I'm gonna try to speak from the heart on this one. (How do they say it? "Keep it real")
Go big?
Recently, I have grown to have this desire to impress and inspire and I'm a bit addicted to getting the big collective "wow" (which happens once in a while)
You often think do I post this on Google+ … is it unique to what others or myself have posted? Answer… probably not.
But when I saw this picture it made me happy despite it's "standardness"…
Not to you
I knew it would get no "wow" from the audience.
There was no famous personality in it, no rockstar, no highflying stunt cars, no extravagant production, no breathtaking scenery, I didn't have to hike 2hrs in the desert carrying 40lbs, no emotional story to accompany it, I didn't have to wake up at 4am, heck i didn't have to travel more than 3-4 miles, it wasn't even in a unique location, the models were normal people, there's no dynamic or uniquely-captivating expression… it's just them, 2 random people that are best friends and want to get married… maybe it's a let down from the climax of some thrilling movie/event.
I'll take it though.
Sure… It's not unique… but it's solid… and if I can do this every time why shouldn't I be happy?
Sure I want to throw in the "wow" moments… but I believe I built my career not on wow… but on consistency.
I personally made a career out of photography not because I was doing something brand new or never before seen… but I worked hard to fine tune the details of the craft. To get respected results on a daily basis, to never screw up big and to always perform in the difficult situations (lighting, time allotment, weather, etc) to thrive in the really hard situations, even if success in those situations was simply "good"
Not to them
Even in their own set of images, I'll give to them, I'm willing to bet they'll pick a different picture for their announcement, one with tons more "THEM" in the picture (more personality)… If i were them I'd do the same.
Take a look perhaps you'd choose a different one too…
http://smu.gs/JNxpsZ
To me
But for me I just love the beauty of that light… it makes me happy.
It's not flashy… but I think it's solid.
On the subject of Consistency
I really believe in the strength of consistency.
To me, Consistency is care and concern for the client.
Showmanship and flash will get you the big gigs, the big bucks, the 15 minutes of fame perhaps.
And though consistency is hard to quantify and share on your "about me" it's the unseen hero… it's a heroic mindset that says a lot to you as a customer service provider. That you're a giver and not just a taker.
It tells your client that they're not taking a risk with their money… I guess they're paying for a peace of mind and confidence.
Analogy Time
You don't get into the baseball hall of fame because you hit the longest home run or even because you had one good season but because you were the person that performed consistently for a long long time at a slightly higher capacity than expected and always tried your hardest.
Consistency doesn't mean you are immune from failure… but that you can always bring it together in the end… your "good" is a little bit more "good" and it was that way for a longer time.
Keep going
I know I'm still a long way from my potential and I can certainly do better.
But getting better doesn't mean increasing just the speed of the short sprints but the overall pace of the whole dang marathon.
So maybe there is someone out there discouraged that they haven't out-performed some past success recently. They're sad their "best" today isn't better than their "best" from yesterday
I say perhaps they should just look at the underlying rythm and strength of what they're doing. Is their "good" better today than it was yesterday?
For what it is
I'm just throwing this out there… just saying what I'm thinking. Heck maybe no one cares… but so what… I'm trying.
Maybe you have another theory about consistency or valuing your work. Today… this is mine.
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+Scott Jarvie one of your best ponderings to date. Thank you for sharing.
thank you for sharing your thoughts. +Scott Jarvie I´m just an amateur photographer but I think it is right what you say about consistency. I struggle every day with this
not sure how to phrase this.. thanks for the good thoughts?
i need to work on getting to the point where i can be consistently good, without being concerned about whether i can get the big wow shots. i also need to work on being able to find things here to take good shots of, instead of being down about not living somewhere exotic where i would be just tripping over cool things to take pictures of..
I love this post, Scott. While all of it had thoughts we can all relate to, "Best friends who want to get married" made me the warmest and fuzziest.
I think everyone struggles with consistency in all areas of life. Creative, emotional, even financial. While we all want the highest highs, it's learning to deal with the lows that help us grow.
thank you +Scott Jarvie .. I'm going to point this out to +Darryl Van Gaal because we had a discussion about this recently.
I truly believe that what you are saying is very important for people to hear. The "wow" moments are the icing on the cake that we are building every day. If the cake wasn't there…. it would just be a lump of icing….. tasty… but not much substance.
Excellent thoughts. I really appreciate you sharing them and that you took the time to develop it into a well rounded thought instead of a quick fragment. Definitely appropriate to more than just how I look at the world through a lens.
As a beginner… this is some of the best advice I have gotten out here on G+. It is so easy to fall into the trap of trying to impress, especially with so many incredible photos flowing past in one's stream. This was definitely an "aha" moment. Thanks +Scott Jarvie!
BTW +Scott Jarvie I haven't seen much of you lately.. it's good to see you in my stream again
Wonderful.
Great post Scott. Thanks for pointing it out Sandra
Ah, +Scott Jarvie, I just want to hug you for this.
Well spoken simple truths! Thank you +Scott Jarvie!
+Scott Jarvie I don't have "wow" posts or shots when I compare myself to pros or even really good amateurs. And that – to be honest – has discouraged me a bit. But this post is encouraging. Makes me less worried about the prime time I'm not part of and more concerned with personal discipline – something far more valuable.
This post is very encouraging.
Great post +Scott Jarvie
Thanks all… I wasn't certain how this would be recieved… but I'm glad that it looks like it may help people out.
+Sandra Parlow yeah… and soon I'll be in Bolivia so it might be even less of me.
Stated elsewhere but wanted to state my thank you for this post here. It's a really well-written and essential post for anyone in the arts in my honest opinion whether they are just starting out or are a bit more seasoned.
Most importantly, it is practical advice for those looking to gain regular clients (and keep them!).
Great post Scott. Performing consistently at a high level really should be the goal. Sometimes I get a little frustrated when I haven't got a "wow" shot in a while, but when I look at my progress, I think I keep raising the bar and I feel like I am consistently improving. Thanks for the reminder.
Thank you for sharing this Scott; it's very encouraging. I'm a relatively young person who is trying to get into photography, and I really enjoy your work. I appreciate your attitude toward it all. You are a very gifted person and I find it's rare to find such humility and "realness" among that crowd. Thank you again!
+Dan Glass well glad to hear it. Though I'm not sure people use humility to describe me often haha… but I fancy that I've got a good amount of realness.
lol! +Scott Jarvie .. you have humility… somewhere
Saw this in my twitter feed earlier and thought it fit well with your post: Amateurs practice until they get it right. Professionals practice until they can’t get it wrong.
I must have needed to hear this today, thanks for the post!
Thanks, Scott, this is just what I needed to hear today!
It's a beautiful portrait , I love the light to Mr. +Scott Jarvie In NASCAR it's not how many wins they get- the only way to win the championship is Consistency!