Ask away Questions 4

Today part 4 in the “ask Frank” question series.
Again I’m gonna combine some questions.
Question 1:
Hi Frank,

Here’s my question (actually the question is at the end): Photographers are visual artists and their work may not always appeal to everyone while they’re growing/developing as a photographer. Sometimes a visual style isn’t understood (or just isn’t in style yet) but with persistence success is still possible. You’ve been at it for some time and I’m guessing that you’ve had a few ups and downs over the years.
When I think about my personal style of shooting I tell myself that I’m still in the early chapters of a bigger story and that I really need to keep at it. I fully expect my style to change and evolve over time and I know I’m not done learning and doing. I also dream of someday sharing some of what I’ve learned with others (kind of like you do), but that’s still a ways off. I can’t see into my future and sometimes it’s tough to believe that it’s all going to work out when I’m between jobs. I’m a patient guy and I believe in what I’m doing. I’m also persistent and willing to put in as much time and effort as necessary, but sometimes a little doubt still creeps in…

Where do you find the inspiration/willpower to keep at it and not give up on your dreams when things start off slow (or are going slowly) when you really believe in what you’re doing (even if others can’t see the potential yet)?
Thanks and best of luck with your recovery.
– Monico

Answer 1:
This is a problem I think everyone struggles with, in EVERY profession (well ok maybe not every). People I think are by nature insecure (some people excluded), meaning we all need some confirmation that we are doing things right, however if you get too many “wows, great” etc. you will stop your process of growing, so you will need some reflection that will help you grow. Now this sounds logical, but it’s also where some people will find the drive to grow.

For me I have a personality that is driven by performance, this sometimes drives people mad around me, second best makes me feel grumpy, that’s also a reason why I hardly ever compete in competitions, I just hate being second best or worse below average. For me this has forced me to grow within my photography business, but also makes me incredibly insecure. Even when I get a standing ovation from a large crown I will doubt myself “Did I really perform the way I wanted to?, did it really was what I wanted?” I think this is something that you will NEED to grow into the business I’m in, on one part it limits me, because I always feel insecure, on the other hand it pushes me forward much faster because I always want to improve on what I just did. Do you know the feeling that when you make a shot and you think it’s your best one ever, only to realize the next week that in reality the shot really sucked….? well that’s what needed I think to grow quick. And of course there are shots that I still like that I took like 8-10 years ago, but on ALL my images I see something that I don’t like and that could have been improved.

To have this drive inside yourself will motivate you and push you forward in your business.
Now if you have a personality of “just going with flow”, “we’ll see what happens”, “as long as my customer is happy I’m happy”, “well I get my money so what”, “ah 5:00 o’clock let’s go home” you will find it much more difficult to grow and build your career, I won’t say that there aren’t any really relaxed, layed back top shooters out there but I bet you inside they are really insecure.

One day I talked to a really great personality (I won’t say any names) and asked him/her if it was normal that I focussed on ONE negative review I got in a workshop/seminar of 100 where at the end the people rushed to me to thank me for the inspiration I gave them, I felt really good about this seminar until 2 days later I got a negative review in my mailbox (and a brutal one), for me my whole experience of that seminar/workshop changed and I was grumpy for like a week (it still doesn’t settle with me). His/her reply was stunning for me “When I release something and I get 999 good reviews like 5 stars and ONE bad one I’m grumpy for a week, I can only focus on that ONE review and somehow I forget the rest”…… this is 100% how I feel and maybe the “key” to success? I really don’t know….. I do know it has formed me into the person I am today, I try to answer everyone personally because I feel that if someone takes the time to write to me, who am I to not return the favor, even if it’s just a few words. In  my work I constantly change my seminars and workshops due to responses I get from the public. I update my blog every day to keep people interested, not only because I love it (and trust me I do otherwise I would not do it) but ALSO because I’m more than fearful that otherwise people will not come back, forget my work and I’m going downhill instead of uphill.

Now that’s MY approach.
And again it’s not the right one, I think, it’s just one way of doing it.
I know (and you all know them) a LOT of top shooters out there that don’t have a blog, hardly update their portfolio, never respond to emails, don’t do book signings (although they sell them) etc. In other words they distance themselves from their “followers” (just to throw in a popular word) and it seems to work for them?
So giving one answer to your question is almost impossible, find something that works for your character and build on that.
I just can tell you what drives me 😀
I hope it helps.

Question 2:
I have always enjoyed your images, especially the the ones that tend to have a little de-saturation, and a bit of cross processing.  I was wondering how you cross process?

Answer 2:
I think it’s important to know that you can do almost everything within Photoshop. You can use for example the curves to change the channels individually and make your cross processing look with that. However now a days I think we have some great other options like NIK and Alien Skin exposure4 which ROCK when it comes to these kind of looks. So although I know how to do it without filters…. I’m a strong advocate of using the filters and getting the look you like that way.

I also like the way they present the different options, I always call them the “clickerdyclickuntillyouseesomethingyoulike previews” (no I won’t claim a website with that name) and it just makes the workflow a LOT faster. If you surf to the gear guide on this blog you can find some cool discount codes for  NIK and Alien Skin and OneOne software.