Digital BW, The Print

> The people I've admired in the arts "seem" to move about without concern for how a new body of work will
> effect
> marketing or whatever. There is the illusion that someone like Wegman would surely have made enough money by
> now,
> and being an artist at heart, would use success to gain the freedom to do whatever he wants, rather than be
> trapped by
> continuously having to produce more of same.
> Harvey and Mark, anyone, do you think it's possible to have artistic career success and remain free to
> progress as an
> artist? Or is it just an illusion, and always some kind of compromise? My observation is that it would take
> a remarkable
> individual to remain clearheaded in the middle of success.
> Which is why I make a constant point of remaining unsuccessful...
> yeah, that's it...
> Tyler

Tyler,
While it is true that many artists move from project to project, they tend not to stray too far from their
original 'style'.  And further, I think that when one gets 'approval' for one's artwork, after (usually) years
of slogging away, it's hard not to try and 'please' the muse.  I am not saying that it's about the money.

On the other hand, I went from one style of photography (neo-pictorialism, nudes) which were selling very
well, to NY nightlife images of Klub Kidz, drag queens and transexuals (ala Brasaii), which did not sell at
all, and it sort of put an end to my forward motion in the gallery world.

My dealer was extremely nice about it, but has not been able to sell any of the newer stuff, and has explained
that it's a totally different market.  For about 5 years after I finished the nudes, he tried to cajole me
into shooting more of them (as he had a ready market for my work)...But those images no longer interested me.

I imagine, in another 15 years the NY nightlife images will start to sell...They will be old enough to be
those ethnographic statements that I referred to in another post.

BTW:  Even though the Nightlife shots were beautiful, and popular with the academic crowd (The International
Center of Photography in NYC had us lecture about them, as did the Society of Photographic Educators at their
annual meeting, and the Michigan Journal of Photography covered them in one of their publications) but...Not
popular with the 'collectors'.  Not hip enough, or not fashionable or the like.  But it's ok, I like them, and
that's what counts.  :- )  I figure I'll just make my living doing commercial work...Mostly rock & roll
portraits.


Harvey Ferdschneider
partner, SKID Photography, NYC



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