Successful Pursuit of the Personal Project

Given a nudge, every photographer will gladly reveal his or her pet personal project. Yet very few photographers manage to make their dreams a reality. Instead, many photographers nurture a naive expectation of their intended audience. Rarely are photographers prepared to actually help make their projects viable. While the trail to each photographer's personal destination is unique and unmarked, the prospects for a successful passage are much improved with careful preparation at the time of departure.

This presentation surveys the 'dream to reality' odyssey of Ricardo Barros, an independent photographer who recently completed this journey. Barros' observations are insightful, unorthodox, and they relate to the current economic climate. He proposes ideas with a catalytic impact, ideas that other photographers may find instrumental in navigating their own expeditions.

Successful pursuit of a personal project requires that efforts in three realms of endeavor be integrated. These efforts pertain to: (1) development of a personal vision, (2) strategic management of resources, and (3) marketing the project concept as well as the photographic product. This presentation helpfully distinguishes between the challenges encountered in each realm, and it suggests tools appropriate to meet each of their corresponding needs.

Barros illustrates his presentation with examples from his own, award-winning project that produced FACING SCULPTURE: A Portfolio of Portraits, Sculpture, and Related Ideas. Self-published and handsomely produced, t he completed books were entirely paid off by the time that they arrived at his Pennsylvania studio. Additionally, defying the odds, Barros succeeded in achieving national distribution for his imprint's first title.

Barros managed this by: raising over $60,000.00 through print sales to collectors and museums; bartering usage of his images for a year-long, full-page ad campaign in an art magazine with an international circulation; bartering for the warehousing of his inventory; and by enticing top-quality designers and editors to believe and participate in the project. The images in the book brought him unsolicited assignments from US Airways as well as an exhibition commission from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Museums acquiring the "Facing Sculpture" images include: the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Harvard University 's Fogg Art Museum , the DeCordova Museum , and the Grounds For Sculpture Museum.

Please Contact Ricardo Barros for information about scheduling this presentation.

© Ricardo Barros 2006