Persistence and Resistance

Alas, I am swamped with work so I'm afraid that our regular Wednesday post has been derailed somewhat. I detest repeating myself, but on the basis that anything is better than nothing, here's a book review that I wrote not long ago that was destined for publication elsewhere. Apologies for the blip in service.

Because I am a finance director (by day), I read a large number of business blogs. In particular, I am a huge fan of Seth Godin, probably the world’s best marketing blogger. If you ever hope to make any decent income at all from this strange vocation that we call "photography" then do make sure that you check him out ASAP. I swear to you that that reading his books will change the way you think about marketing and selling your work. His sound business advice applies equally well regardless of your chosen profession - yep, including and especially your photographic career.

In his new book Linchpin, Seth makes an extremely persuasive argument that our attitude to our work and whether or not we make a go of our business project depends on how well we can resist our amygdala.



The amygdala is a lizard shaped piece of your brain, located near the brain stem. It determines your feelings of fear, depression, rage and even your sex drive. When you feel threatened or scared of failure, when you hear that nagging voice in the back of your head telling you that you will never be a truly successful photographer (because there are too many others doing-the-same-thing-but-better and so there's no point in trying) or when you feel despondent or down and keep putting off finishing your potential new book/DVD/web site, when you keep delaying submitting your photographs to magazines or shows because you think you'll never get anywhere, then that’s your amygdala talking. As Seth says, “the lizard hates change and achievement and risk.....so it rises up in rage and fear and shuts you down.”

And so your amygdala resists, so much so that you find excuses for not pushing forward your project. You prevaricate, you feel blue, you doubt that your ideas will ever work and as a result you stall and nothing ever gets done. But as Seth says, if you want to achieve your goal, if you want to push forward and make your plans reality, if you want to be truly successful, then you have to fight and defeat your lizard! How do you do this? By recognising that what is stopping you finishing the project-of-your-dreams is merely your amydgala at work. You must stop finding excuses, quash your self-doubts, push aside your fears and your dawdling and realise that your photography is more important than your insecurities. Willpower is your only solution when faced with the mighty lizard. Push, push, push through your blocks. Ignore the distractions of your mind and just keep on going until your work is finished.

And when you have fought your lizard and won, when you have finally finished your book or launched your new photography business or submitted your photographs for publication, only then will you have vanquished your demons, only then can you sit back proudly and say, “I did it. I really did it!”

And that’s what makes a truly successful photographer rather than a mediocre one.

Right, time to go slay my lizard! See you all at the weekend....

other 1325

Grrr!

Kudos...

...to our very own "Power Blogger" Stephen Haynes who is featured extensively in the latest issue of Carrie Leigh's Nude. Very cool, Stephen! It's good too know all your hard work fighting for photographers' rights is being recognised at last (and it won't exactly be bad for your book promotion either!) Also congrats to Michael Barnes who is also another featured blogger in the article, I believe.



As I have a birthday coming up in a few weeks time, I will be putting this issue of Carrie Leigh on my birthday list (v. handy that there is a pre-order discount too) and whilst I'm at it I might very well ask Rich to buy me the new f-eleven book too, which features quite a few of our favourite photographic friends including D. Brian Nelson, the wonderful Mr Levingston and my beloved Darcy.

Congrats to all!

Oh I do love photography books and magazines - especially when our friends are in them!

Are You An American Nude Photographer?

Then you need to urgently read this book:



Experienced photographer Stephen Haynes has written a witty and comprehensive analysis of the new §2257A legislation, along with details of exactly what you need to do to ensure you don’t fall foul of the new rules which come into effect as from 18th March 2009.

Having had the privilege of a sneak preview of this book, I would highly recommend it to anyone who photographs nude (or semi-nude) models and who publishes or sells their work in the U.S.

If you only buy one photography book this year, then make sure it's this one.

Believe me, you’re going to need it.

(Copies of the book can be purchased here.)

Michelle, Alexis and Susan

Congrats to Rich being featured on Michelle 7 this month, for his photographs of the lovely Alexis on the pouffe cushion. Yes, yes I know folks have mixed opinions about Michelle 7 (and thank you Mr S for your frank and honest opinion…don’t hold back now, ya hear?! Better out than in, as they say) but I’m so darn proud of Rich when he’s featured anywhere. Michelle 7 is no exception.

On a slightly less contentious note, I’m delighted to say I’ve finally finished reading Susan Sontag’s On Photography.

"Heavy" doesn't remotely begin to describe it. If Art and Fear was the photographic equivalent of Jonathan Livingston Seagull (jump off a cliff and you'll find your inner artist) then On Photography is more like a compacted version of Introduction to Metaphysics (the cliff is irrelevant -"art is nothing more or less than various modes of stylized, dehumanized representation.") This book was so darned difficult that I read it three times just to make sure I understood it, dictionary clutched in my hot little paw because some of the words were beyond the comprehension of my pea-sized brain. In fact some of the words were beyond the Oxford English Dictionary too, so I didn’t feel quite such an idiot, and I could only glean their obscure arty meaning by sending my ten year old son on a laborious language hunt in the bowels of several internet dictionaries (it’s good for him.)

Rich says I’ve been hell to live with whilst I’ve been reading Sontag.
“God, you’re not reading that bloody book again are you?” has become an oft used phrase in our house over the last few months.

Truth be told, it really is a brilliant book. If you read it (and you should), it will expand your mind (mine was slightly reluctant to expand though…probably due to it recently being basted in garlic butter and deep-fried) and it will turn the way you think about photography on its head. It is a masterpiece…Susan wrote every single day, eight hours a day for five long years, in order to finish it. She wrote, she re-wrote and she re-wrote again. The result is a tour de force. No wonder she’s heralded as one of the greatest American intellectual thinkers of all time. The only problem is that our dear late Sue was not a happy lady. I don’t think the words “happy,” “fun” or “joy” were mentioned in that book, not once, so in my (admittedly very simple) opinion, she has excluded a consideration of one of the most fundamental reasons why people photograph: Because it makes them happy.

Anyway, 'nuff said about Susan. I feel like a dried out shrivelled old husk after reading that book three times (or maybe I’ve been looking in the mirror too much.) I have many, many more photography books to read, but alas I’m philosophied-out, so I’m following the recommendation of a good friend, getting a life and reading Erma Bombeck instead.

I predict less grumpy photographic rants and more insane rambling for a while. Who wants to be lucid anyway? As our dear Sue said, "Most people in this society who aren't actively mad are, at best, reformed or potential lunatics."

Quite.

AlexisSummers 932

Alexis and the Pouffee Cushion

No more Fetish Anthologies?

Remember the review of Fetish Photo Anthology Volume 5 I did a while ago? You can re-read it here.In it, I asked a lot of rather impudent questions. Well, yesterday Jürgen kindly replied. His words make interesting reading, and reveal just how much hard work, dedication, passion and investment went into producing this most excellent book. Thank you Jürgen for taking the time to make this post. I have reproduced this here in full:

"Jürgen here...There are way too many questions here to be answered in just one reply. Why some are selected and why others are not? That's quite simple; if I receive a CD or DVD with the pictures and if they are any good, I select what I like and I've been doing that for the last 17 years. Remember that I do all of this alone, from research, contacting the models, photographers, layout, boxing the books, going to the postoffice... well, you get the picture. I don't have the time anymore to look on the web for new talent. So yes, anybody who knows great, new talent, just inform me.

I was delighted to read the comments and I resist to answer on the errors written here, but I can now say that this will be last Anthology I will make. Sadly enough. But I'm proud of what I did all these years.

Again to come back on the participating photographers, some didn't send in their work or simply refused to participate when I asked them. The color issue is financially impossible for me... that being said, this volume has pushed me to the limit of my finance and the futur of the magazine is also hanging on a very thin tread. So no, financially I'm not successful, but I love every second of what I do. Black & white photography is my life. Showing off new artist who "make it" after that is my success. (Gilles Berquet, Trevor Watson, Chouraqui, Barbara Nitke and many, many others) Also, I've looked at over 10.000 pictures to select what is in this book. In between I also make the magazine and produce other books like BOUND with David Lawrence and SHIBARI with Master K, run a fetish store with my wife and have 4 kids, who all need my attention. So yes, I admit, I make mistakes. And yes, names are missing. Some photographers sent in their work and I forgot to insert them in the layout! Can you imagine that!??? It's not easy, I can tell you. Well, that's just a small answer to all the many questions posted here. If you want to know why this or why that, just email me. OK? So IF I was to make another volume, I accept the help.

Jürgen"

Masters of Fetish Photography

Last month I bought Richard the Fetish Photo Anthology Volume 5 for his birthday. O.K. I must admit that this was as much for me as for him, as fetish is much more to my personal taste than some other types of nude photography.

This epic volume weighs in at a staggering 1.82 kilograms, and is jam-packed full of the world’s best fetish photographs. Jürgen Boedt obviously put his heart and soul into collecting the images and publishing this book, and his hard work really shows. Incidentally, there are only going to be 2000 copies of this collection printed, so if you want one, you’d better move fast.

There are some truly outstanding images within this hefty tome. Photographs that simply take your breath away. It has taken me a month to write this because I’ve been too busy thinking about the pictures, admiring and drooling over the glossy art. This book just oozes good taste.

My unashamed personal favourites were Hans Gössing’s sub/dom shot on page 146, Scott Gerth’s pinwheel shot (page 136), Dennis Keim’s nude on a chair (page 207 – but was it fetish?), Hikari Hesho’s bondage set (page 210, but his name is spelled incorrectly in the index) and Christine Kessler’s head-brace shot (I think that’s what it is, page 217). These were the ones that rocked my world - but you’ll all have different favourites, I’m sure.

Congrats to everyone we don’t know who made it into the book, and also to those that we know and worship who do appear within. Rich knows the work of most of the featured photographers better than I do, nevertheless there are many famous artists that even “little ol’ me” has heard of. Of those we are actually more familiar with on a more personal level, my special congrats to John Tisbury (one of the undisputed champions of nude photography in the UK, and not featured nearly enough in this book, I might add), also Nad Iksodas and BT Charles who produced some stunning images, and their status as “Masters” is well deserved.

I was also delighted to see several familiar faces we know. I did love the images of Iris Dassault, and of Wescott (with whom we hope to be working shortly). I’m sure I saw some other models I recognise, but sometimes it’s very difficult to positively identify someone’s posterior or boob in close up shots, unless it’s Iris, whose fabulous curves I know nearly as well as my own rather un-fabulous ones, after devotedly following her blog for well over a year now.

However……
C’mon, this is me. When have I ever not had a “however”….

As with the Taschen’s New Erotic Photography, this collection can be judged as much by the photographers who weren’t featured, as by those that were.

I’m not sure how the selection process works for this book. I do know that photographers are invited to submit their work for consideration, so I guess if you don’t enter, there’s a highly reduced chance of being a featured artist. This might explain why some photographers were omitted from the book who really ought to have been in there, such as D Brian Nelson who runs what is probably one of the world’s most famous nude blogs, and if girls tied up and/or diddling themselves in hotel rooms isn’t a major fetish that appeals to the masses, then I don’t know what is, although he doesn’t do standard glossy fetish, so maybe that’s the reason?) And don’t even get me started on Johnny Flamethrower and Melvin Moten. A fetish anthology without them is like the state opening of parliament with half the royal family missing. These two really “get” what fetish really means – they feel the passion and live the lifestyle. They are both amazing photographers. Why on earth aren’t they in there?

Is self-submission the only method of entry? Does the editor also approach other (non-self-pimping) artists himself if he likes their work, and ask to feature them? Who selects the final line-up of featured artists anyway? Who says who makes the grade and who doesn’t? However I do feel for Jürgen Boedt. If it is him and him alone who decides who makes the cut and who doesn’t, then it’s inevitable to miss someone who should be in there. You can’t please everyone. And much will depend on the editor’s own personal taste.

There are two things I will say to Jürgen. Firstly, do please let me help you pick them next time! Although I suspect I’ll be at the end of a very long queue of volunteers. Secondly, for the love of all that is sacred in Fetish Photography, PRINT IT IN COLOUR!!!

Fetish photography is designed for colour. This collection of art is incomplete without it. Fetish is all about emotion, depth, vibrancy – the black and white fetish photographs are stunningly beautiful of course, and b+w is appropriate for some of the photographs, depending on the original intentions of the photographer. However many of the images are clearly designed for colour, but must have been converted to black and white for this book. IMO the de-saturation of certain photographs has killed the depth and emotion of some images stone dead, and this detracts from what would otherwise have been probably the best collection of fetish photography for a very long time.

O.K. I get it, the book is in black and white because this is cheaper. But cost should be irrelevant in art. Sure, colour is more expensive, but find a way! Sell your granny if necessary. The final result would be worth it.

As Gucci say, “Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten.”



The image is by Ronny Thiele