Be Wary of the "Flickr Hug"

Yesterday I had the pleasure of Rick Sammon reviewing my portfolio. To say the least I was nervous. What if he hated my work or what if it turned out that I was a terrible photographer? The couple of weeks leading up to the review I continuously thought about what I wanted to get out of the review. Finally, I decided that what I wanted was an honest and objective look at my work from a seasoned professional. Up to this point I had received much praise from my friends and family and the few times I had posted work on Flickr it was always met with they typical “great shot”…“nice work” comments.

Before the Review

After the Review!!!

When the interview started Rick asked me what I wanted to get out of the review so I told him what I was looking for. Over the next 45min we looked at my work and he gave me some great pointers to help me improve. The hard part was trying not to defend my work. I kept my mouth shut and listened to him seeing as how he is one of the top photographers in the world. It is in our very nature to defend what we do but there are times when you need to bite your tongue and listen to the masters. Today my mind is racing with new ideas and ways to go back and improve my older images as well as ways to improve my overall ability.

So, what does it mean to be wary of the “Flickr Hug”? It means to be careful that your ego doesn’t out way your ability. If you want to feel good about your photography just post any image on Flickr and soon you will be getting “Flickr Hugs”… Rick Sammon puts it this way “don’t believe your own PR”.

If you are serious about your photography then I cannot recommend enough that you get a professional portfolio review. If you do get the review remember to listen more than you speak.

You can find out more about Rick Sammon HERE.