I am convinced that the idea - all from the start - was to show that 60 "important" people have been brought/invited here with credits to the initiative.

Other aspects - political, financial and promotional for example - are on the table and to "collect" so many "important" people is relevant in the context.

But I am out of this project now. I do not want my images to be spoiled like that.

thank you for you attention to the matter

Antonio Correia said:

Thank you Asher, Robert and Doug.
Asher our images can't be compared with those from a wedding photographer. Each of our own images takes time and we do not want to produce 100 prints in a couple of days.
-
It would have been a heavy cost just for the prints if they were printed A3+ using the right paper.
Then frames would be needed. More money !

If things were prepared a month time in advance - at least - the exhibition could have been done with small size images in A5 using cheap frames.

I have calculated that one framed A5 image could be as low as 7 Euros. But multiply 7 by 60 and we come to 420 € ! On the other side if you use a graphic printer - like the one used - where 3 images go out at a time I am sure the price goes down to ... 200 € ? 250 € ? I was not told or enquire.
And... the frames in this galeria are always the same. I mean they are used over and over. They are from Ikea !

The framed A5 option would have been very low cost while maximizing the final results. As together they are 60 and the room is not very large or big this option would have been a great one.

Another advantage would be that the portrayed themselves or some of them at least, could have bought the frames for say ... 20 € each. Meaning 20 images sold=400 € ! when the total spent was 420 €. How about that ?
I would be happy and so would he.

Now I am convinced that the idea - all from the start - was to show that 60 "important" people have been brought/invited here with credits to the initiative.

Other aspects - political, financial and promotional for example - are on the table and to "collect" so many "important" people is relevant in the context.

But I am out of this project now. I do not want my images to be spoiled like that.

thank you for you attention to the matter

Click to expand...

Antonio,

For sure it's painful. If you followed the link to my thread, you will see that I have gone through the same process. I was mortified that the printer would take a shortcut, so I know how you feel and empathize.

However, look at the bright side. You have put together a magnificent show. How many of the folk even mentioned that this was not your usual or their expected quality? Maybe 1 or two at the most. Perhaps no one had issues except you, their father and creator.

Don't walk away from this connection. It just has to be financed right. There could be artist's grants to pay for the printing.

That is what I am planning for my big sculptures.

Asher

I hope you succeed with your sculptures, Asher !

Antonio,

Just focussing on the experience I would get visiting your exhibition, wouldn't we have been moved anyway? What were the reactions of the visitors? What did they say to you?

Was it reported in the local newspaper?

I cannot imagine that anyone but you. as the wounded artist, felt a disappointment as you have had to suffer. But really, wasn't it actually a success for the fact that so many people where together, celebrating with you and happy.

I honestly do not respect the handlers of pictures. They do not really understand, in most cases, the differences in technical quality as so many use shortcuts and that's what "art" looks like, they think!

So while I feel for you for the disrespect for your hard work and devotion to quality, $hit happens and we have to just take the good out of the misadventure. My take home message is that you were very successful in making an impression on all these people. Now they are each and everyone one of them potential customers for the first class print you can personally offer them.

Asher

Antonio Correia said:

I hope you succeed with your sculptures, Asher !

Click to expand...

Well, it's pretty ambitious! But such fun and one doesn't need a model release or to feed them!

Asher

Yes Asher it was reported at the local newspaper.
The reactions were very different.
The opening had about 10 people LOL

Those who have been photographed found it fantastic, congrats and so forth. Most convenient LOL
To these, I told that the images were a shame and it was my fault to let them show that way.

Others, less gifted found it very interesting because there were 60 portraits and they were too many, what a work ! Silly guy ! Poor him. He doesn't make differentiate one elephant from a potato !

Sometimes, nice comments are convenient to please others even if people think otherway.

Antonio Correia said:

Yes Asher it was reported at the local newspaper.
The reactions were very different.
The opening had about 10 people LOL

Click to expand...

that is just the opening and depends on how far ahead the gallery sent out post cards and emailed at least 2 reminders. People have schedules, favorite TV shows and days get filled. One has to really out an effort into getting one's name out, well in advance. After the Newspaper article, more folk should visit. BTW, can you translate and give a sense of the report?

Antonio Correia said:

Those who have been photographed found it fantastic, congrats and so forth. Most convenient LOL
To these, I told that the images were a shame and it was my fault to let them show that way.

Others, less gifted found it very interesting because there were 60 portraits and they were too many, what a work ! Silly guy ! Poor him. He doesn't make differentiate one elephant from a potato !

Sometimes, nice comments are convenient to please others even if people think otherway.

Click to expand...

Antonio,

Even educated people need a guide. Did you have a large printed text painted on the wall explaining your approach to people and their portraits or at least have that in your handouts? Many have a great lack of experience in portraiture - it's almost becoming a lost art as so many "snapshots" exist.

Your work is stellar. I am sure of that and you know I have the openness to tell you privately, at least, if I had reservations. If you marched to other people's drums you would make pictures of basketball or soccer players or postcard sunsets!

I consider this exhibition a success. It was on a grand scale, print quality had issues, but not as devastating as the lack of superb quality that's so obvious to you. If it moved one person in the entire duration of the show it's a great success.

The success of your work is about expression and exporting ideas from inside the "Cathedral" of your mind to a physical form in the actual print. While it's gratifying that others "get it" too that's something not related to the accomplishment of making art that is worthy of your efforts.

When Marco Polo brought back bank notes to show the folk in Venice, someone showed how "worthless it was by burning it, a proof, he thought as one couldn't destroy gold like that......and who now has gold coins in their pockets?

Asher

I understand your disappointment, Antonio.

About 5 years ago, I sold some prints mostly to people in the U.S. and had someone I thought I trusted do the prints in the U.S., as it was so much cheaper to ship from there and since I live in a small town, there were no professional printers here. Everyone that got their images loved them.

Then a friend of mine was looking for a printer and I gave her his name and when she got her prints, she told me they were not very good, and also not printed on the paper that he said he used. I was so distraught. I then started printing my own because I felt I couldn't trust anyone's eyes better than my own. I actually redid her images for her too.

Now, I do all my own. Yes, it is costly, yes but I'm happy with the results and as hurt and disappointed I was to know that I have prints out there that are not what I would have wanted to show as my work; these people wrote me and told me how much they loved them. They did not realize that the final print could have been better so I try to relax and realize that not everyone is going to look at them with an eagle eye and in the end they are happy.

Now, you will do new projects. You were disappointed in the prints, but part of the project is also doing the portraits - the shoot - the interaction - the people you met that you might not have anyways. Perhaps you made a new friend or two because of it. I know right now it is difficult to see any bright side of this, but I am sure there are.

Your portraits are amazing and I'm sure that people could see that even if the prints were not as good as you expected, they loved them and yes, that is what matters the most.

You are too hard on yourself but only because you are a perfectionist and that is not a bad thing to be as a photographer.

((hugs))
Maggie