Reply To: Some Self Portraits I took.

[JimC]

First, I can empathize with the sentiment of the message. We had a miscarriage one year and two weeks ago. The wounds are healing, but I still think about it from time to time. I have no idea what it must have been like for my wife.

I would echo the voices of others here, that this is probably not public port material. I know you responded to that, with this:

Yes, I do. They’re also my artwork. I’m proud of them. Why hide something you love? Not every photograph is about that.

But here’s my thoughts, which you can take or leave. There are in fact many types of photography. Some are artistic. Some are commercial. There’s a whole spectrum out there. It’s important in any field, not just photography, to have some degree of focus on a specific ability or set of abilities, and present that focused face to your clients.

I used to do video production. My focus was commercial productions, specializing in promotional pieces and interviews with C-level execs. I mastered those areas, and I was good at it. I could walk into a room with a Fortune 500 CFO, and get him to talk about finances in a way that the average Joe would find compelling. That was the face, or more accurately, the brand I established for myself. When you went to my website, it was geared almost entirely towards that. When I had a booth at a trade show, that was what was laid out. This image was what I consistently laid out, because people judge you by the half second they pass by, and if I only have a half second, I want to make darn sure it’s used pushing my bread and butter specialty.

That doesn’t mean I didn’t do other stuff. I had referrals all the time, sometimes from those C-level types, who loved what I did for them, but now had a daughter getting married or a son whose band was picking up momentum and needed a music video. I still kept my focus, and often I would turn down a project if it didn’t interest me, but despite that, I still covered a broad range of different productions.

My point in saying all of that is that these photos, while real, visceral, and raw, are not your bread and butter. They are not your brand. This is a very special project, one-of-a-kind, as this is something that a lot of women would never consider hiring a tog to do. I know my wife wouldn’t be able to do it, and probably wouldn’t make it through this set of photos, and we’re the target market IF this were a product you would sell. Further, it negatively impacts your brand. I’m not saying the photos themselves are negative, but they paint a picture of your work that I believe is not fair to your brand, or what you do as a tog. Remember, some people will only see your work for half a second, and that’s what they judge you by for all eternity. If they see this in that half second, they will not get a clear picture of your brand, or what you are capable of. It could even drive potential clients away.

My suggestion is NOT to hide them away, and I believe removing them from your FB port is not the same as hiding them away. But for the sake of your brand, it’s probably pest to host them elsewhere, in a place that isn’t associated with your business. Family, friends, and those who have walked in your shoes will still be able to find them and see them, but it will not cripple your business. I totally get the “this is me, and I want to share me with the world” concept, but at the same time, if you destroy your business for the sake of expressing your art, what good does that accomplish? No, put them someplace else, and keep your FB photography page for a focused face to your business.