Quarantine, day 39: Discovering impactful notes from my past. ©2020 Dan Iverson / Anthologie
I never imagined my second-grade handwriting lessons would inspire me some 30+ years down the road — in the midst of a pandemic no less. But with extra time at home that’s exactly what happened. While cleaning my office I stumbled upon a three-ring binder filled with my old school work, some dating back to preschool. I know no one else in my household would care, so a took a few moments to sift through the pages and peer into my mind as a young boy. It was interesting to discover the seeds to some of my interests later in life were planted at such a young age, including drawing Halloween scenes and military aircraft. While turning the pages one assignment stopped me in my tracks. It was a handwriting exercise that read:
“A picture is a poem without words,” repeated three times and my name written on top of the page.
Now, I don’t think this was some original stroke of genius that my second-grade mind dreamt up, nor that it was a indicator that I would become a professional photographer later in life. I’m sure it was just a sentence written down on the chalkboard that I was supposed to copy, but the message resonated with me.
We may all speculate on what a post-COVID-19 world will look like, but I have a hunch the idea of the professional business image may change. I think it will definitely be the norm for people that can work from home to work from home. Kids and and pets will walk through the webcam frame of important business meetings and everyone will understand. In some ways that can be a nice thing that may break down some barriers, but I worry the importance of professional photographers may wane somewhat in such an environment. And that may prove to be the case.
After all, if we become more understanding that deep inside many of us want to lounge around in sweatpants for days on end, will that mean the idea of professional image as a whole will ease up? This writing sample gives me hope to the contrary.
I’ve been preaching for years and I believe when I say the most important piece of equipment photographers have is their experience. After all, cameras are incredibly sophisticated and simple at the same time. You have a piece of glass used to transfer the world the camera sees onto a reactive surface that then is interpreted by either light-sensitive silver or as a series of data packets to create an image.
It’s true nearly everyone nowadays carries a decent camera with them everywhere they go in the form of a smartphone. Apps make it simple to edit a picture and make it look pretty good. But not everyone knows how to put their subjects at ease, to frame a composition and to harness the decisive moment.
In addition, I think engaging with customers through social media in an authentic manner will be more important than ever moving forward. So, I don’t think professional photography will disappear but the role may pivot to a degree with more emphasis on realistic portrayals of businesses — admitting that we’re all real people in this thing called life together. The mindset and skills of a professional photographer are still needed to help curate your message to your intended audience. It’s up to photographers to shape the narrative; to create that image that’s (ahem) worth a thousand words — a fact my second-grade self knew, or at least was learning.
