There are a whole host of reasons and for this post, and it’s less about giving information, than asking who’s out there and who’s up for what. It’s a call-out!
Photography, the business of, is a lonesome affair, solo by its very nature, although not necessarily lonely. The same conditions that much freelance work exhibits are true for most of us, and the advent of Web2 and portable access to contacts and so on, makes the tools available to create much more of a um, community around the work, and through the working day.
Blogging makes it possible to create and promote a real conversation about one’s photographic preoccupations, research ideas, daily activities. But there are extra possibilities. Crowd sourcing, to find people whom you know who might be nearby, or timeshifting opportunities to collaborate. In this seemingly endless dynamic of open possibilities, what is functional? What will work, in real time, for me and my inspirers, my (in)valuable business contacts, the people on whom the work will thrive and ultimately depend?
So this is how to contact me, to crowd-source me, if you like. I will respond and am most likely to engage if the following:
• you have a blog which you keep updated, where I can see more-or-less how you think and feel about your work.
You may or may not also have a professional website. Just having your photos or art on one of the popular sites wouldn’t work on its own in this context, but it might be a start, or an adjunct. Only having one of those and nothing else as your web presence would be a turn-off.
• you are local
Crowd-sourcing depends on the conceptual possibility of immediate or soon. If you’re in Newcastle, Darlington, Durham, Middlesbrough, or any of the surrounding county areas, that’s good. If you also blog and/or would like to, that’s even better. If you’re in the business as a professional communicator, agent, commissioning editor, image sourcer, writer, or anything similar, it would be great to hear from you.
• you are looking for or can supply ongoing mentoring
People who can listen and give willingly are more empathetic, and are on the whole more useful to each other. There will be a need in coming months for listeners. People who can talk about their own work will be needing other people who are interested in them. Both sides.
• practical collaborating
Studio equipment and sets, gallery space, critique and portfolio sessions, library and location resource building. If you have skills, if you know how to make sets, or mend things, or need space or ideas or feedback, rare skills like lith printing, or stuff that almost anyone can do like gallery making, painting, developing film.
• enthusiasm.
Vital. Two years in education has torn the enthusiasm from my work and a hollow husk of inertia remains, built from battling the twin crimes of resource denial and daily xenophobia. It’ll return, no doubt. In the meantime, situation vacant, photographer/s and allies wanted.
Any one of the above is good. More than say two, and there could definitely be possibilities. More than two? Please get in touch. Urgently
Initially the best ways are Twitter and/or Photophlow for a brief conversation, or where you can send links to your own site/s. Longer conversations about co-work can then begin properly in real life.
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10 Comments
sounds good brenda! especially now that college is finished, going to miss seeing other peoples work and getting opinions on new photos, doing projects together and stuff. hope you will count me in!
count me in
lets do something!
Count me in too! Sounds exciting.
p.s you found me! It’s definitely a work in progress.
Well, I have a reasonably lit large kitchen and almost bottomless supplies of tea and coffee. I’d be happy to host a round table or something every so often. Just maybe not on a Saturday afternoon running into the middle of the night next time :)
I’ve not been shooting so much recently though – computer programming’s a remarkably mind consuming vocation.
Let;s do it
Interesting – I think you’ve laid out some great reasons why creative people need to knock their heads together.
Brilliant, all. Will keep you posted. First meeting will be roughly end of July at current progress. More info to come.
Piers: that’s a really great offer, thank you. Adam Jones took your father’s Rollei . I do still have his number if that helps.
Pete: yes, it does work across all disciplines, and by the way we need people who write, are prepared to model, all sorts of things. If people are enthusiastic about what we’re doing, we want them. :)
Would love to be involved if you don’t mind an interloper ex. of Sunderland College. I think I know of a couple of other folk that would be interested too. Great idea Brenda.
You’re hardly an interloper, Rob. More news in a couple of weeks, just waiting for closure on some property.
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