Echo chamber

Loch Morlich, Cairngorm National Park.

A community of minds

In a recent blog, I mentioned some of the challenges of living in a small community. There are of course many forms of community; social media groups centred on specific hobbies, locations, makes of car, celebrities. Clubs and such. Societies. A relentless desire to connect with like-minded souls. As a vehicle for sharing and learning, a community of minds can serve its’ purpose very well, but it can also erect some false boundaries against which our voices, views, and opinions can reverberate. Our own, cosy little echo chambers.

If you’re a fellow photographer who reads this blog for the detail behind a photo, the camera, lens, settings, perhaps to feedback on my technique, you are warmly welcome, but we shouldn’t spend all of our time chatting amongst ourselves (occasionally though, it helps).

Being a Product Manager

I also previously mentioned my professional background in the little understood discipline of Product Management, I know the value of understanding the needs of ‘markets of customers’ (not just one or two customers), quantifying those markets (£ or $), and making products (in my case, software) that met those market needs. I can’t, hand-on-heart say that I always got things right, or that I was never overruled by ambitious leaders, but I do understand the profession.

I was OK at my job. I know why company marketing teams continually, and annoyingly seek our feedback, and also what they do with it. I know that the customer isn’t always right, or rather that what customers really want doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with what they say, or indeed the questions being asked of them. Real needs are notoriously difficult to extract and to distil just by asking dumb questions. Observation. Data. Lateral thinking. Walking a mile in their shoes. Understanding.

Product Management is the special sauce between the CEO and the marketing and sales teams. Solving problems. Meeting un-met needs. Innovating. As they say in the trade, your opinion, although interesting, is irrelevant - it’s the problem or need that must be well understood before a solution can be considered.

But isn’t this is art?

It all sounds so reductive doesn’t it? Especially in the context of an art form like photography. We like what we like. Art isn’t solving any problems - right? We might fully, emotionally, almost viscerally, connect with a piece of art. I would truly love to be able to make images that have such an impact, but I’m a little old and jaded to be so idealistic. I simply want to take photos that people like, enjoy, perhaps smile at, and perhaps buy. Art is still a product if it’s for sale.

What then to do?

I’d like to understand what it is in photography that either prevents someone from, or encourages someone to, acquire a piece of art for their walls. In truth, I’m still finding my professional photographer’s feet. So then, back to some dumb questions while I continue to fire images into the void until some more stick…

• First and foremost, do you like the work? If not, there’s little point in continuing the conversation.

• Price is also an obvious and notoriously tricky one to solve (margins are tiny at my end of the ‘market’ by the way).

• Does the subject matter resonate personally, particularly the location? Paraphrasing Mads Peter Iverson when discussing his wonderful images of Iceland; “people don’t necessarily want a photo of Mordor on their walls”.

• How about something as straightforward as the colour match for your house/room?

• Does the lack of a frame or a mount detract? This can be resolved - it’ll just cost more. Paper or other materials?

• Uniqueness versus ubiquity - how many images of Glencoe does one need? I try to focus my efforts in Argyll as I think it’s under-exposed (sic).

• Image and print quality? Do you care? I personally do, and I really don’t like to compromise here.

• Is it that people nowadays can simply use their phones to take their own photos - in Product Management terms, the dreaded, cheaper, good-enough alternative?

• How about commissioned work? How about having a specific location photographed for you?

• Is visibility an issue? SEO stuff and social media exposure are challenges if you don’t make videos too.

• Is wall art of any form simply not valued any more? Do people even care about art?

I don’t know the answers, but I’d love to.

I bought my first piece of work in a long time from another photographer (James Popsys) only recently, and whilst it felt like a luxury I couldn’t really afford, I love it.

Do please drop me your thoughts - we’ve two ears and one mouth for a reason.