Okay, so this is going to be my first blog. A new year and new beginnings. So with that said let’s get into the subject above. So beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Just because you think that it is the most beautiful thing does not mean that other people will.
This has been hard for me to grasp as it seems like when someone does not like something you do it makes your feel that you are being attacked. This is not the case, everyone does not have to like things that you do. That is what makes of human you know Free Will and all. I try not to take it personal, which is hard when your work is being critiqued.
This past year I took a leap of faith and started to participate in local Craft and Art Fairs. This is a blog in itself which will be later on down the line. However, I have had to deal with knowing that not everyone likes my photos. Oh sure I get a lot of, those are beautiful and a lot of you do a great job. However, I get just as many people looking at them and walking away with that look on their face that you know none of them moved them at all.
However, once you jump this hurdle and you no longer have an issue with it, you will be in a much better place. Now don’t get me wrong some comments still hurt and are quick to anger you. Of course, you have to put a smile on your face and act like it doesn’t affect you at all. The one comment that still bothers me today was when someone told me I needed to focus a picture in a little bit better. One photo out of the hundreds I had there and their only comment was that one. I had debated even including it but I did because I thought maybe someone might like it. Just because I don’t doesn’t mean someone won’t.
Most of my sales have been from photos I didn’t even personally like. Which goes with the subject of today’s blog. Just because you love it doesn’t mean someone else will and one you might not like others may. You just never know. I have seen tears come to one woman’s eyes when she saw a picture of a stream I took. It reminded her of a stream near her and her deceased husband’s cabin. Did I like the picture not really but she did. It stirred good memories of past times. I got to tell my story of taking the photo and I got to hear a story from her. It is those interactions which help minimize the negativity and make me want to have the same reaction in other people. To me, I am not trying to sell a photo. I am trying to sell a memory that others can connect with their own experiences.
K.D. Gladwell Photography 