Fair Witness

Update 12/8/2014 by Precision Camera

David's kickstarter project was successfully funded. He traveled to Italy late November to supervise the book's printing, signing off on each master press proof. We expect to have them on our shelves mid-January 2015.

An Austin Photographer on Being "Discovered" and Publishing FAIR WITNESS: Street Photography for the 21st Century

by David Lykes Keenan

Ed. Note: David just launched a Kickstarter campaign to publish FAIR WITNESS. Support an Austin photograher!

What is an emerging photographer -- wait, I hate that designation... What is a rookie photographer to say when someone of Austin’s own Eli Reed's stature tells him that it is time to put out a photography book?

Eli, by the way, is definitely in the big leagues. He has been with Magnum Photos for 30 years, has published two critically acclaimed books "Beirut" and "Black in America", and is a professor of photojournalism at UT. A retrospective of Eli's career will soon appear from UT Press Books.

Furthermore, how is this rookie to take it when Eli is later recorded saying, "... in the future, people will be copying what he is doing."

This is exactly what happened to me about three years ago. I was living in relative artistic obscurity with only an occasional blip on the national radar when one or two of my photographs found favor in competitions offered by Black & White Magazine, the Center for Fine Art Photography, or the like, but I received no lasting recognition of any significance.

Any photographer enjoys these pats on the back and this is likely why we continue to enter competitions and participate in portfolio reviews. The underlying reason, however, I think is the desire for something bigger -- that is the hope of being "discovered" and to find ourselves on the path to fame and fortune.

My vision of being "discovered" always goes to the buxom starlet wannabe sipping a milkshake at a Hollywood lunch counter when Mr. deMille who come in randomly for a danish and coffee suddenly can't find his lower jaw. If this story isn't part of American folklore, it should be.

I am clearly no starlet so what exactly what does it mean for a photographer to be "discovered"?

At one end of the spectrum, I suppose, there is Ryan McGinley who was plucked from an obscurity probably not much different from mine or yours by a curator at NYC's Whitney Museum and hasn't looked back since. Call it petty jealousy, if you will, but McGinley's sudden rise embittered many of his peers who wondered if the then 20-something had really "done the work" to warrant his newly found fame.

In earlier times, many photographers sought an audience with the MoMA's John Szarkowski who was viewed as something of a career maker. A wonderful photographer and friend of mine had such an audience back in the 1970s. While I know that she felt honored to have such an opportunity and treasurers it to this day, the meeting ultimately led to neither fame nor fortune.

Certainly McGinley is an exception. Even my friend's fortune to meet someone of Szarkowski's status is a rarity. For the vast majority of rookie photographers, discovery of any kind remains keep-my-fingers-crossed wishful thinking.

So, to bring this around to something I can speak to with some authority, should I consider the moment that Eli Reed told me it was time to produce a book of my photography to be my moment of discovery? While it did not fast-track me to the Whitney, it was definitely a moment when someone at a much higher level of recognition, even fame, in the world of photography took notice of my work, assured me it was worthy of recognition well beyond my limited sphere, and challenged me with a call to action.

What followed were several months of personal interaction with Eli as the foundation of what would ultimately become FAIR WITNESS was laid. This has been followed by roughly two years of work as I have continued to refine the book and to seek a path to publication.

When it comes to rookie photographer books, there is always the question of self-publishing vs. trade publication. This is a complex subject worthy of a separate writing but for FAIR WITNESS I never seriously considered self-publishing. All of my efforts have been directed at finding a traditional publisher will to take on FAIR WITNESS.

Once the door to another strata of the photo world was cracked by Eli's support, my photography and the early stages of FAIR WITNESS have been seen by many of his peers including Elliott Erwitt, Bruce Gilden, Mary Ellen Mark, Maggie Steber, and Alec Soth. More recently, my work and FAIR WITNESS have garnered the support of the director of the Leica Akademie and of the Leica Store in NYC.

What does having my photography recognized and supported by Eli Reed and the elite group (and many, many others) mean for FAIR WITNESS? Will the direct product of my discovery ever be more than a collection of photographs and a few book prototypes?

That's still unknown.

I think it is safe to say that the implied endorsement that came from the support of Eli, et al, opened the door to the well-respect Italian publisher Damiani Editore. Damiani has published books by Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Charles Harbutt, Moby, Laura Letinkski, Gina Lollobrigida (!!), Mary Ellen Mark, and dozens of other photographers.

The bad news is that even the attention of an established publisher like Damiani doesn't mean what it used to. My photography may be worthy, my endorsements sky high, and my book prototype compelling -- but none of this translates into readily identifiable book sales and books sales is all Damiani (or any publisher) really cares about. And since I'm not an Eli Reed, Elliott Erwitt, Mary Ellen Mark, or another bankably identifiable name, Damiani is not going to take a chance on me.

Honestly, no one will, it doesn't make financial sense. No one except for myself.

After nearly a year of preparation, I have just launched a Kickstarter campaign to prepay for the publication of FAIR WITNESS. A successfully funded campaign, knock on wood, eliminates Damiani's risk since the funds raised will essentially cover the cost of printing, etc. and guarantees Damiani at least, I assume, a modest profit.

And a guaranteed profit equals books. In our age of Amazon.com and the mass closing of bookstores (anyone remember Borders?). this is just about the only access a rookie photographer has to a traditional publisher and the worldwide distribution they provide.

Does it still make sense to talked being "discovered"?

Regardless of whether you like Ryan McGinley's style or not, he did the work. Discovery is almost impossible without it. His being discovered was just more dramatic and immediate than most.

The attention and support I've received from photographers higher up the food chain has been gratifying and reassuring but accomplishes nothing without having done the work, artistically and otherwise, necessary to capitalize on discovery.

Hopefully, I've done the work. At the moment, FAIR WITNESS with a Damiani imprint on the spine is still a dream waiting to come true.

FAIR WITNESS, if it comes to pass, will be the fruit of my discovery. Still a far, far cry from fame and fortune, to be sure.