Mike Myers caricature of a retro fashion photographer neatly sums up the wildly held public perception of what a photographer does. This or a wedding photographer.
I don’t know a male photographer who hasn’t been asked if he does glamour shoots or weddings, it seems to be the default view wherever we are in the world and whoever we’re talking to. Clearly media and cinema portrayal of photographers has created this perception and some photographers have played to the gallery. The perception was always of a male, possibly of dubious sexual morals who photographed girls minus their clothes.
Olympus recognised this with their ads for the Olympus Trip with the strapline “The Olympus Trip –so simple, anyone can use it” endorsed by David Bailey in a series of humourous TV adverts spawned the famous slogan still in use today – “Who do you think you are – David Bailey?
Bailey himself was the subject of the 1966 movie Blow Up staring Vanessa Redgrave and David Hemmings where the photographers camera is an extension of his gentials, the photographic process an extension of the sexual act so its no wonder the public perception became so entrenched so early.
How this translates into my own practice Ive had to consider carefully. There’s no doubt in my role as an advertising photographer I do play a role. My working name is Martin Brent, a slight extension from a time when photographers were addressed by their surnames, ie Bailey, Donovan et al but mine was considered a mouthful and Brent was adopted.
Photographers are expected to be if not a little flamboyant certainly the dominant personality on set, the one the models and crew take direction from and this I believe has migrated from the movie industry.
‘Looking the part’ apparently is important, what that look is depends on which area people are in but there’s a look, go on any set in LA or London and there will be a profusion of people in black cargo shorts/jeans, black T shirts and vintage shirts. A client once told me they preferred me to their old photographer as I looked like a photographer and he didn’t.. I would have preferred they liked the work better but hey take what you can when you can!
Being a photographer it seems is a lifestyle choice but that lifestyle is subjective based on who is looking and their perspective, ie people see what they want to see.
“You must have a really good camera” words that every photographer hears and detests. The ability of a machine held in higher esteem than the person who operates it. It’s said in innocence of course, there’s no ill intent but its interesting that the public place the success on the image on the perceived quality of the capture device.
In some respects photographers are partially responsible for this perception, our equipment was a technological bar to entry and we were very happy about this and quick to confirm it’s complexity.
The fact is most people are intimidated by complex looking SLRs and a big complex camera did mark out the territory of the pro, again the image of the zoom lens laden light meter brandishing photographer seeped into and remains in the public physch.
However since the advent of smart phones and easy access to image editing software, often within the taking app itself, ie Instagram, most people can capture a decent image and publish it to the social media world immediately.
This means the pro photographer must now more than ever sell their skills on their creative and technical ability in isolation, the equipment as a gate keeper is gone even though the average member of the public is still initimidated by big complex cameras they don’t actually need one to capture great images.
Back full circle in some respects. ‘So simple anyone can use it”