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Enzo dal Verme

Misery Is Photogenic

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This article might raise a few eyebrows. I am just wondering: do we need the spectacularization of pain?

Film production company Duck Rabbit just published an article on their blog criticizing Magnum Photo and Lens Culture for advertising a photo contest using an image of an underage sex worker having sex with a client. She is recognizable, he is not. Sure the impact is strong, but do we really need that picture? Is it making a difference or is it just sensationalistic exploitation?

The controversial image is just one of very many other pictures that photojournalists may feel pressured to produce.

Most features on the market cover tragedies and photo-editors’ desks are flooded with gut-wrenching pictures. They are often dismayed by the lack of reportage on much other than disasters, Third World tragedies and exploitation of children. There are editors (and readers) who can’t stand seeing pictures of poor kids and other forms of suffering any longer. But… the market demands it and photojournalism is there partly to reveal the ugliness of our world.

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How to encourage potential clients to work with you

In my last article “Photography marketing: preparing the ground for your business to flourish” I pointed out how we can do our best to market ourselves and how — occasionally — coincidences or serendipity play a much bigger role than marketing.

Now I want to go through the habits that could significantly improve the chances for your photography business to flourish. Easy things that can be done to encourage those potential clients to work with us. You want those tips that are going to boost your photography business, don’t you?

Ready? Here we go:

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Photography marketing: preparing the ground for your business to flourish

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A guy that started his career without even having a portfolio wants you to know what he finds important to consider when it comes to market your work.

After I published “What is decisive in a photographer’s career?” I got quite a few comments in a couple of Linkedin groups.

In my article I pointed out how opportunities, more than technical skills, creativity or experience, are a key factor to determine success. Someone suggested me to change the wording from ‘opportunities’ to ‘marketing’, because good marketing generates opportunities and, more often than not, photographers seems to lack that very skill.
I totally agree with the fact that effective marketing is essential, but my focus was on something slightly different. What I was trying to underline was precisely the importance of opportunities. And, actually, I believe that marketing doesn’t necessarily replace opportunities.

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About Uplifting Photojournalism

The quality of news and information that we are constantly exposed to has a huge impact on the course of our civilization. They can affect our psychological and physical states and shape our future. I have a question for us photojournalists and content creators and for the media that select and distribute our content: where do we want to head, toward problems or solutions?

Imagine holding a big, fresh, juicy lemon in your hands. Now imagine cutting it into slices, feel the acidic juice dripping onto your skin and perceive the overwhelmingly sour aroma spreading in the air. Now you take a juicy slice and stick it in your mouth, suck on it and taste its pungent tart flavor.

Is your mouth salivating? More than likely yes, because our body responds to images.

That’s why athletes use visualization to enhance their performance, and so do surgeons, musicians, actors or stockbrokers. Visualization is used to quit smoking, control weight and even by cancer patients. It’s not magic but it is a powerful tool: what we see can affect our psychological and physical states. Now, some people deliberately visualize an ideal future in order to be half-way there while… most people constantly “visualize” bad news on our economy, planet, society and so on…

Is this affecting our future? I believe that it is.

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19 Tips For Shooting Better Portraits (#19 is my fav)

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I am often asked how I manage to photograph a celebrity in a few minutes or what is the best way to shoot a good portrait. Here is my list of hints for shooting better portraits.

Every year, I teach a few portraiture workshops. Photography students, amateurs and pros join in and participate with all their passion. Inevitably, soon or later someone asks me for my advice and tips for shooting better pictures.
At first, I didn’t really like the idea of giving out short, telegraphic photography tips because it’s hard to generalize. For instance, if you shoot for clients you need to adhere to their needs, if you shoot a personal project it’s different. But thinking it over… why not?

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Portrait Photography: can you capture what lies behind the social mask?

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I focus my lens not on the forms but on the life that animates them. That’s what attracts me. If this triggers something in you, read on.

On December 20, 2011, exactly five years ago, I shot the first picture of my lucky series “Portraits In Silence”.

At the time, I wasn’t completely aware of being at a big turning point in my way of shooting pictures. I just followed my gut. Up until then, I used to have two very different approaches depending on the type of picture I was working on.

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