Many of the people who come to meet with me individually (during this tour) have as their core issue some variation on essentially the same fundamental problem. I like to think of it as creative laryngitis–they can’t/won’t let their own real creative voice out.
Every creative knows when s/he is being honest to the creative voice in her/his head. You know it when you’re there–it’s exciting and passionate and sometimes even almost scary because it’s so intense; and after you’re done you’re exhausted, but in a good way. To be frank, it’s not unlike great sex.
And yet, so many photographers hold back from letting that voice sing. Perhaps it’s related to our nation’s Puritan heritage, perhaps it’s some Freudian block, but what it seems to be (in my opinion) is the fear that others won’t like our vision and/or will think we’re weird. The work that ends up getting shown to prospective clients is what the photographer thinks is safe or right–as if there is such a thing as wrong creative work. The great work, the real voice, is muffled and hidden. If it gets seen at all it is qualified as personal work–as if to say “don’t look at me because I don’t really count in the commercial world.”
In reality, the safe work is exactly not. If you’re showing work that doesn’t show thought and individuality, if it shows no special spark, no real creative voice, then anyone can and will do it, including the company intern with a digital camera. There is no reason for a client to have you shoot its project unless you can bring that elusive “something more” to it–your creative voice. And there is certainly no reason for the client to pay you well for giving them images anyone could have done.
Instead, wouldn’t it be better to show your work, sing your creative visual voice at full volume, and have clients who want to work with you because of that tune? You’ll be more respected, you’ll enjoy the projects more (even when you have to compromise that voice some for a client), and you’ll be better able to command the fees that creativity deserves.