Collaboration
October 12th, 2011
I consider my models to be co-creators of the work we do together. I honestly don’t understand why my view on this is so much a minority point of view. I often say that the models do all the hard work and I just take photos of them while they do it.
I’m serious about this. I share copyright with my models. I give them all the photos we do together and full rights to do anything they want with them. They can sell them. They can pick photos I don’t like and photoshop them in ways I don’t like and I’ll never say a word. Because I believe they have just as much right to the photos as I do.
But usually what the models do with the photos turns out to be something that I like. Sometimes they do things completely different from what I would do, and produce something that I love. That’s the case here. Brooke found a photo from the red rock desert that she thought would look good as a sepia-toned black and white photo. It’s unlikely that I would have photoshopped this photo that way since color is, for me, an essential element of my work. But this is Brooke’s photo too and her decisions about it are just as valid as mine. And, I love what she did with this photo. I think it’s very successful. So I wanted to share it with you.
And, besides, I’m too tired to do my own editing right now. We are on the way home. This trip is about to end. Today we drove from Holbrook, AZ, to Denver, with a stop in Rio Rancho, NM, to have lunch with our friend, Ralph. It was a long day. Last night in Holbrook we stayed at the WigWam Motel. It’s a very interesting place and we were able to get some fun photos with the moon rising above the WigWams, but there was no wi-fi at the WigWam, so we were way behind on just catching up with reading e-mail and other things like facebook. So, now it’s almost time for sleep…I drove way too many miles today…and I just don’t feel up to doing editing.
Maybe I’ll get to some editing in the next day or two and be able to share more from the trip. Or it may have to wait until I get home and get some rest. We’ll see. This trip has been the most difficult and trying trip I’ve ever taken, despite the excellent company of the models who went through the trials with me. But it may take some time to recover from all that I’ve been through…and I’m pretty certain that I’ll never take on this extensive of a trip again. But, there are going to be a lot of excellent photos, so it’s always possible I’ll change my mind…but I doubt it.
2 Responses to “Collaboration”
1Dave S.
October 12th, 2011 @ 8:12 pm
I have to agree with you on the part where most of the work is done by the models. And for you the sharing of copyright works well. If I operated as you do i would share copyright as well.
Where I limit my images to editions of one or three however I can’t do that. I ca’t have other versions of an image floating about out there when a collector has paid $3,600. to have the only one.
I do however provide the models with all images taken from a photo shoot rather than just a handful I think are the best. They are free to use any of them as web images for their portfolios.
Beyond that I do like Brooke’s version of this image. Like you, I am mostly a color version person because the colors are so strong in the areas we work. Sometimes it takes another person’s eyes to see things in a different light, or better light. This is a very strong image in sepia and one that I would be proud to hang in a gallery had I taken it in this sepia version.
You will be home soon, my friend. Chin, chin.
2Unbearable Lightness
October 12th, 2011 @ 8:21 pm
I love what Brooke did with it, too. Good for both of you!!!
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