Eastern Partnership Photography
Valentyn Aleksandrov (Ukraine)
– This year is the anniversary of
FEP, 15 years. My congratulations to
all of us! What event and achievement
during 15 years is the most important
to you?
– FEP was actually founded in 1997,
on the base of a pre-existing organization, and was formally registered in Belgium in 1999. We had 7 members at that
time, and now we are speaking of over
30! This shows a growing and continuous interest, and to have taken part in
the whole process makes me very proud.
However, I think the most significant
success is the fact that we share a unique
pan-European qualification system, approved and shared by all members, which
has lasted for actually 15 years now. In
such an era of disputes and national
egoisms, this is a little miracle!
– What is your idea of a perfect photographer? What are the professional
and human qualities that he should
possess?
– Mastering techniques is not a
talent, making market plans is not a
talent, to have a strategy is not a talent, to have a vision is not a talent,
to ask “what if” is not a talent either.
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They all need a lifelong training attitude and practice. Simplicity, creativity and a sense of humor are talents...
– In the world where everything
can be bought and sold, photographers must not only be able to take
good pictures, but also to sell themselves as a brand. To read books about
branding and marketing is not the inheritance of every creative person. The
competition is increasing day by day.
And the number of photographers is
also increasing. The probability that
some cool magazine will notice your
work is reduced to zero. What do you
think of it? I would like to hear some
comforting advice.
– Reading books, branding, marketing, mastering the business and its costs
must be the inheritance of all professionals, and photographers who want
to be professionals. As I said, creativity is a talent, and the dividing line between those who shoot for fun and those
who earn a living from selling pictures
is clear and simple. Yes, everybody is a
“shooter”, and the pros are very few, and
will become fewer in the future. Anyway,
there are many motivations to be a pro-
fessional photographer today. We are living in the imaging era, and despite the
crisis there is an increasing demand for
images all over the world. Every single
second, 2 billions of people are watching on a screen. So you have 2 billion of
potential customers. Everybody owns a
camera, but everybody need images… If
the world is a camera, then, please smile!
– Overall access to technology and
editing programs for society made
difficult to distinguish between a photo
made a professional and an amaby
teur photographer. Photos became
temporary and disposable because of
the Internet and social networks. They
have ceased to have any artistic value.
People are no longer interested in author’s photo, because during the day
they are browsing dozens of them. To
surprise theme is becoming increasingly difficult. Do you have a fear
that over time photography will stop
having a high monetary and artistic
value? And how can we deal with that?
– For example, if not for the sign
over the top, nobody can distinguish a
normal car driver from a taxi driver! This
does not mean because everybody owns