do I say something?

PQRS wants to know:

I have a query regarding a person I know who is starting a photography business. Wanting to be supportive I went over and took a look and to be honest the pictures were pretty mediocre looked like lot's of point and shoot shots and lighting was off in quite a few of them. I think he might benefit from a photography course but I didn't know if I should offer any constructive criticism on shots or not because I don't want to offend him. By no means am I am expert. So my question is would you be honest in this situation or just ignore it.

Excellent question.

Easy answer... Here's the beauty of the photography world: everyone starts somewhere and they only get better with experience, whether that's guided experience with formal instruction or mentorship, or the school of self-directed education and hard knocks. For every flashy gem of a photographer who hits the ground running I believe there are a dozen or more diamonds in the rough who simply need a little pressure and polishing to outshine the rest, and not a one of us can ever be sure which is which. Here's the harsh reality of the photography world: if you lack or fail to develop style and/or ability, you will perish.

Hard answer... I've had a piano in my house since I was 6 years old. Owning a camera doesn't make you any more a photographer than opening a piano has made me a concert pianist. After over 20 years of sharing my home with an upright, I can play the opening bars of "chopsticks" and a couple of pieces I learned by thumping them out by ear after my sister played them. Even having a natural (or supernatural) aptitude for something doesn't exempt any person from needing to know how to operate, exploit, and master their equipment, whether that's the voice of a soprano, the tools of a woodworker, or the camera of a photographer. In the day and age of marketing companies (hired by camera manufacturers who want to sell cameras) telling the general public that with the right camera (their camera) anyone can shoot like a pro, we are witnessing an unprecedented number of unskilled but highly motivated folks saturating the market with mediocre and sometimes downright awful photography, many of them with the attitude that it's an easy job, or at least an easy way to make some money on the side. Those of us in the industry know that although it is a very fulfilling job, it is a very demanding job that is anything but easy, or easy money, especially in the beginning. Even after many years in the business, several of my photographer friends have second jobs to supplement their photography income.

A person who has never heard feedback from outside their own sphere of well-meaning and supportive family and friends are usually completely unaware of how they may or may not stack up in the prevailing market. Most family and friends are too nice to ever say, well, these pictures are OK but I wouldn't actually pay you for them... Whenever I encounter a situation where I am asked for an honest opinion, I try and give one without pulling a Simon Cowell. If I am not asked, I have to kind of weigh whether or not I think it's worth saying anything. Like when someone asks if their new banana yellow spandex short-shorts make them look stupid, you need to ask yourself if it's more important to protect a friend from being hurt by your honest input, or to watch a friend probably embarrass him or herself.

In the case of this individual (to protect innocence I have declined to publish the web address as well as the name of the person who asked) I would say it's necessary to say something, as the prices he has set are completely off the grid based on the skill, quality, and creativity the work demonstrates. I see enjoyment but not passion, interest but not dedication, functionality but not creativity. This DOES NOT pre-empt anyone from getting better or being successful... but certainly some time should be spent building a proper portfolio. Generally speaking, the pictures aren't very indicative of much other than camera ownership. Specifically, the limited wedding portfolio includes pictures snuck from the sidelines where the couple is quite obviously looking at the actual photographer and not him. These images not only have nothing particularly strong or noteworthy about them in terms of style or ability - weak or non-existent composition, poor exposure, etc. - but illustrate someone else's posing of the subjects, which may or may not be better or worse than your friend.

Often stylistic differences are confused with good or bad photography. It's entirely possible to dislike someone's style even if the photography is fantastic. It is also possible to like someone's style even if the pictures themselves are horrible. There is no accounting for taste, so to be completely fair, let's assume for a minute that the style of pictures this person is taking is actually what he is going for, his 'schtick' - maybe he's trying to go for a kind of cheesy "80s 'home movie' trailer park peeping tom on the sidelines chic", which, if he knows what he is doing, develops an expert level of creating that sort of 'schtick' with consistency, markets himself to the right demographic, and manages to build up a following, could make him a very successful (if not notorious) man. Without being facetious, with photographers battling one another to be the slickest funkiest shooter and baddest sexiest photoshopper, something really edgy and funky like that actually has a pretty good chance of taking off if 'sold' the right way.

Now let's assume it's a case of weak skills, in which case he will most certainly fail to thrive as the market is far too competitive where he has set his price. Even if he were to cut his fees in half, the competition is pretty stiff. It wouldn't take an expert to see that despite the desire he has expressed, there is a long way to go before he can charge that kind of price for, say, a wedding. Frankly I would worry that if he doesn't hear some honest and gentle constructive criticism from someone who does care, he may hear something from someone who doesn't. I don't know which would be worse: false encouragement (on top of unhappy clients and the potential embarrassment, this may lead to huge monetary investments or incurring debt to acquire equipment that never pays for itself) or cruel comments that could not only destroy his enjoyment of taking pictures (that would be the ultimate shame) but irreversibly damage a person's self esteem, especially if the person is of a particularly sensitive or delicate nature.

If you want to avoid hurting his feelings being completely direct, you can always ask him to come out shooting with you so he can "give you some pointers" or share some insider secrets. Once there, ask questions that you already know the answers to in the hopes he will perhaps a) demonstrate that he actually does know what he is doing and just needs the chance to build a portfolio or b) recognize how little he knows and how much room there is for improvement. (For example, ask him how he would meter a light subject on a dark background to get the best possible overall exposure.) You could also suggest he attend a class or workshop WITH you, as moral support FOR you. (Find an inexpensive course at a local community league or whatever and pretend you're painfully shy and just couldn't bear to go without someone by your side.) The funny thing about that is people who honestly think they already know everything they need won't be the least bit interested in finding out how much they don't know because they are genuinely intimidated by the idea of having their bubble burst, and the people who know they don't know much are too embarrassed to expose themselves.

Bottom line is, if you care about the person and think they are making a fool of themselves, you should say something. If the friend is not anyone particularly important to you, you may prefer to let the photography industry take care of its own and on his own steam become hugely successful or shown the proverbial door. Ultimately, only you know the answer to that, and only you will have to answer to whatever course of action you choose.