Sunday Spotlight On: When does it become fine art?

With a documentary/photojournalism background I find myself struggling to convert over to fine arts photography. For so long I have always been told that the two does not coexist and that fine arts is more visually appealing while documentary work needs to just be approached heads on. I was also told that posing your subjects whom you are documenting takes away from the storyline and it becomes portraits instead of documentary work. If documentary photography is about infinite situations, actions and results and photojournalism is about life in real time, then why can’t I make these into fine art photography? I choose to look at the “staged” images that I create as a paradox of reality. It is real life situations in a staged setting.

I am in the beginning stages of creating a series of fine art portraits on children and their heritage. Being located here in Hawaii, there are tons of different nationalities that are living amongst each other either transplanted, natives or military families such as myself. The children which whom I come across are sometimes dressed in their native heritage clothing while other families tend to dress their children in everyday attire. I find it fascinating when people pass their heritage and beliefs down to generations in order to know where they came from. These children know their past and where they came from, but what about the children who do not know? I recently mentioned to a friend about my concept and that I needed more people to complete my series. The next day I got a phone call from a genealogist from the University of Hawaii that they would like to speak to me for a collection of fine arts portraits of their subjects. After I met with the department heads and explained my vision as well as showing them some portraits that I have already completed, they commissioned me to create the entire series with their real life subjects after they have been notified of their heritage. This will be a 12 month commission and although some things will change, I can still explore creative ways document my original idea but with children and adults. 

I created the image shown for a class assignment but it did not quite fit with the rest of my already existing images. I wanted to pursue this as documentary but still play with the idea of making these into fine art. I believe that as I continue to explore what type of photography makes me happy, I will begin to create images that represent my style and all of the numerous ideas that are swirling in my head.

Quiana P Jackson. Heritage, 2014. 

I am your Sunday Funday Ambassador! Go forth and shoot!

Google+ for Photographers Part 2: It's Good for Business

Last week's post focused on getting to know Google+ (G+).  Now that you have a feel for the interface, let's talk about how it can help your photography business.

The single most valuable aspect of bringing your business to G+ is the fact that Google is one of the most-used search engines out there.  With the backing of Google's SEO analytics and various tools and apps, you can be in control of how your business appears when people search for your type of photographic services.  By adding your business address to Google Maps and completing a sleek profile on G+ with high quality images, your brand will look better than those that do not take the time to set up a profile.  Remember, anyone can post anything about your business at any time, and you can take control of your brand identity by making sure your social media profiles are complete and relevant.

Once you have the basics set up, you can search for communities that interest you.  These can help you with networking, continuing education, or even connecting with potential clients.  Try a search for local communities for more specific networking, but these offer a good starting point:

• General photography community: Google+ Photographers
• Wedding photography community: Wedding Photographers
• Fine art photography community: Fine Art Photography
• Photography education community: School of Digital Photography

Using social media to connect with other service providers and vendors is a wonderful way to get some free publicity.  G+ allows you to create circles to connect with others and be specific with what you share with whom.  Connecting a post to another business's G+ page gives you exposure to potential clients.  This is especially relevant to the wedding industry, in which word of mouth plays a huge role in booking clients.  Vendors love seeing professional photos of their product or service in action and will be excited to share it with their current and potential customers.  If I post this ring image on my G+ business page, I will want to be sure that the venue (a golf club, hence the tee and grass used to showcase the ring) and the jeweler both see it.  It is also an appropriate image to share with current, former, and potential clients.  If I wanted to post a discounted print offer to current clients, I would share it only with my "client" circle so as not to clutter the G+ feeds of the vendors to whom the post is irrelevant.  By creating circles, I can select any post to share with clients only, vendors and clients, all my friends, everyone on G+... the possibilities are endless!

The integration of Google's many apps, its keyword optimization, and the power of its name in the search engine business make G+ an important tool for your business.  For G+ tips straight from the experts, follow +GoogleBusiness.  If you already use G+ for your business, do you have any tips or techniques to share that have been successful in promoting your work or connecting with clients?  Please tell us in the comments!

Good luck getting started with your business page!

-Friday Ambassador