One of the hardest truths I have come by, with respect to liking what I do, is to decide what to print. I run into interesting dilemmas in balancing being an artist and trying to make some money from my craft.
I have come to like a few combinations of mood, light, and materials that help me make photographs I can look at and be proud of. When I show that work to others I usually get a fairly flat response, or none at all.
Then, as an experiment, I print something that I know my wife likes, and all of a sudden, the response is fairly good, generous even.
So what to print? Do you stay true to your own ideals and print what feels good in the soul? Or do you go with what's 'liked and admired' by your surrounding and potential buyers?
I have had the good fortune to be able to afford (on a shoestring budget) to practice photography without needing to sell my work or services. It's nice when it happens that I earn some money, because it financially justifies my expenditure in time and money.
I'm really curious about hearing what your arguments for either approach may be.
There's nothing wrong with "selling out," but don't go on mistaking paradise for that home across the road (alright, thank you in-my-head Bob Dylan).
What I mean is that everybody makes compromises, sometimes they lose money for their vision, and sometimes they lose vision for money.
Personally, I would consider doing prints-that-sell-well as a useful and worthy means, but not as an end.
Like you, I have another job, so photography is peripheral to my income (waaaaay peripheral...). I can entertain the idea of art without too much anguish. The few prints I sold so far happened to be prints that I liked, but they were not necessarily the ones that I liked the most.
We would all like to be acknowledged and famous for that One Photo that's really what we consider the pinnacle of our art so far, but I think we have to admit a little modesty: maybe we are not always the best champions or critics of our art. Understanding what people like in our work can give us insight in what works and what does not. Art is also a form of communication.
In the end it's about making choices, and choices are often local, specific to a particular situation. There are moments when it makes sense to do a pleasing work; others when we would be stupid not to take a risk.
__________________ Using film since before it was hip.
IDK myself, but is photographing as a "service" a very artful endeavor in photography?-----I'm sure it can be. Or, is it simply that, a "service". I believe AA identified it as assignments from without (service oriented photography) and assignments from within (expressive fine art type stuff). IDK, but I do know I can identify with your dilema. I have some contact prints that my wife really likes but that I simply see nothing there and I always leave those negatives in the sleeves as I don't want to waste materials on them.
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"Photography is an illusion. It is amazing that human beings consider a photograph to be a representation of reality."
---John Sexton
Good feedback, guys. I guess it bothers me to some extent that I sell work for money that I am not entirely happy with myself. There is a tiny piece of me that exclaims within that I should not be doing that. I guess I am a man of principles, and found through prior experiences in life, both personal and those of friends, that unless you are true to yourself, you will always compromise how happy and pleased you feel about things.
My best friend in Sweden had a very hard time admitting to being a lesbian. When she finally decided to be true to her 'calling' it transformed her personality into something much more confident and sure-footed. It was amazing to see. I feel the same way, to a much lesser degree, about my photography. By presenting those images that don't fully appeal to my senses, or 'calling', I compromise the artistry I'm trying to achieve. That work is out there, in someone's home, because they liked it, and not I.
I guess I should stop thinking about it so much and just realize that maybe I am the only one to care, and that I should just be very happy being able to create work that I want to develop for much of the time.
I can empathize Thomas. I have been in a similar spot myself. I take photos of things I am drawn to for more elemental reasons. My wife just says, oh, another silo, or not more pictures of that stupid wall again?! For some people, an image needs to be congruent, or speak to the viewer who is not always able to see, or perceive the more intangible reasons that only people like us can see on why we made the image. What might be an average image to us, may speak volumes to the average joe who would gladly pay for it. Making a compromise between what sells, and what you can feel comfortable producing is the right approach. A Lot of pro's keep bread on the table with commissioned work, or other non photo work entirely! Then do their personal artsy stuff in their spare time.
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It is all in your choice of words. Ralph Gibson once told me that 'It's not selling out, it's cashing in'. I sort of like that quote. Combines a bit of honesty with some remunerative possibilities.
If you analyze the sentence carefully, you'll see that he is headed in the right direction. Selling out is changing what you do to please someone else. Cashing in is pleasing yourself so ably that eventually you can demand that others pay a little bit to get a glimpse of what you do.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thomas Bertilsson
Or do you go with what's 'liked and admired' by your surrounding and potential buyers?
- Thomas
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I just want to feel nostalgic like I used to.
Interesting thread! I often find that images that really move me are usually seen by others as uninteresting, while images that I don't really care for are absolutely loved by others! I have found that for my personal work I print what moves me. As far as paid work goes, (I shoot weddings) my clients get to pick what they like. Interestingly enough they usually tend to pick images that are, in my opinion, just plain or "run-of-the-mill". I can give them 100 images that I find inspiring, but they will choose image # 101 which I find to be boring.
Nobody wants to buy any of my stuff; as a consequence I print whatever I want, however I want
I'm in the same boat as Walter. But I'm curious, is it so difficult to keep the "art" and "commercial" worlds apart? In other words, can't you do both? Is there a difference between an artist doing commissioned work and you doing work that sells?
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If I had been present at the creation, I would have given some useful hints for the better arrangement of the Universe.
Alfonso the Wise, 1221-1284
To tell the truth, I never sold anything until I started to make prints that I wanted to make. That "clarified" my style - and ... I don't know ... the "connections" became more effective between me and the potential buyer.
The first sales were surprises. I think, now, I can see how it all works.
Be true to yourself. Your work will reflect that integrity. That is one really good and valuable characteristic of the work.
Being True to Yourself 
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