Most photographers are generous with their knowledge and supportive of others. Sadly, this is not true for everyone. This is why a toxic minority gives all photographers a bad name and how to deal with them.
We’ve all come across them. In the comments section of an article, in an internet forum, at camera clubs, or at work, toxic photographers is an unwelcome practice.
Much of the toxic behavior we observe online is often racist, sexist or homophobic, and sometimes, ageism is also present. For all reasonable people, this kind of behavior is not always welcome. Sadly, there are people whose attitudes should never be accepted and certainly not now in the 21st century. For example, articles on this site highlight the bad guys in the industry who consistently deliver goods. a series of trolling comments. Fstoppers are very good at stamping it out. However, it is a difficult balance between allowing discussion of opposing views and removing a platform from haters. The same annoyance occurs in many online groups, especially those where moderators and administrators don’t ignore it.
But it’s not just prejudice against people with recognized protected status that photographers face. Anyone can be a victim of filth, and it’s not just online.
The following examples have all happened, but I have changed the name and situation slightly to protect the victim. I’m sure many readers will realize at least one of these cases has happened to them or someone they know.
A few years ago, Mo, a novice photographer, told me that he had been looking for advice online on how to photograph a local event he regularly attended. He wanted to bring his camera in for the first time and then share the images with the people he met there. In the camera forum where Mo posted the question, there was outrage from several professional photographers who said that if he had to ask the question, he shouldn’t have photographed the event. Mo does not do it professionally, but purely as a favor to others. He came to me, and I showed him simple things he could do to achieve better photos, which he did. Those angry professionals are still lurking in the forums and making beginners ask simple questions.
At a photography club not far from me, the host, a professional photographer named Tony, is always evaluating photos. Ali is a member and a first class photographer. Ali wanted to start making money from their work, but had never won contests. As a result, Ali’s confidence was knocked out when he was repeatedly ignored in the first place. Ali’s friend Pete, who regularly wins, noticed it was happening.
One month, each person has their own picture in the contest. But, this time, their entry has a different name. Pete’s Ali photo contest won. Both Pete and Ali left the club. Ali is now a successful professional photographer. Tony lost his chairmanship at the AGM and disappeared.
At another club, Gordon judges photographs in competitions. He’s a capable photographer, but often looks down on the work of contest participants. Recently, Gordon destroyed a young boy’s confidence with a harsh and unfair critique of his work. As a result, the guy has stopped taking pictures, and the club is removing the members.
Jo is an accomplished photographer and works in a studio. Amber, the studio’s sales manager, doesn’t thank Jo for her work, never encourages her, and constantly denigrates her in front of others. Amber keeps telling Jo that she’s no good. Even when the instructions from Amber were wrong, she blamed Jo for her own fault. The bullying even led to the manager weakening Jo for a long time towards the studio owner and then causing her to fail. That led to Jo suffering from depression.
Fortunately, a client noticed Jo’s work and offered her a job at a photo agency. Meanwhile, the studio’s reputation has plummeted and the studio is currently having difficulty recruiting or retaining employees. Their bad name also leads to them losing customers.
Tam is a member of an online photography forum. As soon as Tam gives advice, posts photos or helps anyone, Steph, a longtime member of the group, will disagree, make harsh comments, or just repeat the advice that Tam has given. speak. Steph then credits Tam for finding solutions. Everyone knew this was happening, but no one did anything. Tam left and now helps photographers elsewhere. Steph is now the admin of the group and selects the other victims. More established members have also left that malicious forum.
Daniel is a professional photographer with the idea of exaggerating his worth. He chooses other people out there, especially those who are more successful than he is. Claiming to be unsurpassed in knowledge because of his long career, Daniel takes pleasure in belittling the authors of photographic articles. Uninvited, he also made poor quality critiques of other people’s photos. He’s subtle about it and doesn’t always carefully pick the same person or site. However, Daniel doesn’t realize that others in the industry are rooted in him. He also lost the opportunity to work because of his behavior.
We have all come across cases like this and people who are unhappy unless they make someone else’s life miserable. We have also read comments from people who speak out and think they are essential members of a community because they are often the most vocal and very prominent. Because they dominate the environment in which they operate, this fuels their ego and over-inflated feelings and delusions of self-worth.
So, what can we do to quell this horrible behavior? The good news is, as you can see from the examples above, Newton’s Third Law seems to work: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. So when they mistreat others, it comes back to bite them the other way.
It should also be noted that, despite the noise, they are in the minority. For example, the articles here have thousands or tens of thousands of readers. Someone can write a long, acidic comment. However, they may represent 0.005% or less of that article’s readership. They may get some likes for their comments, but those supporters are still a small minority compared to the friendlier people of the world.
But there are still victims of abuse. Despite how the world almost always deals with perpetrators, those victims need support. Sadly, most people hide and don’t stand up for those who are abused. But if you do, it can make a huge difference. If you are in a position where you have a responsibility to prevent this abuse, then please do so.
If you see people being attacked, do all you can to support them. Be kind to them. Whether privately or publicly in an online comment, just a few words of support can make a huge difference. Then report it. Who you tell will vary depending on the situation, whether it’s a senior manager, the internet forum admin group, or even the police. Standing up to bullies and showing that their behavior is unacceptable in a civilized society is the only way to defeat them.
If you are a victim of this type of abuse, report it. Also, tell a friend. If you need help, then ask for it. But, in the end, sometimes, the only thing you can do is walk away and find nice people to be around.
