Traits of Photographers We Admire - They Take a Stand

7/17/2014

“There’s nothing in the middle of the road but yellow stripes and dead armadillos!”
Jim Hightower, Radio Commentator and Author

I've been thinking a lot lately about some of the traits of photographers we admire.

One of those traits is about taking a stand. This isn’t about being opinionated, it’s about believing in yourself so strongly that you’re not easily swayed by the various trends and opinion shifts in the industry. That doesn’t mean that photographers we admire don’t pay attention to consumer trends and paradigm shifts, just that they take a stand and don’t ride the fence!

Michele Celentano is one of the perfect examples of somebody always willing to take a stand for something she believes in, including her friends. She is totally focused on providing her clients with a finished print on paper or canvas and even wrote about it in "I Believe." So, while so many other photographers hand out a disc or jump drive, Michele stays focused on the true value of what she's providing.

"I’m taking a stand! I am a photographer! I am without a doubt passionate about creating photographs - real pictures - printed on professional papers - and made into beautiful albums. I want your children, their children, my children and future grandchildren looking at and holding onto photographs not the latest greatest gadget."

Every photographer we admire has taken a stand on something. They have a consistency in their images, their business and their relationships. They don’t waffle when you ask them a question. They’re not politicians trying to please everybody. They stay focused on what they believe.

Taking a stand isn’t just something they do when it’s appropriate, it’s the way they live their lives!

“To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for,
where you want to go and why you want to get there.”
Kofi Annan

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Authors

Skip Cohen is President of SCU, founder of Marketing Essentials International and past president of Rangefinder Publishing and WPPI. He's been an active participant in the photographic industry since joining Hasselblad USA in 1987 as president. He has co-authored six books on photography and actively supports dozens of projects each year involving photographic education.