I Don’t Take Compliments Well

“These are the best portraits I have ever seen.” The Dad said in stunned amazement.

“Thanks.” I say and smile awkwardly

“No. Really.  These are just great.”

“Hey-with Talent like you-it’s easy.”

I think to myself, Yes-maybe I should think about making a career out of this.

I was at a Shoot recently where the Coordinator used to be an Assembly Line Photographer.   He was very nice man, shared a few of his War Stories, and generally told me that he understood our job was to sell portraits.

Over the three days of the shoot he stopped by and watched me take portraits.  He then went into the Sales Room and looked over the Passer’s shoulder at the portraits.  He then came back to my room to tell me how great the images were and how he was amazed that I could take them in such a small space and is so little time.

Years of practice was the first response to this unaccustomed to praise.  I read a lot of photo magazines was next.  I’ve been doing this for close to fifteen years came out once.  After a while I just smiled and nodded, hoping that the next Customer would show up soon.

My Photographic Skills are adequate to the job at hand.  I have my rare moments when I am channeling the spirit of George Hurrell or Richard Avedon, but I don’t kid myself too often.  I am an Assembly Line Portrait photographer just like a couple of thousand other people pushing a button for a living.  So I get a little nervous around someone telling me how great my pictures are.

I’m not really a social animal either.  Maybe he just wanted me to tell him that I’m sure his portraits were great too.  Maybe he was just making small talk and couldn’t think of anything else to say.  Maybe he really, really liked my portraits.  But even then, there was no reason to tell me every five minutes.

One of The Companies I worked for was a tiny outfit with four photographers and a handful of accounts.  We still managed to stay business and it was a great place for my ego-I really was the best photographer working there.  So much so that I got my name on their little Employee of the Month plaque once in a while.  This place gave me a great case of Prima Donna syndrome and I quit for something better.  Well, it was a pretty lousy little company anyway.

The more common experience is to hear that these are The Worst Portraits Ever-comments I also tend to ignore.  Like any good sampler of data, I tend to drop the people at either end and just shoot for the middle crowd.  They don’t bother me, and I don’t bother them.  I tend to use the same line on both the lovers and the haters-It’s The Subject that Makes the Portrait.

Most of the time people are happy enough with a Thanks or I’m Glad You Like Them.  Once in a while I meet someone who wants to talk about the nuts and bolts, how did I set up that shot and what settings am I using on my camera and that kind of thing.  I don’t go into too much detail, mainly because there is not that much detail to go into.  While not as hand bound as I was in the first Big Box Portrait Studio, I still don’t have all the tools I would like.

And most of these people don’t want an answer anyway, they just want a chance to share their own War Stories about The Time They. . .

In the end, most of the success or failure of a portrait is in the hands of the Subjects.  The moody teen that won’t smile, the grumpy Dad that wants to be home watching the game, the Mom that isn’t twenty anymore and just won’t accept the fact that she looks every one of her forty plus years.  These people will never take a great portrait.

The Happy Family that is really happy.  The Dad that smiles, even though he might prefer to be watching the game.  The kids that smile, even if it’s just to make Mom happy.  The Mom that smiles because she loves her family and wants a portrait of them.  These people are the Buyers.  They walk in with a list of wants.  They love the portraits, not because of what the Photographer did, but because of whose in the picture.

Yes, I control the lights, the cropping, the background, the posing-and I do a good job and don’t make a big production of it.  My portraits are technically correct and I do my best to get the kids to smile.  Most people like the portraits, as most people buy the portraits.  An occasional Hey, Nice Work is good, and an occasional Hey, You Suck is tolerated.  Anything more always makes me wonder about people.

Just remember that it’s easier to get a beautiful portrait of Brad Pitt than it is to get a beautiful portrait of Willem DeFoe.   Unless you really like Willem DeFoe, than his portrait is beautiful, too.