 Think about the last time that you were given some criticism that cuts you To the core a major question whether or not you even wanted to take photographs anymore That was our eyes the world would have lost a hugely influential and talented Photographer had that particular person Taken criticism to heart You may not be familiar with Eva Arnold, but she was one of the early members of magnum Massively famous photographer. She was encouraged to go to a night class by her husband And that night class was run by a picture editor for Harper's Bazaar called Alexei Brodovich Now you may not be familiar with this name, but he was mentored to urban pen He helped Richard Avedon. He was just he was so influential and And he was running this night class Eve put together some prints and went down to in the hope of finding out more about photography and Alexei standing at the front of the class. He says hello. Has anybody brought some prints in now? Eva Arnold says and the reason we know this is because she talks about this in this wonderful book the Unretouched Woman Where she's in a misguided moment. You see where this is going. She holds up her hand She goes, I've got some images and Alexei comes over and Has a look at them hands around the class and goes, what do you think now? This wasn't a class full of Photographers who were learning about f-stops and shutter speeds. This was a class that was full of Professionals who wanted to get jobs on Harper's Bazaar by being close to Alexei So they kind of just ripped into these pictures. They were like this is them But you're also the things and even was just being bombarded with all these people just saying look your pictures are not very good And and that cuts that hurts I'm sure that you remember Sometime when somebody said something about one of your photographs that you were very proud about that Really just it just ripped you and it started digging into your mind And same thing has happened to me in the past So when Eve went home that night you can imagine oh tears and think I can't know this is this is too much However and she's thinking this she finds herself actually saying To the lady who works them are there any fashion shows up in Harlem that I could go and photograph Because the next assignment was fashion So they says yes, you think up to harm so because that's what I'm going to do I'm going to go and do some pictures that would be good enough for these pros that Alexei and and they will sort of go This is the kind of thing I would like to see in Harper's Bazaar which goes off and Photographing and everything's going wrong. The flash doesn't attach to the camera properly. It's just it's better than She's having a bit of a mare Goes home prints the pictures just good. Oh what it all these they're just oh my god Takes them off to the class They're not the pictures that she wanted to show there are pictures that Takes are not very good Lexi looks at them very briefly Puts them to the bottom of the pile. She's thinking oh here we go He hates them and he's going to give the class a long enough time at the end of the lesson to really rip into them So they go through and he comes up at the end of the class and he goes Eve You are not shooting any more assignments in this class. Oh What's what's going on? For now on you only shoot fashion She was like what is it? These have a raw and a intensity and a brilliance to them did it uniquely you and this is this thing I mean, how amazing is this? This is this is like a massive person in in photography Saying there's something here. This is also I want you to work on this I want you to develop this idea that you're going with because it's something that's different What she was trying to do was to create images to please other people That would fit in with the crowd, but she had the bravery Even when those photographs didn't pan out To bring the work anyway to face the music as it were and that is the beginning of Yvonne's Fantastic career so you can imagine if she had given in to that fear Hadn't been brave enough then the world would have been denied Yvonne that is a crying shame the reason that I take photographs that you take photographs is because the Process is enjoyable that we get we have fun when we make something go That's kind of cool, and it becomes even nicer when other people go. I really like what you do But therein lies the problem that we start chasing That little dopamine hit of other people saying hey, that's pretty cool So it's a common trap to fall into trying to chase fashions and fads in the hope that people will like our work That is a completely natural Reaction because we're making something personal so it feels Personal and we don't really want to have negative feedback because we feel I Know I feel this and you probably do that when somebody says something about your images That it's they're kind of talking about you So that's why it's scary to Plow your own field to go and try things out to go away from the norm to explore ideas that appeal to you Recently I was talking about sharpness in photography, and I talked about Soft focus that was that effect from the 1970s now You can imagine if you've explored something like that if you did something like that now a lot of Narrow-minded people I think it has to be said might look at it and go that's rubbish And if you just kind of slapped on a filter and did you think then maybe they would be right But if you worked in it if you tried things like if you experimented to to take that basic of something that is unfashionable that people heaps scorn upon and Pursued it even though people were sitting there going. Oh, that's rubbish. Really Alex. What are you doing? That's kind of the junk You might find something at the end of that rainbow. You might find that actually You discover something that people go my god, that is amazing because you've made something remarkable and get The ball moving with this. I want you to just take some photographs that are purely for yourself That you stop worrying about other people are thinking that you make a pack for yourself that you don't care whatever people say It doesn't and in fact, just don't ask people's opinions about them Right, don't even show them if you don't want to just do them for yourself for years I never showed any photographs. I would I would hide them back now a lot of that Yes is to do with the fact that I was scared if you look at the early videos on this channel They never feature any of my work whatsoever because I was petrified about putting My own work out there in front of people Whom I couldn't hear them talking and that all stemmed from an event that that almost Sabotage my career and photography completely I've been taking some headshots for actors at the theatre where I worked and I've given them the prints and what having They said well, thank you very much. These are kind of cool And then when they were out of earshot or that they thought they were out of earshot I Heard them Talking to each other saying that see these were sh1t That hurt me that cut me deeply because it planted a seed in my head that I thought everybody behind my back was Saying my work was rubbish That even though to my face they were saying it was really good. It was kind of cool, which is that stokes that ego That really I was just I was like a fraud and That plagued me for so long and it upsets me that I never got a chance to fulfill Earlier potential with my photography Because that was like an albatross hanging around my neck that whenever I thought about stuff the negative things just boiled up inside me and Stopped me from taking photographs reason that I create these videos on this channel is to inspire you to help you Find your love of photography and to express it in as many Interesting ways as you possibly can you are a unique Photographer you are the only person taking your kind of pictures and to really fulfill yourself You need to explore every avenue that you find interesting. It doesn't matter what other people say I know this sounds like it's the same message over and over again, but we have had lifetimes of Being told that we need to please the masses that we need to conform to Whatever rules with we're told and I'm not talking about photographic rules I'm talking you know what I'm talking about like rules of taste and aesthetic and popularity The most exciting Photographs that I've ever taken are the ones where I've kind of gone. I'm just gonna try this out Whatever people other think I don't care be that photographer who takes these ideas and just runs with them There are so many People who are taking images that just do not Sit well with them and I really hope that you are not one of these people that you aren't just chasing likes on Your face wherever these places are all you're just trying to Please one person at your local camera club If people say they don't like your work that that's a positive that means from moving in the right direction If it is warranted criticism if people say Look, you know The composition is a bit out or this is a bit wrong or the exposure the dodging the burning could be improved. That's positive criticism because they are helping you refine and enhance your vision But if they sit there and go, do you know that white vignette? Oh my god, that is horrible That is so not the thing that you should be doing because it's just it's ridiculous. So old-fashioned Then that's positive. I would sit there and you would I would say okay cool That means I'm starting to needle at somebody if you are taking inspiration from other photographers both past and present whose work doesn't seem to fit with any sort of modern Fashionable turn that kind of stuff then that's cool. That means there is a market for it and if it appeals to you Then it's appealing to somebody else as well Throughout all of this when you create your images that you may find That's unbeknownst to you somewhere out there. You are quite possibly somebody's Favorite photographer Now let that sink in for a little bit We think about favorite photographers and often it's the big names that come out there, but I'm sure That if you have a website if you have You know social media presence Prince up in a exhibition somewhere that somebody Has possibly come along and gone that is like the most awesome thing I've ever seen No, it may not be somebody of the stature of pen or avid owner, but if there's one person who goes That print that you made is the coolest thing that they've seen Then that's awesome So keep the perspective keep yourself brave Keep plugging away at your photography. Don't listen to the crowds if it ever gets too much Remember the story of Eve Arnold and how that she Didn't let it overwhelm her and didn't let that Crucible of criticism Snuff out her passion for photography To find out what photos calls actually like click this video here. Thank you ever so much for watching and I will see you again soon