In Print, Funding & Other Stuff

So for the last few weeks I've been working on a funding bid to submit to Creative Scotland, formerly known as the Scottish Arts Council. After many edits, revisions, wailing and gnashing of teeth I submitted the Project Inspiration bid a few days ago. Now just got to wait eight weeks to find out if I'm successful or not.

Eight weeks.... It's going to drag. On the plus side, I do have several things to do to distract me, which is always good. Besides the shoots I have planned I'm compiling corporate sponsorship applications too, in the event I'm not successful, or funding I can apply for alongside the Creative Scotland support.

Did get a wee bit of good news the other day too. Digital Photographer magazine dropped me a message asking me to submit a headshot because they're going to quote me in an article about Photo Retouching in their next issue. I'd made a post on their forum a few weeks back in a thread discussing Photo Manipulation and Retouching, and I'd made several points about how it is acceptable to a certain level to edit photographs. Basic examples of this are simple mono conversions, spot removal, bits and bobs like that. 

Then I brought up an example of twiggy or lulu in the Oil of Olay advert where their skin was photoshopped to a ridiculous level and the press jumped on it. It was a couple of years back now, but basically it was tantamount to false advertising.  I finished by saying that people need to learn where to draw the line between acceptable manipulation and lying, and how I believe photographers should be firm where they draw it. 

I asked the editor to tell me which bit they were going to quote, but I haven't heard back, which is a pretty shrewd move on their part - now I'll have to buy the magazine to find out!!!

In the meantime I'm thinking of adding a section to my site on photo editing and retouching, explaining what I'll do, what I won't, and how for me it's all about the lighting and showing the subject off at their best, but NOT changing them into someone else.

And lastly, just a quick update on the project - it's all been emails, emails and emails. Chasing people down to invite them to participate in the project is a frustrating experience. If I can direct them to the message, either on the website or here, then they inevitably say yes. The frustrating bit is trying to get the information past the agent/publicist/webmaster. Because there's no money involved, many of the agencies just delete the email straight away so it never gets to the subject. I need to find a way around that..... but I have a plan!!!

Craig