Rejections

Albert Pedrosa
Photo mania

WHEN you’re a photographer or any type of artist, you’ll go through many challenges and one of them is rejection. The issue is worsened by social media. However, perspective matters and if you reposition your thinking, you’ll see it in a different way.

I was scrolling through my Facebook feed and read a post from Mai Pages thatt says, “‘You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, but there will always be someone who hates peaches.’ – Dita Von Teese.” After reading the line, I felt the waves went through my past experiences and released a ton of stress.

Don’t mistake rejection from criticism and stubbornness from taking advice. Thanks to Facebook memories, I’m reminded of some of the embarrassing images I posted way back five years ago. From a different perspective, a criticism can be taken negatively or absorbed to make adjustments. But in order for you to rise and nurture your true artistry, you have to be stubborn enough to believe in your work.

You can always insist that you want only the best out of your work. Unfortunately, art is always a matter of taste. Art is subjective by default. When I’m teaching photography, I always emphasize that being able to see a good shot from the bad ones will greatly help you improve your shots. Photography is an art, not a democracy. Taste matters.

We have to agree that we are all different. Some are more inclined toward the arts, and some are not. One thing is for sure: we all have the artistry in us, maybe in different levels. We all buy clothes not on functionality but based on our taste, right? When learning photography, the technicality is practised to the point of mastery, while art cannot be perfected — it can only be refined.

There is no guide book to help you decide when to be stubborn or to be open for criticism. Learning the art of photography is about appreciation. It’s about holding that thought or feeling infinitely. It’s the power to decide which side of life you want to show. It’s not defined how many likes you get.

One time, in one event, I had a short chat with Jan Gonzales, and one photographer asked about commercial photography. He asked about which photo is normally chosen by the client. Is it the one you personally chose? Without thinking about it, we both answered that very rare do clients choose what we want. Don’t even start the argument that you were hired because of your style.

It only means that we all have different tastes. Not everybody likes peaches. That’s a fact of life. Love your work only if it deserves to be. Be open for criticism without losing yourself. Keep on shooting, everyone!

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