#laita

[ravonus]

laïta

[yesuriyatop]

Love Affairs In The Afternoon: Thoughts So Far

I saw a lot of comments saying that writers should stop romanticizing cheating. Mostly women. I saw some say women should just speak up and get a divorce. Needless to say, I found those comments to be foolish. Especially because they were made before the drama even actually got started. I think as outsiders who aren't married, it's easier to say what people should do than to actually be in that situation and do it. Even more so if the cultural context is different.

Believe it or not, cheating happens. And I'm sure that for those who engage/have engaged, it feels exciting, like a whirlwind of love, danger, secrecy, etc. That doesn't mean the show is encouraging cheating, doesn't mean cheating is right, doesn't mean that cheating doesn't have consequences. This is just writers telling a story of how it might be for some people. Don't prematurely assume the characters won't pay for their actions in some way. They will.

All that being said, the vibe I get from this drama isn't something exciting in the way that I described above. Not at all. Everything is quite dark. It feels sad to the point of it being gut-wrenching, and painful. The start of the affairs don't come from a happy place. None of them got up and were like, "You know what? Imma cheat on my spouse today." Sometimes it's definitely like that. But at least for the main characters, it's not like that. If anything, the writers have shown how "easy" it could be to fall into something you judge others for.

What I really want to say is that, it seems like Jieun and Sooah were experiencing actual love for the first time. That's not even sad, it’s full on pitiful. We all know those affairs are mostly not even real love, but that's how it feels to them. They're married, but it feels like they've never been in real love before.

It’s not uncommon, but it’s wild to me.

[womblegrinch]

Henry Moret (1856-1913) - La rivière du Pouldu

Oil on canvas. Painted in 1911.

24 x 19.75 inches, 61 x 50.1 cm. Estimate: US$100,000-150,000.

Sold Sotheby’s, New York, 15 May 2018 for US$162,500.

[psychostudnia]

“Mark Laita & The Soft White Scandals | BJ Investigates” Video Critique

One day, when I was browsing Youtube, a little thumbnail catches my attention. Video about Soft White Underbelly – that’s a name I haven’t seen in a while. Title “Mark Laita & The Soft White Scandals | BJ Investigates” suggested that mentioned in the title scandals will be analyzed in detail. 

Well, I was taken for a wild ride, not gonna lie. If you are interested, let me tell you more.

We are going to look deeper into fine art photography business to add missing context fom BJ video. I will show a little different point of view to some of Laita’s action.

This is not a hit piece. BJ team found good info. It was presented in a clear fashion. Their opinion about Mark Laita is their own and I’m not here to dispute it, even if I may not fully agree with it. 

The final opinion is left to you, dear reader.

Part I Optics Read after watching the video. Thank you!

From the beginning, and this is not a secret, BJ doesn’t like Marks’ content. She mentions it multiple times (f.eg. 37:12). I’m assuming that Marks’ actions appear too calculated and cold. His photos are considered as too objectifying.

Additionally, she seems influenced by WP article that she uses as a source (https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/02/27/kelly-mark-laita-videos/).

Knowing a few professional photographers, I think that a true artist usually presents three traits: adrenaline addiction, charisma and resourcefulness with a pinch of a sociopathy. Thanks to that we can get a magnetizing glimpse of reality alien to broad society.     

Part II Fine Art Photography

Making photos can be lucrative. The prices for a professional wedding session or an advertising gig go really high.

In the same time, fine art photography is more of a lottery. Until you capture photo that will catch an eye of art collector or gallery, it can take months, if not years, and a lot of money. You need to cover the cost of travel, studio, models, equipment, software, printing and business license.

“First off, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to pricing your work. Except, save one – you need to cover your costs. Sounds simple but there are not just the costs of paper, ink, matting, framing, chemistry (that is if you’re a darkroom person), and photo paper. If this is a business for you and not just a hobby then there are a few other costs you have to consider.

Even if you’re not renting studio space, you have the monthly costs of operating out of your home or apartment. You do have to travel to locations to create your work, pick up supplies, and bring your work to the courier or post office for shipping, so there are those expenses like gas, repairs, and oil changes. I’m sure you have insurance on your equipment as well as your home and car and you’ll need to cover those. Don’t forget all those software upgrades so you can keep doing what you do. Those are just a few of the costs you need to think about.”

How to Price Your Fine Art Photography

How much should you charge for your prints as a fine art photographer? Here are key things you should consider when coming up with prices.

“Main source of income –

But before you price your prints, you cannot forget the ‘hidden’ costs of running your business. And, more importantly, you want to have a good hard think about the sort of profit you can expect to make. Keeping in mind how much to charge for prints can be challenging, but it’s essential.”

(https://shotkit.com/pricing-photography-prints/)

To professionally price your work, you will probably take into consideration what sells and sell only the best photos. A lot of artists decide to limit amount of album printed copies. Print on demand is also popular option.

 Why printing is such a challenge?

Photographers usually print albums in limited amounts to cut the costs. They need to include labour, data transfer, paper quality variance, print quality options, laminating, shipping and book composition.

The costs add up pretty quickly.

“For a simple answer, a good rule of thumb is to charge customers approximately four times what your total costs equated to”.

(https://shotkit.com/pricing-photography-prints/)

Searching etsy for examples – one of the first results is a 40 pages portfolio of a semi known artist for $88. 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1516881798/from-exodus-to-genesis-fine-art?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=fine+art+album&ref=sr_gallery-1-89&organic_search_click=1

We can’t forget about the possibility of being sued or fined –  if the artwork is sold directly to customers, photographer will need business license.  Basing on the IRS site:

“An LLC delivers the most flexibility to your art business and puts some much-needed distance between you and your company, protecting you from personal liability in lawsuits.

If you start an LLC, you’ll still technically be self-employed, owe Social Security and Medicare contributions, and pay income tax.

But your personal assets are also protected if the company faces money woes down the line.”

 https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/limited-liability-company-llc

https://selfgood.com/blog/small-business-license/artist

Part III

Regarding Mark Laita

In this part I will share my view on facts presented by BJ. I strongly recommend you to watch her video, if you still haven’t, as some of my points might appear a little out of contexts without it.

Summary of BJ argument: The first album took a long time to prepare, is hard to buy and really expensive.  

In ‘90 Mark Laita was getting money from advertising (creating mostly for Apple), but his passion project was photographing Appalachia. He had to divide his time between working in LA and traveling to the region. The result of his 8 years of travel there during his spare time was a limited print of the album “Created Equal”.

The reason why the first album is so expensive on ebay, is twofold: limited print around ‘90 and the popularity of Mark Youtube channel. Also, BJ is showing prices for albums that are on sale but aren’t sold yet. It is hard to know if anybody is going to buy them for those prices.   

2. BJ argument: Second and third albums were created in short time and new copies are still available.  

“The Sea” and “The Serpentine” appears to be created just after Laita stopped working for Apple and he could go after other topics full time. I’m assuming photos of fishes and crabs might be less intriguing for wider public. The publisher was also bigger and books were made in time when printing got more digital, less expensive and easier to reproduce.

3. BJ argument: Mark albums have similar topics and are advertised in a cynical way. Mark states that he was bitten by dangerous snake and survived it, despite all odds – which means he is lying on purpose to sell his work.  

Second album was about sea creatures and third one about snakes. Photos have similar style – animals on black background. Could both be made in the same time? Sure, why not? Basing on Mark interviews (one linked below), albums were a result of travelling around the world. Mark probably entered the husbandry environment, got contacted with owners of intriguing species and ended with tones of beautiful pictures. He divided them in two albums. Having two similar books to sell, he needed something to boost sells of “The Serpentine”. He even got a great story to spice thing up a little.     

During one of snake sessions, Mark was bitten by a black mamba, one of the most venomous creatures in the world. Instead of trying to fight for his life, he made a photo of the moment. The fact that the photo was taken then and there suggests that he is a great photographer – he will capture an amazing scene even of cost of his life. He knew that he might die, so why not make something memorable before death? He was done for either way. He survived. Then the black mamba bite and citations of Jung philosophy beside multiple gorgeous photos of snakes were used to advertised the book. – I applaud the grift.

The Photographer Who Was Bitten by a Black Mamba... and Got the Shot

Photographer Mark Laita has a mention in Wikipedia for a wild and unusual reason: he was bitten by a black mamba (one of the world's deadlie

His recently announced album “The Soft Underbelly” will be sold during Christmas – after 3 albums Mark knows when is the best time to sell anything.

4. BJ argument: An LLC for Soft Underbelly was created way ahead of youtube album announcement. It was given, that Soft Underbelly channel will get at least one photo-album – Mark put a lot of time into it. The topic interested him enough to keep going with interviews, even when the channel was demonetized. Taking into account other issues that aroused during the channel existence, having an LLC company was a must. It would help with judicial system if needed and shield him from losing any money not related to the channel. Why the LLC was created in Nevada? No idea. BJ is right pointing it out.

5. BJ argument : The most scandalous interviewee are on the album cover to advertise it. Of course, Mark would include photos stories of the most viewed YT videos on his channel. I just want to point out, that none of the most popular photos are in any way differentiated from others that are included on the cover. You need to know interviewee faces to link it to their scandals.

6. BJ argument : The GoFund me campaigns are shady. The GoFundMe campaigns might be a scam. Not enough info is known to know it for sure though. However, the campaign descriptions clearly state that some of the money goes for Mark directly to support work related with the YT channel. Additionally, in WP article it was pointed out that the donation with a clearly stated recipient, where passed along. One of the interviewed girl said that Laita scammed her, but it looked rather that she used it as a marketing stunt for her new tik-tok account. According to Laita, he shared what she was owned.   

7. BJ argument: Interviews are not proof-checked. If interviewee lies, it isn’t Laita fault. He is not there to squeeze the truth out of people. He isn’t also trained journalist or psychologist. He tries to start people to talk and then gives them space. Does his questions are sometimes loaded? Yes. People met at Skid Row have it tough.  

8. BJ Argument: “I’m not a helping channel” As the WP article states: “Money isn’t curative for the type of trauma someone like Kelly experienced, Powell said. She needs assistance with finding housing, securing employment and attending counseling to help her cope with pain. People like Kelly need a community that consists of professionals and former sex-trafficking survivors to pull her forward,” That is why Mark repeats ad infinitum that he is not a helping channel. He is paying interviewees for a few hours of their time. If someone doesn’t want to answer a question, he changes the subject. He offers them a moment of his full attention, a true concentration on them and their words. He is not objectifying those people more than any article in popular magazine.

9. BJ argument: Mike objectifies people he photographs. I can’t see the objectifying that BJ says Mark is guilty off. The photos show those people like Mike met them on the street or how they appeared for interview. It might be uncomfortable, seeing someone with their boobs out or under the influence of drugs. But Mark isn’t there to offer anything more than a place to vent because he just can’t. He never promised any of them more than he is offering. Moreover, photographers can make uncomfortable photos to show you naked underbelly of our society. Mark is not the only one:

Lampedusa Landings / Mimi Mollica

Every year thousands of immigrants departing from the mediterranean coasts of Africa, try to reach Europe through Sicily. The Italian author

Letizia Battaglia

Part IV Conclusion

I’ve added some additional photography background and different perspective for some of BJ points. I have nothing against her conclusion. This is not a piece to change her mind. I wrote it because her video moved me. I also have nothing against Mark Laita. I think he knows how to make an interesting photo. His interviews are usually too triggering for me. I’m not going to buy his album. But I see his action in less critical way.

 Life is hard.

Reader, keep safe and don’t let anyone tell you what to think.

[laita-g]

First of all, this is me...

[wally-b-feed]

aprosa laita

[byrdsmann]

Le 17 02 2020. #mickbyrds #michaelleroueil #abbayestmaurice #abbayesaintmaurice #laita #laitariviere #chene #lechene #lecheneetlebanc #sitedestmaurice #finistere #myfinistere #finisteresud #beautiful #photooftheday #picoftheday #sony #sonyxperia #xperia #xperiasony #sonyxperiaxz1 #smartphonesonyxperia #pic #bzh #blackandwhite #noiretblanc #photonoiretblanc #photonoireetblanc #banc (à Site abbatial Saint-Maurice) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9EQiv9IBoE/?igshid=sw18za25t75w

[sriwika]

#ตุ๊กตาน้ำตาล #Laita Tan สวยน่ารักหว่าต้นแบบ ปั้นน้ำตาลไม่ต้องใช้แอฟ #sriwika https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq4ZW_HA-1Y/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ilbqsi2vhfte