THE PRESENCE OF SIZZLE REVISITED

A photog shoots for an agency. He follows his favourite photog Lets say Lindbergh. Just uses an overcoat down on the beach or in some desolate backstreet. He shows the pictures. Good but we cant use them, they look a bit well sort of old.
Imagine the great man PL comes in and hes shot the same as you. Reaction? Peter these pictures are marvellous well hang them straightaway. Why. Because his fame covers the lack of modernity, the same with Penn, Avedon, Newton and a whole host of others. They have what you dont have, fame and with it the kudos they can give to all they work with.
If you want to hold yourself back just keep copying the great and the good (but dated).
and slavishly reading and simply copying all those mags
Well that’s OK when youre just out of the egg following the first thing you see .
I learned the hard way photographing for a trendy London agency for their model book by doing the above instead of below What I did was GBD
Suppose our imaginary photographer goes off and comes up with a very modern digi-looking photoshop cooked set of pictures. The agency takes them. Why, because although hes not famous or published at least these pictures give the agency the kudos of modernity showing clients theyre right there on the front line of nowness, presence etc
Presence, sizzle its hard to come by, it takes hard work and professionalism. A programme about two comedians illustrates. A retrospective of their work live gigs where people were creased with laughter etc etc. But the interesting part was when the gag writers were interviewed. They would meet with the comedians and reel off maybe 20 gags or sketches. Honestly they never laughed at any of them they related. They would pick some for the show and just work them over and over until they were somehow funnier and everyone in the rehearsal room was creased. Thats giving a sausage sizzle,
Strangley its alleged that McCartney had the same problem with Get Back. Is that it? Lennon quipped, lets work on it to make it half decent.
This is professionalism. You dont have to be in love with your pictures to make them look better, or have a set of re touching ethics or morals.Or that every shot has to be a homage to some of the great and the good. Once youve got what you think you want work it over, get thereness and nowness into it. Seek the modern equivalent of that style that you love so much.
Reference and revisit the past just remember theres a present and a future
Thats where the presence of sizzle is