Good question!
Question: Juan, why is it that you’re so picky when it comes to taking pictures? Sometimes you even get upset whenever you are arranging a shot with lots of people in it, or it seems you make things a little bit difficult.
Well, think of it this way: when you have a wedding, sweet 16 (or 15 if you’re Hispanic)…would you rather have snapshots or photographs? See, anyone with a rinky-dink camera can take a snapshot but not everyone can make a picture. I don’t do snapshots. I rather make pictures because the event is something you’re going to want to remember for a long time and for that to happen the pictures have to be done right. I rather people see a finished, polished product because that’s what represents me.
The moment I am commissioned to shoot any event I immediately start thinking how the pictures should look for that event; I don’t just show up and hope the camera does all the work. That’s another thing. People think they can buy a $500 camera and IT does it all…no. You have to envision the photo, plan it in your head, know what the best angles are and how you’re going to edit it. You have to be able to “see” the shot on the spot while you’re taking it to know whether it works or not. I can get the same results from a $100 camera that I get from my $500 one. Why? because it’s more than just the camera making the photo.
Getting people to cooperate for a shoot isn’t easy. Everyone’s talking, moving, acting crazy, etc. It is very frustrating getting everyone to do what you need because those people who want to rush or not cooperate are the same ones that come back later with “you can’t see my face in the picture!” or “my face is too light/greasy looking in the photo!”. Maybe they made a funny face at the moment of the shoot and they came out looking silly. The sooner you cooperate, the better the shoot, the easier i can edit the photo to make everyone look good in it. If you rush me or decide to not follow directions it isn’t going to happen.
When it comes to my personal work, 9 times out of 10 I won’t even show a picture on the camera screen to anyone after I take it. Many times I take the picture and someone goes “lemme see!”. Sorry, no. I don’t like showing unfinished work…that’s my personal work ethic. Why show something unfinished when you can appreciate it more once it’s polished? Car makers don’t show customers unfinished cars before they’re done. Bakeries don’t show you your cake before it’s finished baking. Why should I?
People who are not passionate about photography won’t understand 95% of what I’ve said above. They might interpret it as me being picky, hard to work with, etc. Frankly, I’m rather proud of my work and it reflects in the comments that some of you make when I post something that you like. My only concern is making my subjects look good, think about that.
