There’s been much criticism, the past few weeks, over some portraits of US Olympic athletes shot by an AFP photographer. Let’s just say these pictures won’t win any medals.
The pictures can be seen here on the Getty Images site. Some of the pictures are okay but many are definite last-place finishers.
To be fair, these types of portrait sessions are usually done in an assembly-line fashion whether it’s Olympic athletes or players on a pro sports team. A number of photographers, all in the same room, will each set up their own mini-studio. The athletes will rotate from one mini-studio to the next, spending only a minute or two with each photographer.
A photographer may be required to shoot a number of variations of each athlete within the allotted one or two minutes. To make it even more challenging, some athletes might be bored, uninterested or uncooperative.
This high-volume, high-speed, portrait photography isn’t as easy as one might think.
These particular Olympic athlete portraits were shot over a three-day period in May. Over 100 athletes were available but the Getty site shows just over 50. No idea what happened to the others.
For comparison, here are the pictures from Reuters photographer Lucas Jackson from the same event.
The Takeaway
There are several lessons to be learned for any company hiring a photographer.
— Good photography requires time and planning. It doesn’t just happen with a click of a shutter button.
— An inexperienced photographer doing a job that’s over their head is a disaster for everyone involved.
— Getting the photography right the first time saves time and money.
— Good photos can take much longer to shoot than one might think.
— Studio setups can require a lot of space.
— Some photography jobs may require hiring more than one photographer.
— A photographer may need an assistant. Assistants help a shoot go quickly and smoothly.
— All pictures have to be edited. A photographer charges for post-processing and retouching because that work requires time and skill. It’s not a made-up charge to pad the photographer’s bottom line.
Corporate photography and other marketing photography are the worst places for a company to cut costs. Paying less guarantees that the company will get less. Fast and cheap is always too expensive.
