Hello to all

[Jonny Nicholson]

Hi all,

 

Thought I'd announce myself on here.

 

I'm Jonny (I've registered as Jonathan, but Jonny is my friendly/informal name) Nicholson. I've previously worked with Demotix and NurPhoto. I've had success with them. Photos used by BBC News, Bild, Les Echos, Le Figaro, Forbes, France TV, The Guardian/Observer, Gulf News, Haaretz, New York Magazine, Der Spiegel, Time, The Times/Sunday Times, Times Literary Supplement, The Wall Street Journal and others. My proudest achievement is having a credited (as in Jonathan Nicholson/Corbis) photo printed in The Guardian. The photo was one submitted to Demotix, but whatever. I've had a photo submitted to NurPhoto printed by The Times with a similar credit. I have contributed to Alamy before, but I was going through a very difficult time and so I kind of had to finish things. I'm not sure if that was right, but in some ways I don't regret it as I might not be here today had I not done that.

 

I'm not sure what to photograph as, I often feel, I have to pick one topic and stick with that. Ok, its probably not the case, but its the way my autistic mind works. Bare in mind too, I'm also prone to self-destruction and can push people away even if its not necessary. Its code for "I've got mental health issues." I'm not the only one, but sometimes I feel self-concious that, even if, its one-in-four then I'm that one. I've also made a few photographic career mistakes in the past, but I don't want to repeat those. I have a couple of CBT sessions which is helping and I have a support worker to lean on when things are perhaps at the worst now, so hopefully I can have a bit more of a go at things.

 

You can all find me on twitter via @@_jonnynicholson. I'm based in Stockport and in the short term at least will mainly be photographing in and around Manchester. I'd like street photography, but am game for any type of photography. Its more the challenge of creating something meaningful as well as perfect.

 

In some ways I came to Alamy as a natural choice. I've done NGO work in Malawi when I graduated from the University of Glasgow in 2012 (with an MA (Hons) in Economic and Social History. Still, as interesting as the might be, subject might be it doesn't tell me what's going to be reported tomorrow). I even wrote a little blog, illustrating it with my own photography in Malawil and you're welcome to view it https://skipglasgow.wordpress.com. Probably the best thing I did out there though was putting a plaster on a kid's knee when he was upset having cut his knee.

 

I'm probably going to photograph mainly news/for news, since that's what interests me. Still, I'm not sure that I care about doing just the big stuff. Like I say, I've made mistakes and I feel like starting over at the bottom (bottom of the assignment list, since I'm new here). I remember someone even asking me "How long do you want to do it for?" I replied "For as long as I can." Ok, so its probably not a career, but hopefully it can be more than a hobby I get paid for. I find I can do stock photography, but the world is too interesting to leave and go in to a bubble of my own ideas. Culture is probably the most uplifting topic for me. Enjoyable, light, interesting and diverse. I was really impressed with Li Bunyan's performance of his 'Deathless Love' which he premiered in Manchester. I went along to photograph the launch of Jackson Pollock's exhibition at Tate Liverpool. Its said, "Everyone who has seen a Jackson Pollock painting, instantly likes his work." I don't know if that's true for everyone, but its true for me. Actually, I was blown away.

 

Enough about me. How are you doing?

[Allan Bell]

Phew! That is one hell of an introduction.

 

Welcome to the Alamy community and I wish you all the best in whichever course of action you wish to take.

 

Allan

[Joseph Clemson]

Welcome. Your images look like they have the qualities needed to sell here, though if you stick only to current events you will limit the amount of sales you may make. Captions and keywords look quite good but put more info about the location in your keywords, including Manchester, UK, England. I'd suggest you are a little more choosy and upload fewer similars as having lots of nearly identical images will, in the long term, push your images down the search results ranking. 

[Jonny Nicholson]

Cheers everyone. 

 

Hey Joseph. Fair points (just as an aside, I am a former Bolton resident myself).

 

Hey Allan. I really like your 'A keyword is worth a thousand pictures' saying - makes me chuckle.

 

I guess my uploads, so far, are what Cartier-Bresson would call 'the indecisive edit'. I think I've got quite lazy knowing someone else will edit, so that I then just assume it will be done by others/someone else will tell me what to do. One thing I will probably have to learn is how to be my own critic and ask questions of myself (well, my work rather than myself per se) and be prepared to lose good photos when the quality isn't as (sometimes I've uploaded previous work and a 'favourite' image has been dropped for some reason.

 

Sure, culture can be about daily life, what happens in life, so its pretty much any topic/genre of photography whatsoever. I sometimes like doing street photography for 'daily life' photographs. This is also an opportunity to cover the bases not already covered/missed because I was photographing an event (plus, spectators at the event). Some events are probably going to be covered in Manchester already by Alamy contributor Barbara Cook, so that opens up the "do something different" path. The obvious thing to do is non-street events and that is basically gigs, business/economics, art, performance etc. I've never really been a fan of photographing protests (its the situation I find difficult to handle) even if I did march against the Iraq (2003) War...

[Ed Rooney]

Jonny, I will give you one tip that I hope you'll take to heart: do not spam subjects by submitting a bunch of similars. This will hurt your CTR and your placement, where you come up in a search. You have 15 images of Julie Ward on your first page. 14 have the same frame. In the future pick the best three.

 

Good luck.

[Jonny Nicholson]

Jonny, I will give you one tip that I hope you'll take to heart: do not spam subjects by submitting a bunch of similars. This will hurt your CTR and your placement, where you come up in a search. You have 15 images of Julie Ward on your first page. 14 have the same frame. In the future pick the best three.

 

Good luck.

 

Thanks Ed. Don't worry about it, I know I should cut down on the number of images I submit initially (others have said the same). I've started cutting some of the photos, so there should be less in the searches when the system is uploaded - I've also been editing previous submissions that haven't gone in to stock archive as of yet. As I say, I've relied too much in the past on there being an editor who will help me make decisions about which jpegs to archive and which to bin. Sometimes I get attached to a particular photo and I'm like "I don't want to get rid of that" which is a sentiment that spills on to the previous/next photograph. I also try to judge each photo on its own merits, the person in the frame and what else there is.

 

However, from http://tinyurl.com/j6kxawc I see what you mean. Its accepted and appreciated advice. I hope to be putting your advice (and Joseph's) in to good effect tomorrow. I'll be photographing Justin Cronin as well as doing a pre-EU referendum story (on Thursday, I'll be reporting the *actual* story). I still have no idea what to photograph - I'll just see what is available and what I can do.

 

I'm still learning.

[Ed Rooney]

Jonny, understand that I'm not telling how to shot or what to shoot or how many frames you should click off. My suggestion had only to do with what you should and should not be uploading to Alamy, and why. And it's very early in the game to be considering deleting anything; just move forward. 

 

And HCB spoke of The Decisive Moment, not edit. To catch that moment you must anticipate it. You'll never catch up to it. 

[Jonny Nicholson]

Jonny, understand that I'm not telling how to shot or what to shoot or how many frames you should click off. My suggestion had only to do with what you should and should not be upload to Alamy, and why. And it's very early in the game to be considering deleting anything; just move forward. 

 

And HCB spoke of The Decisive Moment, not edit. To catch that moment you must anticipate it. You'll never catch up to it. 

 

Sorry, Ed, I didn't realise you were telling me what I should and should not be uploading. What should I be uploading?

 

One common problem for people autism is that, regardless of someone's tone, communication is taken on a literal level.

 

Since we're covering different topics, on different sides of the Atlantic and all the differences that entails (this is not that, rather than better or worse) I figured: Probably sensible advice from someone who might have an agenda, but the sentiment is echoed by other people so its not totally wide of the mark. No-one else has said "Ignore Ed" or someone from the upper echelons of Alamy has said: "Hey! Ed, leave that kid alone." Even if there is an agenda, how does your success exclude my own? I just decided that, given the time I have, why wait? If I'm going to delete something, it might as well be now. I've been looking for things to photograph and I thought: "Do it - its not the end of the world if Alamy care or don't want me doing this, they'd raise it as an issue. Afterall, I've only an MEP, Labour Party members and activists. If it were David Cameron then maybe I'd have more of problem of doing it. Better to make a mistake by doing too much, than too little. At least now I can learn than think 'What could have been'." I want to challenge myself. Sometimes its easier for me to communicate through email, forum and instant messaging services than face to face. Its that which makes me feel more lonely when I'm out than when I'm home. Its something my few friends understand. I remember Alamy saying that sales are made by me having something unique that they want... The law of supply and demand says I have to provide what they want at a price they are willing and able to pay.

 

I know about HCB's decisive moment, but I was humorously speculating about what he might say about my frame selection. I've often deliberately misquoted him when other photographers have said "I'm not sure about..." Just because I have health problems, doesn't mean I don't have a sense of humour or a personality. I put a lot of pressure on myself to upload promptly, to upload before midnight and certainly before the 24hr deadline (for live news). I just worry that if I let a couple slip through the initial net, then edit after, then I have more chance of nailing the deadline. When I saw the live news feed with x images, even I thought: "Maybe that was a little excessive..."

 

You're right about anticipating the 'decisive moment' and, again, its something I need to work on. I chimp and have missed *so* many photos as a result. Its something that I'm not doing as often as I learn more about the technical side of things, then I'm becoming more confident in what I produce. However, colour/light/white balance is something else I want to learn about. People have also said that I have a good eye for stock photography. That's do with my photos being boring, generic, not very newsworthy and unoriginal. That's partly to do with me wanting my photos to be perfect, its partly to do with worries about someone else might think of my work. I just do what I can. Whenever I contribute to a new place, I start off at the bottom.

 

Some of what I said in my introduction is true, but I didn't fully open up because I thought it would be too heavy. The reason I've deleted accounts on social media and photography websites etc is because I can't deal with the feeling of failing. I'm genuinely frightened of failing and having to explain that failure. Its an insecurity. For me, something is a failure, or its a success. Its not "You did well, but could have done better" or "You did really well there and its not your fault for having commercial success." Something is my fault because I did it. It is just pass or fail and I have higher standards than just "Yeah, cool photo." Its not only about Alamy accepting my contributions, but about people accepting what I do. If and when I feel I've failed, my reaction is to 'burn' any connection to that failure. Failure, its like a permanent stain on me, on my character and something which will only be used against me in the future. Its also logical that if I fail on situation A I will fail in situation B. With autism there is a binary way of thinking. "This OR that", not "A little of this, a little of that." Its true that there is no all or nothing, but the logic, the binary thinking is something which goes on intellectually in my head. I have obsessional phases about certain topics I cover. At the moment its culture, next week it might be politics, a month or two later it might be the environment or business. Its not your problem, or my fault. I don't expect you understand because its difficult for me to explain. However, the problem is real. It was last month I realised that diversity matters (I've long thought diversity as something which is 'good', well meaning and fair, but in practical terms, meant very little). Openness and diversity leads to new ideas, new ways of solving problems. Also, diversity shows "You can make it too" - its not "You will make it", but that "You can make it." Nor is it to be used as a "We're better than you" and then "Oh no, you're not" "Oh yes we are" like it was some big pantomime.

 

Like Matthew Taylor said: "Action leads to hope." As people who have supervised my work before: "The more you do, the more you make." I would have had to move on from NurPhoto eventually, so now that I want to do something different, I thought "Now or never." I'm not going to explain this, as again, I feel people might use it against me. In order to work at things, do what I can. The situation at NurPhoto was dragging both me and them down, so I figured to move on. I learnt early in my life that if I have the problem, then maybe I should go rather than make another victim. I can make this a fresh start that can lead anywhere - on up the Alamy ladder or to a higher status photo agency. I could have gone to Andalou or somewhere else, but as I mentioned, I chose Alamy. I also felt guilty about leaving before, even if I might have needed to. I feel guilty about leaving NurPhoto, but again, in order to grow or progress, in order that I don't stagnate, in order that I don't go backwards, I might need to. How do I grow or progress without trying something new, something different or exposing myself to the risk of failure? However, if my work isn't wanted or needed, Alamy can reject it, then I can find somewhere else. I just would rather be told by someone in the hierarchy.

 

To be perfectly honest I was subtly saying: "I know what you're saying, I've seen the same from Joseph. I'm learning about photography, I'm learning to be more confident in myself, in my own work. I might be mentally ill, autistic, but I'm not stupid or ignorant."

 

Extra pressure is something I don't need, or want.

[Matt Limb]

Welcome on board - and to the Alamy madhouse, good to have you with us

[Alexandre Fagundes]

Welcome to Alamy Johnny