Author Topic: Authentic (not) (Read 3438 times)

lemonyellow · « **on:** October 08, 2016, 03:51 »

What does 'Authentic' mean?

I see this word used more and more both by agencies in corporate gibberish and by fellow photographers.

Usually in conjuntion with the more unauthentic pictures ever seen: heavily colour-graded instagram-like tattooed hipster guys with a beard and fake hippy girls on a bike.

To me, this style looks as bad as the microstock style that it is supposed to replace, and certainly not authentic.

What's your opinion?

Pauws99 · « **Reply #1 on:** October 08, 2016, 04:04 »

"In any case, the key principle in selling is honesty. Once you know how to fake that, you’ve got it made." replace Honesty with authentic and you have my opinion.

SpaceStockFootage · « **Reply #2 on:** October 08, 2016, 04:36 »

I think they're trying to say that the kind of shots where you have some telephone support operative with a beaming smile, for example, is non-authentic. Whereas if they looked hungover and miserable, that would be more authentic.

Pauws99 · « **Reply #3 on:** October 08, 2016, 05:02 »

Quote from: SpaceStockFootage on October 08, 2016, 04:36

I think they're trying to say that the kind of shots where you have some telephone support operative with a beaming smile, for example, is non-authentic. Whereas if they looked hungover and miserable, that would be more authentic.

yes but not sure who would want to buy that?

SpaceStockFootage · « **Reply #4 on:** October 08, 2016, 05:17 »

it would probably be pretty popular... blogs, books or articles on work related stress, being in a job you don't like, as part of a before and after image on training and wellness programmes, customer service, hiring the right staff etc etc.

Pauws99 · « **Reply #5 on:** October 08, 2016, 05:31 »

Fair point I was thinking more from a marketing perspective

SpaceStockFootage · « **Reply #6 on:** October 08, 2016, 06:37 »

But yeah, most of the examples of 'authentic stock' that I've seen is usually over or under saturated stuff, with plenty of bokeh, quite a bit of grading, and they look a little bit less 'scripted'... nobody's looking at the camera for example, and there seems to be a 'whimsicalness' to them. That's the way I see it anyway. I could be talking complete nonsense.

lemonyellow · « **Reply #7 on:** October 08, 2016, 07:10 »

This:

"'In any case, the key principle in selling is honesty. Once you know how to fake that, you’ve got it made.' replace Honesty with authentic and you have my opinion."

and this:

"usually over or under saturated stuff, with plenty of bokeh, quite a bit of grading, [...] there seems to be a 'whimsicalness' to them"

summarise my point of view as well.

However - instead of "a little bit less 'scripted'" - I would say scripted in a different way.
Not that there's something wrong in scripting, but I simply wouldn't call that authentic.

Mantis · « **Reply #8 on:** October 08, 2016, 08:06 »

It's usually the word used when agencies want to pick and choose with no real meaning, so they plug in, "not authentic".

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #9 on:** October 08, 2016, 19:42 »

My somewhat cynical take on "authentic" is that styles and visual looks change over time and not one of them accurately portrays the real life that any of us lives (regardless of country or income level). No one wants to see the truly real view of us going about our business

But there's a feelgood pseudo-reality that looks a little grittier and slightly rougher around the edges than the shiny happy people style. Telling themselves that's "authentic" adds to the perceived value and makes the buyers feel better about peddling fantasy when they view it as closer to reality.

I have two images that have sold well over time; one of my messy office and another of my teenage son's messy bedroom. Both had to be extensively cleaned up to make a usable "messy" stock photo. They're authentic in the sense that real people live and work there, but not authentic in that I took the edge off the hideous reality

angelawaye · « **Reply #10 on:** October 08, 2016, 22:02 »

My father called and asked how the (micro) business was going - I told him microstock wants more "real" images.

I get it. Customers are sick of the isolated, flat, generic files that are out there... You can spot a "stock" image in 1 second. Even as I am producing more "real" work, none of it gets downloaded. The pain is real. I'm just sitting around waiting for new images to be old ...

SpaceStockFootage · « **Reply #11 on:** October 09, 2016, 01:42 »

I've had a look through iStock for a bunch of 'authentic' images, and I think all the ones where it looks like the sun is about to go supernova... they're the authentic ones. Like this one:

http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/working-day-in-office-gm511317200-86602055?st=_p_office

Pauws99 · « **Reply #12 on:** October 09, 2016, 03:10 »

I don't find those images as jarring as the cheesy stock ones but just as cliched...inevitable I guess. Anything successful is bound to get copied to death. Thats why I do such unpopular images by avoiding best sellers no one copies me

lemonyellow · « **Reply #13 on:** October 09, 2016, 04:10 »

But there's a feelgood pseudo-reality that looks a little grittier and slightly rougher around the edges than the shiny happy people style. Telling themselves that's "authentic" adds to the perceived value and makes the buyers feel better about peddling fantasy when they view it as closer to reality.

I don't find those images as jarring as the cheesy stock ones but just as cliched...inevitable I guess.

Exactly

Function so_called_authentic (cliche, smile, hipsterness, colour_grading, optional actually_authentic_things = '')
return (cliche - smile + hipsterness + colour_grading)
End Function

my wish:

Function so_called_authentic (cliche, smile, hipsterness, colour_grading, year)
if year>2016 then exit function
'[...]
End Function

dpimborough · « **Reply #14 on:** October 09, 2016, 04:13 »

Marketing has always been about selling some form of unattainable ideal which never existed in real life. Like the American dream which 90% of Americans could never achieve.

At the moment it's beards big glasses, girls with daisy chains and tattoos.

It's all fake, lies and flim flam

Come to think of it since 2000 AD arrived I've never lived through such a period of lies, virtue signalling and clap trap.

lemonyellow · « **Reply #15 on:** October 09, 2016, 04:18 »

Quote from: Teddy the Cat on October 09, 2016, 04:13

Marketing has always been about selling some form of unattainable ideal which never existed in real life. Like the American dream which 90% of Americans could never achieve.

At the moment it's beards big glasses, girls with daisy chains and tattoos.

It's all fake, lies and flim flam

Come to think of it since 2000 AD arrived I've never lived through such a period of lies, virtue signalling and clap trap.

But when you look at the ads from the sixties (elegant ladies and gentlemen drinking Martini on a first class flight or at a party in a large modern villa on the sea) that dream was at least beautiful, if equally fake; now it's not even beautiful.

SpaceStockFootage · « **Reply #16 on:** October 09, 2016, 04:34 »

Quote from: lemonyellow on October 09, 2016, 04:10

But there's a feelgood pseudo-reality that looks a little grittier and slightly rougher around the edges than the shiny happy people style. Telling themselves that's "authentic" adds to the perceived value and makes the buyers feel better about peddling fantasy when they view it as closer to reality.

I don't find those images as jarring as the cheesy stock ones but just as cliched...inevitable I guess.

Exactly

Function so_called_authentic (cliche, smile, hipsterness, colour_grading, optional actually_authentic_things = '')
return (cliche - smile + hipsterness + colour_grading)
End Function

my wish:

Function so_called_authentic (cliche, smile, hipsterness, colour_grading, year)
if year>2016 then exit function
'[...]
End Function

That's far too advanced for me. I'm more of a...

10 GOTO 20
20 BEEP
30 GOTO 10

...kind of guy!

SpaceStockFootage · « **Reply #17 on:** October 09, 2016, 04:35 »

Quote from: Teddy the Cat on October 09, 2016, 04:13

Come to think of it since 2000 AD arrived I've never lived through such a period of lies, virtue signalling and clap trap.

At least we got Judge Dredd out of it.

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Author Topic: Authentic (not) (Read 3438 times)

lemonyellow

Pauws99

SpaceStockFootage

Pauws99

SpaceStockFootage

Pauws99

SpaceStockFootage

lemonyellow

Mantis

Jo Ann Snover

angelawaye

SpaceStockFootage

Pauws99

lemonyellow

dpimborough

lemonyellow

SpaceStockFootage

SpaceStockFootage

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