Nicole Craine Photography: Hiring Interns?

SO, okay. This is a tough one.

Not that I've been looking around at jobs or anything...BUT. 

I'm gonna come right out and say it-

Friends, family, patrons...please. PLEASE get over the internship obsession. It's fine having interns. It's fine to be an intern. We've all done it at some point. We've all wanted one at some point. But looking around at job classified ads in NYC makes one thing very clear- internships are being abused. I mean, why pay someone to do all the work when you can just hire an intern? The other day I saw a post for a "photographer/retoucher intern." It literally asked for someone that could "photograph and retouch images at high volume." Really? So, this topic really starts to delve into the "photography as a commodity" arena.

But, that's a post for another day.

Yeah, I remember those days. Working my ass off for someone that underestimates my talents and commitments. Being under-appreciated...under-pa...uh, not getting paid at all. Some internships were great! I worked for committed people and organizations that had a lot to offer. I learned from those experiences and had fun doing it. Without a doubt, I'm thankful for those opportunities. 

What I'm seeing now is totally different. Unestablished artists/photographers/businesses are looking for free employees. And college students are blindly falling into it. This isn't new information, but its worth talking about. More than half of job posts are for internships. You can go to job ads and find kitten/flowers/beach-scene painters looking for studio management interns (I love a good beach/sunset watercolor, btw- very 2012). I mean, its REALLY out of control. 

There is honor in starting your business on your own and taking full responsibility for the first few years. I need to understand the logistics of my business and the industry before expecting someone else to do my dirty work. I need something to offer them in return for their commitment to my vision. 

Like I said before, internships have been around and will continue to be around. Fine. But have some respect for the industry and for your business. We all want to make money, but it shouldn't be at the expense of someone else's valuable time.

That being said, Nicole Craine Photography is looking for interns.  Photo assist? Retouch? Organize files? Write blog posts? Build a website?  Pack? Ship? SOCIAL MEDIA? ....coffee?

#instaoverit

The question always comes up with photography: How much is too much?

I've been attending a few music concerts lately and despite the fact that I take band photos for professional purposes...I still deem it necessary to snap photos and video throughout the concert when I'm trying to have a good time.

Last night at the Avett Brothers, I decided enough was enough. As great as it is seeing musicians jump around on stage and lights and fog swirling around, I can't be 1/10000 images that will be taken at this show. So... I could document it and share it later. Perhaps I'll upload to instagram or post a video to my Facebook. Someone, somewhere will like it. At Bon Iver a few nights ago, I recorded the entire performance of "Skinny Love" with every intention of posting it to my Facebook.

But the truth of it all is that I can't very well enjoy the show if I spend every moment of it trying to record it. And any quick search through instagram hashtags after an event will prove that exactly 1000 other people got pretty much the same 20 pixelated photos you now possess in your iPhone archives.

It's the same reason I feel awkward taking Statue of Liberty photos...or why I cringed taking a photo of the Bob Marley sculpture in Kingston a couple of weeks ago.

The photos are taking up space on my hard drive and even as I write this...I'm just gigabytes away from needing an upgrade.

And let's face it. I care about your Egyptian pyramid photos about as much as you care about my Statue of Liberty. We all know what it looks like. Think about that the next time you upload a facebook album full of gothic buildings and graveyards...and the pic of you standing next to the local #police.

Now... enjoy my poorly recorded video of Bon Iver. You can ironically only share 40 seconds of video at a time... ?

Above photo by @ncrain20 (follow me on intagram?) (yes, that's Green Day)(don't judge)

Thanks to Itay Rahat for bringing me to all of these awesome shows!

1T Day and the Occupy Student Debt Campaign

Images taken on Wednesday April 25, 2012 of Occupy Student Debt protest declaring "1T Day"- the day student loan debt reached 1 trillion dollars. Rally began in Union Square as protesters gathered and prepared to march. The "Billionaires for Debt" enacted a skit "celebrating" the 1 trillion mark in debt for students. Jill Stein for the Green Party (as seen with WE.O.U $1 Trillion sign) came out to show support for the protestors. After music, skits, and speeches, students burned their loan statements and proceeded to march to Wall Street where protestors were allowed to take the steps of the Federal Reserve Museum where the Bill of Rights is currently on display. The last photo is of Andrew Ross, NYC Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis after his final speech acting as a banker showing support of the protest.

Photoshoot with Laura and Erica

Images from photoshoot with Laura Lima and Erica Famojure. Taken on August 13, 2011. Data recovery rocks, btw.

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Happy Valentines Day from Nicole Craine!

Nicole Craine= Me

That's right. No posts for nearly 6 months and this is what you get. A penis with a red bow.

Above image by: yours truly.