Today’s Post by Joe Farace
Don’t you know who I am? Remember my name…—Fame, sung by Irene Cara
A while ago I received an email that was actually addressed to my wife. Then on a YouTube channel I subscribe to that guy received an almost identical email—who knows, maybe it from the same person—asking his wife, “How do you deal with your husbands fame?” The YouTuber seemed almost embarrassed by the question and said he would feel awkward If someone he didn’t know would approach and talk to him.
Let me tell you what I told the guy who asked how Mary felt: “What fame?”
After writing for Shutterbug magazine for more than thirty years most photographers not only know what I look like they can see me “live” on the photography, automotive and movie reviews that I post on my YouTube channel. Yet nobody has come up to me and said, “Hi” since I started posting these videos. And let me tell you that I would not be embarrassed and don’t mind if you do. If you see me at a car show, out shooting infrared images in a park or shopping at Home Depot feel free to say “hello.”
In fact, I was once approached at Home Depot by someone asking, “Are you Joe Farace?” And when I said yes, he told me that he enjoyed my writing in Shutterbug but then he hit me with what he really wanted to talk about: Why was I writing about cell phone photography? I explained that under the then-current editorial staff, the topics for my columns and articles were not chosen to me and the use of cell phones for photography was shoved down my throat by the then-editor. In fact, I used this encounter along with several emails asking the same question to convince that same editor not to assign that topic for a year. Sadly that was the last year of Shutterbug’s print run.
On a happier note I was walking through photokina trade show in Köln, Germany, when an exuberant gentleman come up to me exclaiming, ”you are he!” I answered that indeed I was he whoever that was and he told me that he was a dentist living in Belgium who owned my book, Part-time Glamour Photography, Full-time Income. He said he loved the book and found it useful. We chatted and it was a nice moment, proving once again that you can’t be famous in your own hometown.
Behind the frame: It wasn’t just topics for my columns that were dictated by editorial management, some editors also weighed in on the choice of models I used for my lighting equipment reviews—after the fact. This image of model Alice Ivers was shot for a lighting equipment review but wasn’t used in the magazine because the then-editor—different from the other guy—didn’t like the model. When I offered to send him preview shots of the models for future reviews so he could approve them he said, it wast just the model, but their “expression and pose.” You can see some uncensored images of Alice from this same shoot by becoming a Patreon member. You can find details on what’s included in this post.
And finally this one may only count half-way: I was coming back from attending the New York photo show and a guy getting on the plane ahead of me had one of my books tucked under his arm. I hesitated saying anything but it was such an interesting coincidence that I asked, “How do you like the book?” His reply was that he just bought it but was enjoying it so far. Then I told him I wrote it and his reply was, “No you didn’t.” So I shut up. Midway though the flight the guy walks up the aisle, taps me on the shoulder, hands me a pen and asks if I’ll “sign it for him.” You see he looked on the back cover and sonofagun there was my portrait.
And that is all the times in public when someone came up to me and said hello. But as I said. I’m always happy to meet people who read my books and blog posts or make the time to watch my YouTube videos.
So to repeat myself: “What fame?”
If you enjoyed today’s blog post and would like to treat Joe to a cup of Earl Grey tea ($2.50,) click here. And if you do, many thanks.
New copies of Part-time Glamour Photography – Full-time Income are available for $28.99 with used copies starting around three bucks. This book is film based but my book Joe Farace’s Glamour Photography is full of tips, tools and techniques for digital glamour and boudoir photography with new copies available from Amazon for $34.95. Used copies start around tenbucks , as I write this and the Kindle version is $19.99 for those who prefer a digital format.