Recently, we held a workshop for creatives at a branding company that’s one of our clients. This workshop is customarily designed for new employees. This year, we had them go through the whole analog photography process from developing film to making 7” x 5” prints.
What do people associate with the word “photograph”? If we’re talking the previous generation, then printed matter certainly comes to mind–namely images printed on photographic paper. But these days, “photographs” could suggest “image data” that might be displayed on any number of screens. I know people in their 20s think of photography that way.
The generation that lived through the heyday of film cameras basically distinguished between “photographs” and “image data” and discussed them in separate contexts. But when I talk to young 20-somethings, I notice that they conflate the two, and I feel the generational gap. I’d be happy to at least just have people working as creatives understand the difference and treat it as such in conversation. I therefore believe having them experience this is the most important step, and my workshop for new creatives essentially aims to achieve that.
Our curriculum was similar to previous years. The creatives from such an accomplished company were themselves accomplished and it was just as fun for me to give them instruction. The group was comprised of two new brand creators, one individual who was both a manager and brand creator, and a new cameraman–just four of them in all.
If I had to make one comment, it would be that they were all trying to “get it right” in their work; as such, whether the work was good or bad, I felt that it suppressed their individuality. Conversely, because the strong individuality that everyone possessed was suppressed, the work itself was somewhat subdued. There was one, however, that broke from this mold. The manager’s work (as you might have guessed) felt liberated, like he had let go while shooting. It communicated directly with the observer.
I guess the one who felt the most pressure from this group of four was the new cameraman because everyone around him is likely to be his client in the near future. I’d like to have you take a look at their work, though I’m only going to share their names, not their titles. Years from now, the advertisements and marketing material they create will be in the public eye. I look forward to that day.