Recently Canon did a test to show how a photograph is shaped more by the person behind the camera than by the subject. To illustrate this, they invited six different photographers to shoot a portrait session, and they added a little twist. They named the project ‘Decoy’ and designed it to highlight the influence the creative thinking of the photographer behind the lens has on the final result of the portrayal of the subject. Canon told each photographer a different story about their subject thereby shifting the perception each of the photographers had about the person they were photographing. The result was quite remarkable, showing six very different representations of the same person to the extent that it was almost like looking at six different people.
For anyone who has ever hired, or considered hiring, a professional photographer and wondered about the variance in the rates charged by different photographers, or who has hired one based on price and been disappointed in the resulting photographs, or who has struggled with selecting the right photographer to capture that special occasion for any other reason, this video is for you! It definitively illustrates why it’s so important to make sure you select a photographer you feel a connection with, whose past work you really like, and one who has shown their ability to create the style of image(s) you are looking for. It also reinforces the fact that you are hiring the vision and artistry of the photographer, and not just a technician who knows how to use a camera.
