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thoughts on sharing the not-so-perfect images
Posted on February 16, 2012
All day my mind has been wandering as I’ve thought more and more about how many not-so-great images I have of my family. Photographs with a little motion blur or ones that are a tad under-exposed or blown out in places. I have less and less of those, thank goodness, but I still get them. Mostly because when my photographer hat is hung up with my camera bag and my mommy hat is sitting high on my head I don’t think too hard about how I’m shooting. Usually I’m trying to be IN the moment while at the same time CAPTURING the moment. I’m trying to get the best of both worlds.
Even when I do “free” work like a NILMDTS session, work I do for friends or shots I take of our more extended family I’m not fully in photographer mode. With a NILMDTS session it’s usually a miracle anything turns out because it is very hard to see through tears. When I do photos of my friends and their families I’m usually laughing too hard to fully concentrate! And family probably gets the worst of me because well, it’s family, and they’ll love me no matter what. With all of those sessions I’m committed to the moment as more than just a photographer so there are times my work might be less than what I’d want it to be.
For a client, even one I laugh with and know very well, I am IN it. I have my A game on and while I may joke around my mind is 100% focused on my camera, the shot and the subject because if someone is going to give me actual hard-earned money to take photos of them I had better well be working my hardest to give them my best work. And to get my mind 100% focused is tough sometimes! Which is why I think I reserve it, mostly, for my clients.
That’s not to say I’m not trying with friends/family/charity work. That’s not what I’m saying. What I’m saying is that there are times I take shots that are less than professional (like THIS session) and then share them with the world.
The point of me writing this is to ask the question, “Do you share those not-so-perfect images with the world?”
Do you blog shots of your kids that are more snap shot than professional? Do you share work of your friends that you wished was just a little bit better on Facebook?
Or do you only let the world see your very absolute best of the best?
I know what I think, since I’ve been thinking about it all day, but I’d love to hear what you think and then tomorrow I’ll share my views on this topic.
I do share not-so-perfect images. Sometimes I use a disclaimer but sometimes I just don’t care! I know my clients get the best, too, so I feel ok sharing fun in the moment photos even if they aren’t perfect.
I absolutely share the not so great ones. Sometimes you capture a memory or emotion or a priceless moment in time and it might not be the perfect exposure or composition or whatever but the emotion of the image speaks louder to me than the perfect picture technically.
Just because we are photographers doesn’t mean that we have to be on our A game 100% of the time when photographing daily family life. I know my family would be so irritated with me if I spent the time and energy it takes to get a perfect image every time I wanted to take a picture of them!
I share it all! It is the best of your life-the not so good shots sometimes.
[...] Do I think photographers should share the not-so-perfect images on their professional blogs? Yep. [...]