New Research indicates that older people are indeed wise, both in knowing how to deal with conflicts between people and in accepting life’s uncertainties. This is called social wisdom.

- recognising that values differ among people,

- accepting that uncertainties are in fact a certainty,

- accepting that things change over time,

- and acknowledging others’ points of view.

This is different to knowing stuff about technologies.

As technology becomes the new playground the rules are the same but they execute differently.

As photographers who ran successful businesses become last year’s model they are easily discarded by a new generation of ‘hip’. To survive, do the men start shaving their heads, growing small goatlike beards, colouring their wardrobe black and wearing sunglasses inside? Do the women colour their hair more frequently, use loud nail-polish and wear more layered clothing?

These become obvious markers of people trying to keep up with another generation. Because all of these things are obvious ‘disguises’ for agedness it is possible that they do little to generate a sense of trust.

It’s true that clients make judgements on appearance … we all do …

Experience used to count for so much, as did social wisdom. It should matter more …

It used to be that being in business for 30 or 40 years meant that you were good at what you do and that you had probably made all of the mistakes you were going to.

Now it means ‘been around too long and potentially boring’.

It is our job to stay fresh, move with the times and make our experience matter.

This is not about always owning the latest filters but about not resting on the laurels of our pasts.

Espousing our social wisdom without ever using the expression “in my day” creates a unique point of difference.

Applying that experience to the new understanding of image ownership puts you ahead of a vibrant new kid on the block with lots of thoughts but no idea.

As you get older the only real ‘hip’ upgrade happens in a hospital under anaesthetic…. so it comes down to using your social wisdom to keep ahead of the play.

Cheers, Johannes

People who like this post would also like:

The measure of a photographer used to be how much you could charge for an 8×10″ print. At seminars it became the call that epitomised the lack of understanding, from some, of the need for skills other than the balls to charge like a wounded bull.

Things have changed and now the measure of a photographer is what they charge for being a photographer. People disguise this photographic fee in packages and bundles, and sometimes lose track of what it is they are selling.

It is an absolute truth that a 10×8 print holds much less value now because of the broader accessibility of the photographic medium.

It is now more important to distinguish ourselves without distancing ourselves from our clients.

The real commodity we are selling is our vision. From this vision comes creative opportunity. We package it up as a set of prints, an album, and/or a set of digital files.

In creating a Queensberry album we are packaging our vision as a story for the future. As a vessel for the story the Queensberry gives it permanence, presence and protection. These things are a worthy investment.

Cheers, Johannes

People who like this post would also like:

The Archive of Accidents that once was photography.

Les Walkling describes a truth that is often forgotten in our pursuit of perfection.

Editing our images to only show our best is destroying a potential archive of wedding (and family) culture. Not only do we forget but we actively discard ‘the accidental archive’.

In making albums we look for the best-ofs, often overlooking the incidental truths.

When we are editing we discard photographs that are imperfect or that don’t suit our story (this is the inevitable outcome of editing).

It’s a fact that vanity rules over truth, but there is something in the accidental evidence created in the course of a day that would tell a different but interesting story, and maybe has more relevance than the fictions from the creative expertise of the photographer.

The accidental photographs that never make the selection are sometimes more significant than we, the authors of ‘truth’ may ever understand. The only photograph of a favourite uncle talking to his grandniece is rejected because it is not quite sharp.

Is it because the money shots are the ones that appeal to vanity?

As we focus on making successful businesses and keeping up with technology, are we becoming insensitive to the subtleties and complexities of what we do, that are incidental to the immediate and obvious task of making the bride and groom look amazing.

So the archive of accidents is a special thing … and there will always be people in denial of their unphotoshopped selves. But are we denying the memory of an alternative past by making the record of somebody’s wedding (their album or prints) as perfect as possible?

People who like this post would also like: