sorry to be blunt but no one really cares

Eric Rose said:

Ya ya it's all about the 1%. The 1% has it all, the rest of us are slugs

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its always like that ! and the funnything ( sad thing too )
is some of the 1% just grabs what they see does the same thing and says its theirs !

picasso, i mean banksy, i mean wabyanko said it all
https://www.saatchiart.com/art/New-...nksy-stolen-Picasso-quote/812907/3429772/view

Sirius Glass said:

I do not care what others think of my photographs, those that have seen them like them. I only please myself.

Garden Party
Ricky Nelson
Went to a garden party to reminisce with my old friends
A chance to share old memories and play our songs again
When I got to the garden party, they all knew my name
No one recognized me, I didn't look the same
But it's all right now, I learned my lesson well.
You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself
People came from miles around, everyone was there
Yoko brought her walrus, there was magic in the air
And over in the corner, much to my surprise
Mr. Hughes hid in Dylan's shoes wearing his disguise
But it's all right now, I learned my lesson well.
You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself
Played them all the old songs, thought that's why they came
No one heard the music, we didn't look the same
I said hello to "Mary Lou", she belongs to me
When I sang a song about a honky-tonk, it was time to leave
But it's all right now, I learned my lesson well.
You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself
Someone opened up a closet door and out stepped Johnny B. Goode
Playing guitar like a-ringin' a bell and lookin' like he should
If you gotta play at garden parties, I wish you a lotta luck
But if memories were all I sang, I rather drive a truck
And it's all right now, learned my lesson well
You see, ya can't please everyone, so you got to please yourself
Songwriters: Ricky Nelson
Garden Party lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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yep !

I could care less about those people that don't care. They are not even in my horizon of consciousness.

I care so much that I need my camera to match my outfit. Like, I'd never bring my Canon to a dinner party. That's reserved for my Nikon Rangefinders. Bringing a Leica is just tacky.

However, when I'm going for a Sunday ride out on the back lanes in my vintage resored Spider I'll bring my Richoflex TLR because it just matches the decor. Hat must match the shoes you know. Everyone is watching, that's why I paint all my lenses white. My 50 1.8? White. 18-55 Kit lens? White. Got a drawer full of red rings too, I even put them on my Pentax lenses. Can't be mistaken for an ignoramus. I leave empty boxes of Tri-x on my passenger seat just in case a connoisseur happens to look into my car when I'm out.

I let my film age like fine wine.

I don't even care enough to post in this thread.

I've said it before and so has John. Unless the gallery/art gods personally anoint you, you have zero chance of making decent money in the fine art photography world.

You can buy your way into money like Peter Lik did. Setting up retail stores in high traffic tourist areas and creating both a salable myth and imho slocky art by the yard photographs.

Beyond that just get out and enjoy yourself.

Yay - I'm part of the 99% -Wooo!

So, there are two types of photographers who interest me. The first type, some well known ones, as well as some on this site, inspire me - their photos have provided me with a new way of seeing something and I'm energized and want to rush out and make photos. Other photographers, who are a minority but are famous and contemporary, their work makes me fall back in my chair and I have a feeling of "That's it - it's done; it can't be better than that. Compared to this I don't know how to make a photograph, so I should just give up and sell all my cameras."

Yet, what really matters is whether I'm happy with my work. The answer to that is yes.

I'll take the burger, but a salad on the side instead of fries.

The interactions between my prints and the viewer are an important part of my whole process...so I do care what people think and feel in relation to my work. It is important imput...but then, so is what I had for breakfast.

I've been lucky to find a couple very interested young people. They have shown me, that I'm still damn relevant! Showing people how to print color, develop sheet film in rubber tanks with hangers.
I had a call today, young man all worked up wants to make paper negatives and salt prints from scratch. He was going to spend a bunch of money (that he doesn't have) I checked I have everything he needs except the art paper.
I made an 11 X14 HP5 negative of the mess on my desk today because I wanted to see a huge negative, just for fun. I've been chasing my cats around the house with a Nikon 400mm lens, tripod on dolly. I made a great 5x7 inkjet tonight of one of my cat's face. 400mm f2.8 100th of a second auto iso at 4500 by CFL light . All this shit still amazes me. And I had a great cheeseburger for dinner

my gawd john, if nobody cares does that mean i've been reading all those threads about archival processing, the yawn system and which are the best lenses all for nothing?

I had a great dinner and I love taking photographs and playing in the darkroom and I don't care what anyone else thinks about what I do.

I'm still waiting for my cheeseburger, where's my danged cheeseburger. I want my cheeseburger NOW

jnanian said:

sorry to be blunt
its been said over and over and over again
but pretty much 99% of photography is dead
and pretty much everyone who makes photographs,
unless they are some gallery or museum's darling
or have deep pockets or deep connections stuff
is wasting their time and effort because no one really cares ...
and if someone really cares will they do more than pat you on the back?
put up the $$ some people might say, and not just a few bucks, $$ for the time
and effort i put into making the photograph... (meh ! )

does that matter?
what do you do, just stop? or keep doing your thing even though
its gonna be in the dumpster …

i keep doing it, its one of those things .. i figure ill do for as long as i can ...

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Didn't vote, but you are more or less correct.

People are inundated with images and video nowadays. Entitlement is a good word that describes the people of today. People are of the nature that they expect most of the media to be free and they hand out 'likes' like they cost a million dollars each. The best advice is to do your work for yourself and forget getting approval from others. Expectations are pre-planned resentments. If you do your art for love, with no expectations, you will never be disappointed.

Do we really need any more flower pix?? Years ago Flickr had 1.25 million flower photos just in one Flickr group. Tens of millions more flower pix out there online. Can you even look at a fraction of them? Sunsets? Almost a million on one Flickr group…tons of other sunset groups out there with millions more sunset pix. If that Fickr group had 10 million sunsets pix would that stop you from shooting another sunset? What about 100 million sunsets? Reality and practicality don’t seem to enter the picture when the subject is making pictures and producing art - our art is personal.

You see, none of this matters if freezing time is in your blood. If your dedicated to your art, you MUST produce and keep producing, whether you have an outlet or not to make $…or even have any practical use for your output. Irrespective of recognition, fame and riches, we all have one thing in common…as long as we can keep pressing the button and freeze time, we feel the better for it.

In a 1979 interview entitled Inside New York’s Art World, artist Louise Nevelson said: “I think that when someone is willing to live and die for something…that means it is in the genes.” That pretty much sums it up…many an artist is willing to live and die for their art. Whether painter, draftsman, photog, writer, musician, sculptor, actor or poet, artists use their art as a way to see, interpret and make sense of their world. If they are a true artist, they will do their art for free…just for the therapy value

Weegee on the subject…

“Sure. I’d like to live regular. Go home to a good looking wife, a hot dinner, and a husky kid. But I guess I got film in my blood.”

Artists’ have a long history of working for free or nearly so. They are driven to produce from an inner demon and must find an outlet for their production. The other choice is to let their art sit, be useless and probably die with them.

In 2018 the unfortunate reality for the photog is this…



In an intro to his review on Amazon of Among the Bohemians: Experiments in Living 1900-1939 by Virginia Nicholson, Lleu Christopher distills what fuels the bohemian life.

“Nicholson has a genuine appreciation for the bohemian spirit, and acknowledges the sacrifices made by many obscure artists, poets and others existing (often marginally) at society’s fringes. For some, the idealistic decision to forsake conventional society for a life dedicated to art, romance, poetry or perhaps a vaguer idea such as beauty or authenticity was never rewarded with any kind of material success. Was there any compensation for those living such marginal lives? Nicholson makes the case that for many, a life dedicated to art, romance and freedom is its own reward. For those who embody the bohemian spirit, material comforts and security are not worth the price of suppressing one’s creativity and individuality.”

Personally, I’ve worked on projects for 2+ years, almost going broke to fund it…and when it was complete, I failed to even give it away for free. The projects were landmark and had outstanding content. If you’ve seen my work you know I don’t sign my name to garbage. Yet, curators refused to even take a look at it.

But that is how it can be with art. Lots of rejection, so get used to it if you aspire to be an artist. Don’t take any of it personally, you have to suck it up and move onto the next project…or don’t be an artist. Now when I speak of artist, I don't think of myself as some big artist. I am a social documentary photographer. But there is still art in the process, so I use the word 'artist' loosely.

Scape Martinez

“Never give up! Don’t listen to the haters. Don’t try to be an artist unless you can work and live in isolation, without any thanks….bleak, but needed until you get to the much lauded place.”

This Jazz series will give you an excellent rundown of the trials and tribulations facing many an artist. If you have not seen this series, I suggest you do so. You can get it from your library. Gives much insight into the artist.

If you have photography that you want to preserve, why not share it on the Internet Archive? You don't have to give away all rights. Just use the non-commercial Creative Commons option. "Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs CC BY-NC-ND" I tried with the Wikipedia, but they deleted virtually all my photos. 1-1/2 years of work wasted. So be careful where you put your time and work if you plan to donate it. The internet can be very impermanent. But whatever you do...do it for love.

I've contributed to a B&W inkjet print exchange every second or third month since the nineties (don't recall starting date).

I share my work with an international group of around ten (varies) other photographers who make B&W inkjet prints. They share theirs with me. Most images and prints are easily gallery worthy. Some shoot digital, some shoot and scan film. Very few use labs for film processing, a minority use labs for scanning. Some make their own pigments, most use OEM Epson or Canon pigments. Some are technique wizards, others keep it simple. Some are pros, some aren't.

They "care." I "care."

same as it ever was...this poll needs an editor.

I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.

jnanian said:

sorry to be blunt
its been said over and over and over again
but pretty much 99% of photography is dead
and pretty much everyone who makes photographs,
unless they are some gallery or museum's darling
or have deep pockets or deep connections stuff
is wasting their time and effort because no one really cares ...
and if someone really cares will they do more than pat you on the back?
put up the $$ some people might say, and not just a few bucks, $$ for the time
and effort i put into making the photograph... (meh ! )

does that matter?
what do you do, just stop? or keep doing your thing even though
its gonna be in the dumpster ...

i keep doing it, its one of those things .. i figure ill do for as long as i can ...

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the time may have come to admit that a beautiful thing has ended. this year is the first time Iwon't attend Photokina. there is nothing analog there anymore.

I'm still not going to post in this thread.

John, you know I'm not trying to be negative, right?

Successful people often advise, "Stop stinkin' thinkin'. I'd add, "Stop blaming the other guy."

I disagree with the premise. Some care and some don't. Nothing new about that. If no one in your circle cares, broaden your circle... or don't. Today I am hired to be a consultant on the darkroom design in a new construction home. Someone who cares.

As someone who is hardly a 'gallery darling', not excessively wealthy, and not overly well connected, I would say that the cheques I'll be cashing this week would disagree with the idea that 'no one really cares'.

thanks for the varied responses !
great perspectives/POV and bleed over ...

Successful people often advise, "Stop stinkin' thinkin'. I'd add, "Stop blaming the other guy."

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dude, its a reality check its not a blame game.

I think the most important thing is that you care. If others care, that's a cherry on top, but not necessary to pursue the passion.

Well, being my cynical self, just 1% of every human being is eventually forgotten.

Very few photographers are ever remembered after they pass away, and then, they are only remembered by a very small group of people. Most people don't know the most famous photographers of history, and if they know, they will forget about them with the next post or hot topic.


Every single human being will eventually die and be forgotten, even by their own family, at some point all of us will be eventually forgotten and truly die.

All but the 1% of us, that is.


Now, the reason we all make photography is a) just for the fun of it or b)To be part of that !%.

If your reason is having fun, people caring about your stuff, your images, is inconsequential. You (like me) just take the photos for either the fun of it, or just to keep memories of things.

If you aim to be part of the 1%, then is up to you to work for it.


I have no kids so I know any memories of me will eventually gone in one or two generations at most, so, just take photos for memories and the sake of it,not because I care about flattering or getting famous.

Just have fun and enjoy the ride

Now, I'm getting my morning coffee so will stop my rant today.

Regards

Marcelo

Peter Schrager said:

It not what people say; its all about how you react to it...
This could possibly be the one of the most interesting times in photography
Roll with it folks

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Yes...100 percent.