[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.

[JimC]

Part of me wonders if he mellowed out at some point over the last decade. Looking through his wedding port, people aren’t nearly as creeped out looking as they were in the session I was there to witness. He seemed like a genuinely nice, likeable guy. Sort of portly, and kind of reminded you of Danny DeVito. It’s just that catch phrase. When he used it over and over, it sent chills down my spine. Still does.

Weirder still, some of his photos in his port look decent, but many would make even a fauxtographer shudder. There’s just no consistency between quality and stuff like the link above.

[JimC]

This one is really special. Does that brick wall seem funny to you? 😀

http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/4442/badphotography.jpg

Note the ad text.

 

I had the joy of working with this tog once. I mentioned some of this story in the “frightened boudoir” , but  I used to work as a video producer, and while I tried to avoid weddings like the plague, I did from time to time get roped in by someone who would beg, plead, and offer to pay full price upfront. (I’ve got nothing against weddings, I was just a commercial producer, so they were outside my scope of expertise.)

At one particular wedding, the couple had hired this guy as their photographer. He was just plain creepy! He had this catch phrase, “who’s feeling naughty?”, and he used it ALL THE TIME. The first set of photos were bride/groom, followed by the bride/groomsmen and groom/bridesmaids, so I assumed it was just his shtick for those, and when he got to parents and family, he would have a new line.

Wrong.

After that they went to bride/FOB photos. The first thing he said after giving them some posing direction and asking dad to look over his daughter’s shoulder was “Who’s feeling naughty?”. No joke. I literally sat down in a pew, shut off the camera, and watched with my mouth hanging open as he would pose them a little, ask who’s feeling naughty, and take an exposure. Over and over. It was so awkward. You could see the strained expression of disgust under the thin veil of an awkward smile.

And that was how the whole shoot went, over and over. Groom/mother, grandparents, even the big group photo. “Okay mom, get the little tyke to look up. Who’s feeling naughty?” and flash. Afterwards, nobody was even able to build up the nerve to talk about it. It was awkward with a capital A.

Looking at his website today, I see that he has turned his backyard into an outdoor studio, with a waterfall. He does boudoir shots, as well as fantasy photography, with fairy and mermaid costumes. Some of the photos on his site border on scary. Some crossed that border a thousand miles ago.

The amazing thing to me is that he is still in business. The story above took place nearly a decade ago! I’m not sure if he’s locked onto some niche market, or if he’s got a day job that justifies this, but somehow, he’s managed to hang on.

[JimC]

That is funny!

Incidentally, I just looked through the records at the USPTO’s website, and there are no, as in zero, registered Trade marks or Trade names for “Award Winning Photography”. Getting a trademark on your name is the first step to having any ability to protect it.

But even if they went that far, that doesn’t even stop you. Just look at the Apple/Amazon AppStore saga. Apple and all their well-paid lawyers couldn’t convince a judge that “app” and “appstore” were their own personal property, even though Apple had used it as a trademark. And then there’s the fact that common use phrases, such as “Award Winning” are not individually permitted to be copyrighted.

What a gem of a fauxtog you found 🙂

[Author]

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