2024 05 28
“Nobody’s looking for a photographer in today’s wintry economic climate.” — I’m not sure why I find solace in dark humor, but this (modified from puppeteer) line from Being John Malkovich has me wanting to print it on tshirts I think it’s so funny. Clearly, I write for an audience of one.
This morning, I woke up this morning to an email notifying us that we didn’t win a job we were bidding on. Kind of normal, these days, I hate to say (at least we’re bidding!). While the commercial projects which have historically kept me very busy have slowed down in frequency, I’m finding myself busier than ever with new and different projects. The list includes: running a photo studio; restaurant and bar photo shoots; portrait shoots; various video projects; learning to print; selling prints; art photography projects; producing and promoting events; exploring selling merchandise directly along with attempting ecommerce.
Essentially, I’m diversifying. While it’s providing me with an endless list of things to do, many of which have me very excited and motvated, the challenge is finding a balance between things that take your time and things that also make you a bit of money to pay the rent.
The commercial photography landscape has changed and will continued to change into something nobody can quite predict just yet. Will AI replace most commercial photographers? I’d bet not, but likely it will replace a large percentage of the smaller and easier projects, thus overall reducing the amount of work available to us photographers. Will even more photographers continue to flood the market in search of a career? I’d also bet yes, which will increasingly put pressure on rates and overall reduce the earning capacity of us photographers. I see things heading largely where music and fine art has gone, with many photographers pursuing it as much as a hobby as it is a job (a paid assignment being the exception not the rule). The access to affordable equipment and knowledge is so great, the barrier to entry is very low and only continuing to fall. Everyone is a photographer! Will companies continue to pursue creative new ways to get content made, opposed to hiring a top notch commercial photographer at an expensive rate? Of course! Last week I heard of a brand that brought in a dozen social media influencers for a weekend of curated fun. The amount of brand content they made over a few days with a dozen content creators is something that a traditional commercial photographer simply can’t compete with; even someone like myself who shoots fast and really goes all out to maximize the clients’ time and capture a huge quantity of images.
These are strange times for the commercial photographer, and while I have no idea what the marketplace will look like in five years, I’m weirdly optimistic that people with strong visual and storytelling skills will continue to have no shortage of opportunities as long as they are open-minded and creative in their approach to finding them.
“Nobody’s looking for a photographer in today’s wintry economic climate.” — if I print up some shirts, would you buy one from me??
-Clayton
Space for rent. Chicago, Illinois. April, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
“Nobody’s looking for a photographer in today’s wintry economic climate.” — I’m not sure why I find solace in dark humor, but this (modified from puppeteer) line from Being John Malkovich has me wanting to print it on tshirts I think it’s so funny. Clearly, I write for an audience of one.
This morning, I woke up to an email notifying us that we didn’t win a job we were bidding on. Kind of normal, these days, I hate to say (at least we’re bidding!). While the commercial projects which have historically kept me very busy have slowed down in frequency, I’m finding myself busier than ever with new and different projects. The list includes: running a photo studio; restaurant and bar photo shoots; portrait shoots; various video projects; learning to print; selling prints; art photography projects; producing and promoting events; exploring selling merchandise directly along with attempting ecommerce.
Essentially, I’m diversifying. While it’s providing me with an endless list of things to do, many of which have me very excited and motvated, the challenge is finding a balance between things that take your time and things that also make you a bit of money to pay the rent.
The commercial photography landscape has changed and will continued to change into something nobody can quite predict just yet. Will AI replace most commercial photographers? I’d bet not, but likely it will replace a large percentage of the smaller and easier projects, thus overall reducing the amount of work available to us photographers. Will even more photographers continue to flood the market in search of a career? I’d also bet yes, which will increasingly put pressure on rates and overall reduce the earning capacity of us photographers. I see things heading largely where music and fine art has gone, with many photographers pursuing it as much as a hobby as it is a job (a paid assignment being the exception not the rule). The access to affordable equipment and knowledge is so great, the barrier to entry is very low and only continuing to fall. Everyone is a photographer! Will companies continue to pursue creative new ways to get content made, opposed to hiring a top notch commercial photographer at an expensive rate? Of course! Last week I heard of a brand that brought in a dozen social media influencers for a weekend of curated fun. The amount of brand content they made over a few days with a dozen content creators is something that a traditional commercial photographer simply can’t compete with; even someone like myself who shoots fast and really goes all out to maximize the clients’ time and capture a huge quantity of images.
These are strange times for the commercial photographer, and while I have no idea what the marketplace will look like in five years, I’m weirdly optimistic that people with strong visual and storytelling skills will continue to have no shortage of opportunities as long as they are open-minded and creative in their approach to finding them.
“Nobody’s looking for a photographer in today’s wintry economic climate.” — if I print up some shirts, would you buy one from me; or should I stick to my day job?
-Clayton
2024 04 25
When it comes to making photos, I’ve tended to be pretty vanilla throughout my professional career. Basically, whatever the most recent pro-level Canon SLR body is on the market is what I’ve used with little to no variation. Sure, I love their cameras (hit me about about a sponsorship!) and they do pretty much exactly what I need them to do, however, this was a mistake. Thankfully, I’ve been fully embracing using different tools for different jobs lately. After purchasing my first Ricoh and basically carrying it with me in my pocket everywhere I go, my horizons have been expanded and I’ve seen the light. Even now, after over a year of constant use and abuse, that the camera has an ever noticeable layer of dust lining the sensor, I’m finding myself not much annoyed about it. The dust, while yes maybe not ideal in most situations, also adds a bit of uniqueness to each image, like the imperfections of film or making a photograph through a window or reflective surface. Basically, finding ways to turn otherwise ordinary images into something that has a bit more character.
It’s been a trend for a few years now that photojournalists covering boring political assignments will use fun optical tricks to spice up otherwise bland photos of old, white, male politicians standing up on a stage in front of a mic. Using an iphone to add a mirrored reflection; shooting through sparkley stuff to add visual interest. Soon, I imagine, you’ll see presidential press conferences (if we ever have those again) covered by the New York Times using a busted Holga with funky light leaks because, why not? It’s different.
-Clayton
Bare tree on a sunny winter afternoon, dusty Ricoh sensor for character. Chicago, Illinois. March, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
When it comes to making photos, I’ve tended to be pretty vanilla throughout my professional career from an equipment perspective. Basically, whatever the most recent pro-level Canon SLR body is on the market is what I’ve used with little to no variation, aside from mixing up my editing style. Sure, I love their cameras (reach out about about sponsorship opportunities!) and they do pretty much exactly what I need them to do, however, this was a mistake. Thankfully, I’ve been fully embracing using different tools for different jobs lately. After purchasing my first Ricoh (reach out about about sponsorship opportunities!) and basically carrying it with me in my pocket everywhere I go, my horizons have been expanded and I’ve seen the light! Even now (after over a year of constant use and abuse) that the camera has an ever noticeable layer of dust lining the sensor, forcing me to shoot everything at f2.8, I’m finding myself not much annoyed about it. The dust, while yes maybe not ideal in most situations, also adds a bit of uniqueness to each image, like the imperfections of film or making a photograph through a window or reflective surface. Basically, finding ways to turn otherwise ordinary images into something that has a bit more character.
It’s been a trend for a few years now that photojournalists covering boring political assignments will use fun optical tricks to spice up otherwise bland photos of old, white, male politicians standing on a stage in front of a mic. Using an iphone to add a mirrored reflection; shooting through sparkley stuff to add visual interest; greasing up your lens with a bit of spray tan. Soon, I imagine, you’ll see presidential press conferences (if we ever have those again) covered by the New York Times using a busted Holga (reach out about about sponsorship opportunities!) with funky light leaks because, why not? It’s different.
-Clayton
2024 02 02
So why Pointing at Stuff, anyway?
The name hit me as being quite a brilliant way of looking at photography. “Photography is like pointing at things you see in life,” as observed by Richard Avedon and noted by myself while reading What Becomes a Legend Most, a biography of Avedon by Philip Gefter. Pointingatthings.com was not available but this domain was, so I went with stuff.
More recently, I came across another bit of Avedon wisdom via the great podcast A Small Voice: Conversations With Photographers. In episode 195 Ben talks with photographer Aaron Schuman about a time when Aaron wrote to Richard Avedon, inviting him to his simple college exhibition. Avedon wrote back, apologizing for being too busy to attend, but added:
“The only advice I have is that you do something connected to photography every day of your life and you’ll be surprised what happens.”
— Richard Avedon
Aaron took this advice to heart, saturating his life with things connected to photography (reading about it, attending exhibitions, talking with friends, studying, interning, assisting, etc) opposed to “constantly making pictures without reflecting on them.”
Admittedly, I tend to be the guy constatnly making pictures without reflecting on them. This blog is a small way to expand my photography vision into things beyond the act of making pictures.
-Clayton
Simple scene from one of my favorite cities, Pittsburgh, PA. November, 2023. © Clayton Hauck
So why Pointing at Stuff, anyway?
The name hit me as being quite a brilliant way of looking at photography. “Photography is like pointing at things you see in life,” as observed by Richard Avedon and noted by myself while reading What Becomes a Legend Most, a biography of Avedon by Philip Gefter. Pointingatthings.com was not available but this domain was, so I went with stuff.
More recently, I came across another bit of Avedon wisdom via the great podcast A Small Voice: Conversations With Photographers. In episode 195 Ben talks with photographer Aaron Schuman about a time when Aaron wrote to Richard Avedon, inviting him to his simple college exhibition. Avedon wrote back, apologizing for being too busy to attend, but added:
“The only advice I have is that you do something connected to photography every day of your life and you’ll be surprised what happens.”
Aaron took this advice to heart, saturating his life with things connected to photography (reading about it, attending exhibitions, talking with friends, studying, interning, assisting, etc) opposed to “constantly making pictures without reflecting on them.”
Admittedly, I tend to be the guy constatnly making pictures without reflecting on them. This blog is a small way to expand my photography vision into things beyond the act of making pictures.
-Clayton