That title sounds pretty cocky actually but since I’m writing this semi-humorous line addressing the title I’m hoping I come off less cocky. If you don’t feel like reading this whole thing the cliff notes are basically; I’m saying that as photographers we should be proud of all genres of our work.

I always hear how important it is to find your niche in photography.  On all the photography sites I have bookmarked I see portfolio reviews, editor Q & A’s, etc giving advice about this. Perhaps it’s documentary work, portraits, weddings, pet photography, documentary pet weddings, or whatever.

A certain, perhaps self-imposed, stigma exists for documentary photographers who also shoot weddings or do video (although video now is becoming cool with the intro of the HDSLR). I feel many of us love to even if unsolicited, mention our book projects but don’t want to mention the 3 weddings shot last month that financed them. I’ve been guilty of mentioning my work for “Insert Notable Publications Here” very proudly and then sort of sneaking in quietly if forced by knife that I also shoot weddings or that I had an assignment last week that consisted of photographing a sandwich.

Some think it’s taboo to have wedding pictures on your documentary site because editors will think less of you. I’m sure that is the case sometimes but I’d like to share a little story.

On my first visit to The New York Times before I ever shot one assignment for them I was passed around to different editors to check out my work. One editor asked me if she could see my wedding work. I thought she was kidding or perhaps making fun of me. She was dead serious and she ended up really digging my wedding portfolio. She later told me that she often looks at wedding work to see what a photographer can do under pressure because like news, wedding moments only happen once. That editor later gave me a whole series of assignments that took me to Australia and Malaysia.

I admit I got into photography to shoot social documentary work. Over the years I’ve realized I enjoy all genres of photography, yes-even weddings.  Each shoot presents a challenge and I love a good challenge. At 32 I’m not embarrassed anymore that I shoot everything. I’m working hard to create a brand for all aspects of my photography and trying to implement my style into all my assignments.  I’m sort of a photography whore if you will, wait that has a negative connotation, call me a photographer who agrees with plural marriage.

Living in a country like Vietnam you have to be versatile because it’s not exactly a news hub. The variety in my assignments has kept me fresh and they all serve a purpose for me both creatively and financially.  To give you an idea of how I split my time shooting here is a list of my work for May and June of 2010.

May 8^th-Wedding in Los Angeles, CA

May 15^th-Wedding in Hoi An, Vietnam

May 16^th-Shoot for MTV HIV Awareness Project in Hanoi, Vietnam

May 16^th-Half Day Engagement Shoot Kelvin and Yi Ni, Hanoi, Vietnam

May 17^th-Engagement Shoot Cynthia and Marcus in Hanoi, Vietnam

May 20^th-Commercial Shoot for a global book project in HCMC, Vietnam

May 22^nd-Portrait of Leather Tanning Company CEO for German Magazine in HCMC, Vietnam.

May 25^th-Engagement Shoot Kim and Dennis in Hanoi, Vietnam

May 27^th and 28^th-Shoot for an NGO working with the Bamboo Industry in Mai Chau, Vietnam

June 1^st-Commercial Shoot (rooms, lobby, interiors) for Hanoi Club in Hanoi, Vietnam.

June 6^th, 7^th, 8^th-Assignment for The New York Times Great Homes Section in Chang Mai, Thailand.

June 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th-Assignment for The Dallas Morning News in Nha Trang, Vietnam.

June 14^th, 15^th, 16^th-NGO Shoot for Buckner Orphanage in Ba Vi, Vietnam

June 24^th-Commercial Shoot for Hanoi Club (Exteriors)

June 25th and 26^th- Poh Si and Mayank’s wedding in Penang, Malaysia

June 30^th- Assignment for The New York Times Great Homes Section in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Here is an approximate breakdown of the percentages of income for these 2 months

Weddings and Engagements=45%

*Editorial/NGO’s=35%

Commercial=20%

*If I filed NGO’s under Commercial instead of Editorial the totals would switch significantly.

Weddings  www.esianweddingphotography.com

Commercial and Video www.mottvisuals.com

Editorial   www.justinmott.com

NOW AVAILABLE Editioned fine arts prints from yours truly sold through the Anastasia Gallery in NYC. Have a look: http://www.anastasia-photo.com/artist.php?artist=justin-mott
Please contact them directly for purchasing.

I think we can all admit the market for photographers is pretty saturated. Overall competition is a good thing, definitely fuels creativity if you are an ambitious person. I think it can also fuel misguided purchases and misguided attempts. It might be a new toning technique, using a vintage camera, tilting the camera, or only shooting with a tilt shift lens. Whatever it is many of us are trying to get our work to stand out.

Maybe you’re the photographer who only uses point and shoot cameras or works exclusively with high grain film or maybe you shoot only with a Holga with one arm tied behind their back. Me personally I’ve started experimenting with shooting a Holga through a Leica and out a trombone using a series of custom made prisms.  I have to tweak a few things but it’s almost there.

Before anyone gets sensitive on me I believe in having a unique style that works for each individual or for a specific project.  I also believe in experimenting and keeping your work fresh.  I have the utmost respect for photographers who can pull off certain techniques and often jealous I didn’t think of it first. While it works sometimes over the past year I’ve been subjected to a lot of really bad project attempts using these novelty techniques so I decided to write about this. I’m seeing more novelty type work and less powerful stories. If you’re not familiar with Brenda Ann Kenneally’s work check it out. It’s powerful and raw without using any gimmicks.

http://www.brendakenneally.com/

I’m not sure who appointed me the Sherrif on this topic but my point is don’t forget your Digital SLR. I’m not saying to give up experimenting, quite the contrary. I just want to remind people not to be ashamed of their normal camera and normal lens, just go take a good snap or tell a good story.

Canon didn’t pay me to write this blog but I will accept their money or sponsorship if they offer.

www.canonusa.com

Freelancers in any field can have big swings in work. They have hectic weeks (meaning yes we actually have to work) and boring ones. The office professionals probably see us mid-day lounging at a coffee shop in our casual attire tweeting sip by sip of our coffee and they think of us as slackers. We might also be guilty of over-tweeting, over-blogging, and just general over-updating the world with information that no one gives a shit about. By no means am I’m trying to say our jobs are grueling but we do have our 13-hour days of shooting, editing, and uploading and then repeat. We rarely get a pat on the back or even a digital pat on the back for our work. As for our over updating, well that can come from our lack of a real workplace, camaraderie, and lack of an actual boss. No one really wants a boss but we all crave attention or at least feedback in our work so social media has become a way for us to fill that gap.

As a way for others to understand our kind better I’ve created a pretty honest list of my daily occurrences during the busy and down times as a freelance photographer. I’d like to add that two things inspired this blog post:
1.) My friends playful comment.
2.) A different friend who is a writer told me that she liked my blog when it was more honest and fun and less corporate. Bailey, thanks for your honesty.

During Busy Times

-I haven’t done laundry in weeks and I’m re-wearing shirts with oddly placed salt stains that I try and play off as part of the shirt’s design.

-My camera strap has a potent odor only detectable to the user but inevitably I come across a subject or client who either wants to take my photo or they are just interested in photography. This results in some awkward excuse for them not to use my camera or the awkward moment where the scent reaches their nostrils.

-I mess up relationships

-My passport holder is packed with receipts in different currencies that I am dreading organizing and calculating.

-I find myself at the airport cosmetic store pretending like I’m interested in buying some new cologne but instead just spraying it on myself to cover the scent of a full day of shooting. I even go through the whole charade of looking at the prices and doing the pondering purchase pose. This is a result of many clients these days only being able to afford a day of shooting so I end up going straight from the shoot to the airport.

- I’m buying a $600 Billinghman bag justifying the purchase by categorizing the bag as my “commercial shoot bag.”

-I’m wearing one of my cotton Khmer Kramas frequently. This isn’t a fashion statement, they come in handy as tripods, camera padding, head covers, dust buffers, etc.

-All my wires have some sort of tangle action going on and I think to myself how much I hate wires.

-Find myself in taxis a lot already pissed that the driver might try to rip me off.

-Referring jobs I can’t cover to other photographer friends hoping they do a good job but not that good of a job.

-Overuse my go to shots and overuse 1.4, which a great editor reminded me of.

-Pay $150usd for the second addition of pages to my passport, yes this comment was added to let people know I travel a lot.

-My social media updates are short but I have to remind people of how busy I am.

-Signed into instant messaging, but always invisible doesn’t make any sense I know.

-Part of my packing includes prepping my Adam Carolla, Bill Simmons, and NPR’s Fresh Air podcasts for the travel time.

During Down Times

-I write blogs like this.

-I spend a ridiculous amount of time outside my office at coffee shops bullshitting and complaining about other photographers copying my style or techniques.

-I find stupid excuses to email my agency or editors I’ve worked with before thinking they forgot about me rationalizing the email by telling myself when they receive my email they will in turn give me a glorious assignment. My sincere apologies editors, you know who you are and you probably aren’t reading this.

-I research personal projects and send out email feelers to potential subjects all fired up thinking I’ve got the greatest idea.

-I go back and look through my archive thinking I must have missed some portfolio worthy singles from a shoot ages ago.

-I’m re-toning old photos using new techniques. At first I think I’m on to something special then I eventually decide it’s overdone and realize the original toned photo was better.

-Rip through a whole season of the The Wire in an about a week.

-Google myself way too much.

-Try to make myself feel good about not working the last couple days by calculating the amount of money owed to me from the busy time. I get excited about the number forgetting to recall a good chunk of that money is owed to my travel agent.

-Get annoyed by the whole wire-tangling problem but have more time to ponder a way to fix this problem but obviously I never find a solution.

-I’m entering my wedding photos into competitions.

-Price out Profoto gear for the 20th time.

-Find myself on Skype way too much.

-Have time to look through my accounts receivable and get annoyed at that client that owes me money from 6 months ago while trying to come up with an email with polite tones but aggressive undertones.

-My $2 Khmer Krama is replaced by my $10 silk Khmer Krama and yes this is a fashion statement that says yes I’m a man who perhaps has an artistic side to him.

-Explore Video with my HDSLR

-Hold photo meetings at my office

-Internally debate if Ne-Yo is better than Usher

-Workout, currently trying out P90X to try and get my ass in shape again. Hoping to add this line to my Busy section this year.

-Put together a good stretch of studying Vietnamese with my wonderful teacher Ha only to forget 90% of it during my busy time.

-Stretch to make photo essays out of single images I’ve taken over the years.

-Doubt myself because some other photographer got a gig in the region that I wasn’t asked to shoot, find that photographer and threaten them with a camera-off. Just kidding about the first part.

I encourage other photographers to please add anything I’m missing here in the comment section.
Thanks for reading everyone,
Justin

About a month ago I photographed my dear friend Poh Si’s wedding in Malaysia. She was a beautiful bride, so comfortable and natural in front of the camera.  I also had the pleasure to meet her husband Mayank for the first time, such a good man and I’m so happy for both of them. I must say the two of them did such a wonderful job in front of the camera that they’ve messed up my whole week because now I have to reorganize my whole portfolio because of all the new images I have from their special day .
I use my Photoshelter account for all my clients for high res downloadable galleries and so clients can easily embed a slideshow online. Here is a selection of my 50 favorites.

Poh Si and Mayank’s Wedding-Photographer’s 50 Edit – Images by Justin Mott

A while back I decided to remodel the office part of my studio. Thanks to the help of my friend Nguyen Qui Duc, I have an area I love to work in and we did it all really cheap. Duc knows where to buy everything in Vietnam and has a knack for livening up a boring space. Here is a before and after shot. I still have more to do but for now I’m taking a break.

On a side note Niek(my intern) did a fantastic job complementing my style very well. Once Niek posts some of his shots on his blog(I’m pushing him to blog more) than I will put up a link.

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Press Release-April, 12th 2010

MOTT VISUALS LAUNCHES COMMERCIAL VIDEO SERVICES –Mott Visuals Motion

Mott Visuals is a SE Asia based visual company that knows how to tell a story –  your story.  We’re combining our documentary expertise with your commercial needs to bring you videos that immerse viewers in the total experience of your destination.

It’s not just about how beautiful your property is, it’s about how special it is.

25th March 2010- Mott Visuals, a boutique photography service specializing in luxury resorts, hotels, spas, and travel announces the launch of its video production services, Mott Visuals Motion . We conceptualize, script, shoot, edit, and deliver videos in a variety formats optimized specifically for our client’s marketing strategy.

Mott Visuals uses a mobile Steadicam system, timelapse photography, 360 room pans, and DSLR High Definition Cameras for a creative visual experience guiding the viewer through your property.

We offer photography and video packages ensuring a fluid style in your visual ad campaign. We are available to shoot worldwide.

Our visual packages come with free consultation on the best way to optimize and ready your final video for output  on your website, youtube, and also for digital handheld devices such as the iPhone and iPad.

Please visit our website to browse our portfolio and list of happy clients:  www. mottvisuals.com <http://mottvisuals.com>

For news on our latest assignments, check out our blog:  www.mottvisuals.com/blog <http://www.mottvisuals.com/blog>

Check out our latest video shot for Anantara Resorts!!!
http://samui.anantara.com/Video.aspx

Diversify your visual ad campaign.
Looking forward to hearing from you!

The Mott Visuals Team
Hanoi | Singapore | San Francisco
justinmott@mottvisuals.com
www.mottvisuals.com
+84 97 2383 071

Client: The New York Times

Days Shooting: 2 Days shooting 15 locations

Location: Phuket, Thailand
I’ve done a few of these 36 hour stories now for the Travel section of The New York Times. They are loads of fun, sort of like a scavenger hunt for photographers. I’m given a list of places to shoot, usually around 15.The Travel editor I worked for in the past left in December so I was working with the new one. I really wanted to impress her because the Times always has fun travel assignments. Most of the time the assignment is 2 days shooting and 2 days traveling so you have to hit the ground running. Phuket is a pretty big island so it required me traveling all over the place by motorbike trying to figure out the most visuals places and when to shoot them.
I raced around the island photographing Muay Thai Boxing, a gigantic Buddha statue, elephant trekking, waterfalls, ladyboy cabaret, sinful Patong nightlife, a $2,800 a night resort, local artists village, and much more.
All together it was a great experience and so much fun. Here is the final slideshow published today:

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/03/21/travel/20100321PHUKET_index.html

Thanks for looking,
Justin