Already busy in several roles, author and photography standards expert Lewis Blackwell has teamed with Mobius Awards as the competition expands its entry opportunities for commercial photographers.
Blackwell says the 42-year-old competition has always celebrated photography in its awards, but "it did not really pull the photography category out and cherish it for all the specialist craft that is involved and which can really make a difference to the overall communications that it helps form." He is helping to change that.
Photography entrants in Mobius Awards will be posted on the competition‘s website for a year with links to their sites, have their work promoted in presentations Mobius Awards does annually in various countries and also receive a market report overseen by Blackwell after the competition ends.
“My hope is that by promoting the photography winners and finalists through various Mobius communications there will be multiple opportunities for photographers to get noticed, build their reputations, and get commissioned,” Blackwell says. “Some photography awards only get seen by other photographers, but this one is designed to celebrate the photographer to potential clients. So that could and should mean encouraging more work for those who merit it.”
Blackwell is chief creative officer for Evolve Image in Seattle, Wash., and editor-at-large of the award-winning publishers PQ Blackwell, where his titles include "Photowisdom," an acclaimed presentation of in-depth interviews with 50 of the world’s most influential photographers. His books with other publishers include "Life and Love of Trees" and "20th Century Type Remix," which he currently is updating.
Blackwell sees many challenges for today’s commercial photographers, but he takes the perspective that challenges are opportunities. "There has been a lot of change in the media that images get used in, and changes in the processes of image making. This opens the way for new kinds of photographers," he says.
"The economics have certainly shifted too, but I do see photographers who are light on their feet able to find new ways of succeeding both creatively and financially. I am personally particularly delighted to see the growth of the art photography part of the market, which is helping get a higher recognition for the work."
While stressing that all people make mistakes, he says photographers too often "rest on their laurels" and "repeat themselves too much. The best photographers constantly push against the boundaries that clients try to put them into! You have to keep investing in your talent, keep developing it. That way you will have something fresh to show clients, and that way you will keep moving with the times."
Blackwell also says he sees at least three trends in photography. They are:
• Expect to see more ‘Instagram,’ smartphone-captured images in professional use. It may just be a fad, but it is such a powerful fad that it will be part of the visual language for a while. Some of these images will not even be made on the app, but will reference the look.
• Expect to see something different happen color-wise. I am a little tired of certain styles that have become ubiquitous – you’ll probably have your own pet peeves if you look around (OK, yes that brown-and-blue thing is really getting to me, amongst other things). So will we see a new idea of "realism" or will we see a new kind of intense fantasy coloring, David LaChapelle-style or more?
•: Don’t expect to see silly big budgets on show-off jobs. Productions and fees have generally been pushed down and that is where they are probably going to stay. In an age of austerity, you can’t expect advertising images to be too blingy … you might expect a new aesthetic that celebrates the minimal, though. That said, there might be a few provocations in the top-end of super-luxury advertising where image (and photography) is almost everything.
For more information on Mobius Awards, visit www.mobiusawards.com. Photographers or their agents can enter a single, campaign, or bound work entry in multiple categories. The deadline for entries is October 1, 2012.
