 |
| Model: Nichole Ferreira |
For those of you who follow me on Facebook though: have you ever noticed that I don't say much (other than posting photos, an occasional joke, and *maybe* sometimes saying something I shouldn't? :D ). There's a reason for that. It's because Facebook is like a real life version of Hotel California: you can check out any time you'd like but you can never leave. :D In the Facebook version of Hotel California though it's rife with fights, douchbaggery, backstabbers, gossip mongers, and egomaniacs who try to out-do each other, put down the other person, and in between they post status updates of what they just ate too. :D
I know some people will try to say otherwise, but for the most part I try to lead as drama free of a life as humanly possible without outright cutting off the civilized world. Engaging in that crap really doesn't get me anything and it sure as all hell isn't going to change how things work in social media, so I willingly chose not to engage in it. It does mean that I sometimes go out of my way to avoid people that I think are drama magnets though, but in the end there's less stress in my life so I stay happier. :)
All the same just because you don't hear me say something doesn't mean I don't hear what others are saying. :D
When it comes to me I don't think some people realize not only just how long I've been doing photography, but just how much I've done, how many people I've worked with over the years, the different genres I've dipped my toe into, the various styles I've experimented with... and just how much crap I've dealt with along the way. too. :D
This stuff used to get under my skin but these days it cracks me up because it not only shows ignorance and pettiness on the part of the people engaging in this crap, but when it comes to me and my work, it shows how little they know about how much I've done and what I do. Photography and modeling are rather tight knit businesses (everybody knows everybody, and everybody likes to talk. :D ). That and people mistake the fact that I don't bang my own drum as loud as I can about my accomplishments because I have nothing to say or show when in reality I'd rather let my work speak for itself.
Case in point. Here's some of the things I've either read, have had relayed to me, or said directly to me:
Meh... he's only been doing this for 3 or 4 years. Pinup's dead and he'll fade away pretty soon.
Actually I've been doing this for going on 13 years. I started out doing scenic and landscapes, but then got introduced into glamour photography around 2003. 2005 is when I started learning how to light with studio lighting. Around 2007 is when I pretty much fell into pinup photography. In this span of time I've shot pretty much every genre under the sun too. If I fade away it's not because I can't adapt; it's because I choose to go away.
He can only shoot pinup.
I love to (and have shot) a LOT of other genres like fashion, retro, glamour, wedding/bridal, boudiour, goth, glamour nude, and artistic nude. It's just that the majority of people that contact me have a hard on for pinup (and usually only want to shoot their narrow definition of it).
He can only shoot on a white backdrop.
Yeah... right... I can shoot on more than just white (or black) backdrops. I've done a ton of on-location work, multi-light setups, colored lighting, etc. One of the reasons I shoot a lot on white lately is because that I prefer to shoot my style of pinup stuff on white. It's also because of how my shooting space is arranged that it's easier for me to do that instead of trying to hang different backdrops (not that it can't be done).
Just because it's easier for me to do doesn't mean it's a cinch though. If you think it's that easy, feel free to try doing a proper high key background that's properly exposed and also properly exposing the person in the foreground, all in camera and without resorting to photoshop with a shooting space that's about 12ft x 22ft. Get back to me on that one...
He'll only shoot with me if I get naked!
That's a half-truth. :D Until now I've never publicly said anything about this because I really thought this one was funny as all hell. I find it funny because it really shows just how far people will go in their heads to read into something just so it fits their world view. I make no excuses or bones about it that if someone wants to work with me for trade on my pinup work, they have to be comfortable posing up to lingerie and implied nude. If you look at my work you already know why that's a requirement. What I've never disclosed publicly before though is that the question is more of a psychological test than me probing for a model's limits.
He doesn't want the models he works with working with anyone else!
I actually know where this one started, who started it, and who the individuals were who continued to spread it for a while. I'm not going to go into the details behind this one because it's not worth rehashing it all and getting into a "he said, she said" situation. I will say this though:
The truth is that none of the models I work with are under contract to me and not only do I not care about who they work with or what they do with them, I have less than no say in the matter as well as to what they do. They're also not my girlfriends or wives (surrogate or actual), so even on those grounds I have no say in the matter. I'm not going to outright lie either though; I am good friends with a handful of the models I currently work with and they've asked me occasionally if I would be upset if they worked with certain people (and vice versa where I've been told that they'd be upset if I worked with a certain person). At the end of the day though I can't and won't stop them from working with who they want; it's their choice, body, lives, and careers. I try not to engage in this petty crap though whenever I can. It's completely unproductive not to mention completely pointless in the long run.
Waaaaaaah!!! He's posting work that looks like my style/he's copying me/he's trying to show me up! Waaaahhh!!!!! Call the Waaaaahmbulance!!
News flash: I give less than a shit what people think of my work or what I do. I'd be lying if I said that I haven't drawn inspiration from other's work, but chances are good that if you're local to me that I have never attempted to recreate something you've done (it's that whole "never steal from your neighbors" thingy). Chances are pretty high that I probably haven't even seen what you're crying about either. I purposely avoid looking at others work these days whenever I can.
I also don't put work up just to show-up people. I have better things to do than engage in petty one-upsmanship. I've got very little free time to myself these days, never mind finding the time to do my creative work. When I post my work somewhere it's because I'm either promoting myself or just showing the work because I'm proud of it.
He's an arrogant prick! I put up something and he doesn't even comment on it!
Read the above. To elaborate a little more on this though; I generally don't say anything about anybody's work unless I'm specifically asked by that person to comment. The reason for that is because when I don't say anything people think I'm being snobby, an elitist prick, etc. When I do say something it's usually taken negatively (even when I mean it positively), and they think I'm being a know-it-all asshole.
Either way I can't win so I just keep my mouth shut and let people think what they want. It takes less energy and effort on my part. :)
