Frustrations
Added 2022-03-30 21:39:48 +0000 UTCPeople have asked me several times over the years if I will ever make photography my full time career and the answer is usually no. The reason being I don't want to lose the passion for it by having it become my means of survival. As it is, I get to photograph what I want without the constraints of pleasing an external client. Pleasing myself is usually hard enough.
Having said that, there are some frustrations. Another question I get all the time is "Why don't you shoot regular guys?" which I have answered here before. The frustration with this question is that when I photograph someone who is slightly outside the gay world's very narrow view of what is hot, the downloads don't sell or the images don't get the response on social media. My driving force is not getting likes on social media but when a shoot that I love doesn't do so well it doesn't feel great.
All of the shoots above are examples of what I'm talking about. This week's release of "MASC" on my website has only sold 2 copies. The images have had a solid response on Instagram but far from my most popular. "LEON" sold precisely one copy and I'm assuming it's because his look is a bit more feminine than most of my models. "PLASTIC" is an example of what must only be considered racism. My shoots featuring asian men just don't sell well and "VINTAGE" is one of my all time favourite releases but even with Charlie's full frontal nudity and very impressive endowment, I think it was too "artsy" for most.
This is where I have to grin and bear the disappointment and remind myself to stay true to myself and don't shoot for anyone but me.
