In my browsing of Facebook, I can across some ad copy that got my attention a mere half second before it prompted my blood pressure to spike.

Since I've had to see it, I figured I'd let you take a look at it. After all, sharing is caring, right? Along with this link, I'm going to put some of the copy here.

Dear fancy camera, it’s not you, it’s me….

I paid a LOT for my new camera when my kids were little and I convinced my husband it would totally be worth it because of all the great shots I'd be able to take. (and the money we'd save on getting pro sessions)

And this is hard to admit - but I got so fed up with crappy photos, I'd end up grabbing my phone most of the time instead! (yikes)

Which looking back, is so annoying... because my camera is amaaazing, I just had no idea what I was doing (eek)!

You see it really was me... not the camera!

I'd spend time fumbling with the settings, I'd think I had it right but then my photos would be blurry or super bright, and my kids did not have those beautiful photo albums I'd always dreamed of.

...Alrighty. Where in the world do I even start with this? There is a surprising amount to unpack here. None of it is particularly great. I recognize that a lot of what I'm about to say will sound like gatekeeping. You know what? I am okay with that perception. Why? Because to some extent I think a little gatekeeping needs to be involved. A little bit of gatekeeping on equipment should go into place in order to nudge people into learning skills first before starting to pick up the big shot cameras (pun intended).

A decade ago, I read an article about a local camera shop's centennial anniversary. The shop is question is National Camera and Photo, or NatCam for short. I love that place and have given them plenty of money over the years. Anyway, in that piece, either the owner or someone in a similar level of oversight at the place remarked on how they were targeting the hockey parent crowd (compared to the other local camera shop that was more geared toward artistic professional photographers). To me, this is an indicator of a marketing campaign somewhere along the line that got out of hand. It seems to me that at some point DSLR cameras started getting marketed to families. The DSLRs in question were at the lower end, but still. I'd see these cameras in bigger stores like Best Buy fairly regularly. Of course, with a marketing campaign comes all the super slick photo examples that made it seem like novices would have these types of results. I believe now is the time for a group facepalm. Now here's the thing. If you go to a bigger store or order a camera online, you are likely to miss out on key advice and a conversation that will help to determine what camera actually suits you best. Having this kind of experience is less likely at a place like NatCam. That said, I realize that places like NatCam are quite hard to come by in many areas. You can see why I'm continuing to throw my money at them. I want them to be around for a while.

To me, these conversations are absolutely critical. Why? Well, they might be the only way to keep some non-photographers from letting their DSLRs gather dust. A conversation like this will allow a shop employee to encourage potential buyers to get lots of practice in, as taking pictures is really the only way to get used to both your gear and how to keep your eyes open for the photos you want. This is especially useful when photographing kids. While I do have some experience with that, I am not posting examples since I do not have express consent from the kids' parents. I will let you know if that changes in the future. Sometimes, you just gotta recognize that taking photos of kids (in action) is not an easy process, and you have to go through the process in order to get comfortable with it to any degree.

Obviously, learning a new type of photo subject is uncomfortable. I'm going through that emotional rigamarole with my eventual goal of men's portraiture. I have a doozy of a blog entry coming up for that. I just, uh, need to take some pictures for that. Ahem. That said, the notion of parents (especially mothers) giving up on DSLR use for taking pictures of their children stems from a set of unrealistic expectations that are honestly baffling to me. Why do parents expect the camera to deliver the results without any work on their part? If you want that, point and shoot cameras are a thing. Heck, even in my point and shoot days understanding how photography worked and taking a few extra seconds to envision the shot were crucial. A number of photos in my earliest portfolio book were taken with point and shoot cameras that had NO controls for things like aperture, shutter speed, exposure, what have you. I realize that part of the DSLR appeal is speed, as it tends to lack the lag that point and shoot cameras have. That said, when the camera speed moves like it does with DSLR or mirrorless cameras, well, a lack of skill is going to become very apparent. You have to learn how to do a lot of things quickly. From selecting your settings to having your camera in hand long before the shot, you have to be on your toes (sometimes literally). Practice is how you build that up, yet the people who need this reminder the most (i.e. parents) are the least likely to be advised of this. Honestly, it's kind of a travesty.

Aside from the stroke-inducing rant I just went on discussing skill and how this ad appeals to people who bought the cameras before learning the skill (a huge no-no in my book and something that will also get its own blog entry), there is another thing that bothers me a lot about this ad copy. Can you find it? Yes, it's the bit about beautiful albums. Now I know that my style does not line up with the beige-y/pastel laden aesthetic that tends to crop up a lot in photos of kids, especially very young kids. I get that. If you see photos on my site with that aesthetic, that probably means my Zenfolio account has been hacked or I'm being forced to do this against my will. Either way, send help. Please. I'm not even remotely joking. If my style shifts that much something has gone horribly wrong.

After that tangent, you're probably both confused as to why I care about that beautiful albums line and recognizing that it is in fact something that would bother me a lot. It seems contradictory since I have custom printed portfolios and am a proponent of physical storage for all sorts of media. For me, it's the focus on beauty. The ad copy emphasizes the outward appeal and implies a sense of idealized perfection with a feminine touch. If you look at my work, I definitely do not fit this mold. I think fewer women do than this businesswoman realizes. Seeing this assumption built into ad copy and physical media storage quite frankly pisses me off. It assumes one set of creative goals is permitted but condemns others. That's not cool no matter how you slice it.

To me, there is a difference between an appealing photo (alum) and a beautiful one. Something that's appealing is pleasing on technical and emotional levels. However, there is no set style. Beautiful implies a stricter set of parameters, parameters that don't always challenge the norm. In fact, challenging the norm too much will get something condemned. The parameters that are set are often linked to ideas that perpetuate harm for many, kind of like the current tradwife fad on TikTok. Because of these unspoken messages, I do in fact have more than enough suspicion of things being described as beautiful when it comes to visual art. Seeing this in ad copy makes me even more unsettled.

When it comes down to it, I know this product isn't for me. Unfortunately, social media ad parameters get set weirdly, and I find things that aren't targeted for me. I think a lot of people forget that in the discussion of online ads. These kinds of ads (and products/services) also pigeonhole developing artists, especially women. Frankly, I think it's time for some pushback, especially in the age of everyone taking pictures on their phone. I do think that the conversation needs to return to skill and away from tech. After all, skill is what really makes something stand out. Even a lack of skill can make something stand out (although not for the better). Skill, though, is not developed by paying just for cheat sheets. Skill is developed through a lot of practice and a willingness to take risks. The ads that are pushed toward women photographers discourages both. I'm never going to be okay with that. Ever.