Out Of The Shadows and Into The Light

To share or not to share? Remain in the dark or step into the light? In the over-sharing reality-tv-mobile-social-insta-googling world in which we live, it’s hard to remember a time when photographers made the conscious decision to rarely, if ever, share their work. Yet, in spite of the ease with which photographers can share their work today, even among professionals, there is often a reluctance to share work with peers, potential clients and other artists. So the question should be asked: can you afford not to share your work?

Vivian Maier “Out Of The Shadows” exhibit at Photographic Center Northwest, Seattle

On one end of the extreme, I offer the case of Vivian Maier. Maier’s work came to light in the last few years when a cache of her unpublished, unseen images were discovered by a realtor, who sight unseen, bid on Maier’s remaning life possessions contained in an abandoned storage locker. The realtor got more than he bargained for unearthing more than 100,000 photographs Maier captured during a more than four-decade period of daily shooting. It was also learned that during her lifetime, Maier never shared any of the photography which she produced at a prodigious rate.

While Maier’s talent and tenacity as a photographer  is undeniable, I can not help but wonder: How much further would Maier have been able to push her craft, range and talent had she only taken the simple step (but obviously difficult for her) of sharing her work and getting valuable feedback from editors, photographers or other image professionals?

In contrast, flash forward to an event I participated in last week: “Portfolio Perfect” co-hosted by ASMP and ASPP where the spirit and intent of the evening was expressly designed for photographers to improve their craft by listening to and integrating feedback from peers and respected industry professionals. Dozens of photographers from the greater Portland-area turned out for one-on-one portfolio reviews conducted throughout the evening. I especially applaud the 37 photographers who submitted images for the “live audience review” as they offered themselves up to be particularly vulnerable, but in fact, extracted probably the greatest value from the event by getting unedited, unfiltered yet constructive feedback about their work.

Portfolio reviewers (l-r) Marni Beardsley, Jerry Ketel, Steve Sandstrom and Danita Delimont critique photographer portfolios during “live review” © evolveimages.com

As one of the reviewers, I was struck, that even among this group of professional photographers, whose very livelihood are dependent on sharing their work with others, how many photographers were either reluctant to share their work or openly admitted that they did not regularly seek feedback about their work. Whether drawn by the mystique of  executing a singular, artistic vision or the pursuit of creating self-inspired work, withholding your work from critique is a flawed approach– especially for photographers yet to establish a reputation or distinctive style that they can truly call their own.

It can be argued that all creative pursuits— writing, music, dance, design, painting, photography– benefit from considered critique, editing and feedback. In fact, it is all too easy to spot work that is highly self-indulgent where the only audience being satisfied is the ego of the creator.

So if you’ve been hiding your work from others, yes, you can take your chances that one day you too could be immortalized after you’ve left this life as another great talent “undiscovered” during their lifetime. A more pragmatic approach, one which yields more predictable and realistic results, would be to start sharing your work with others today. Integrating constructive feedback will more likely lead to your producing consistently improved, memorable and satisfying work.

Get out of the shadows and into the light.