Do you guys look for respect in other photographers eyes or only your clients?

I know that your product is aimed at clients.. but for me, I hardly get happy nowadays if a client tells me how good my pictures are... I tend to get way more happy/satisfied when an experienced/good photographer says the same thing. If only clients keep telling me how good I am, i tend to take that in a different way and try to seek improvement in my images to meet the expectations of good photographers.

is this normal? lol

Do you guys care about what other photog's think about your pictures or you guys only care about the clients opinion?

Whether it be from clients or peers, respect can only be earned.
Nobody, no matter who they are has automatic entilement to it.

Personally what other photographers may or may not think about my work is pretty much irrelevant to me. Likewise what they do or do not think about my business model/strategies etc makes no difference to me either.

I am providing a service to my clients, the best I can. If they are happy, I'm happy. The opinions of other photographers don't put food on the table or pay the bills.

I only try to please one person, me. If I know that I gave it my all the client will be happy and that has borne out over time. I have found that photographers can be pretty nasty when it comes to giving compliments on others work. Heaven forbid that the other guy might be better so I tend not to bother with what they say. Afterall it is myself that I am trying to feel good about and that is all that matters for me.

I do mostly youth sports, and I am motivated by seeing the players and their parents light up when I can share with them a captured moment. The thing that I learned, is parents/players don't care about what aperture I used, or what shutter speed, or whether its tack sharp, or whether I used a pro body, or a point and shoot. They care about the memory. I have had some images that I thought should be thrown to the trash bin immediately, that a parent or player absolutely loved. You never know what memory will be sparked, and what will bring them joy. This is why I like posting action shots from my kids' teams to Facebook, so I can see the reactions and comments that the players make... that is really what motivates me.

I do care what other photographers think, but its not as high on my scale. I care in that regard simply because I can learn from them... they will give me critique and help me improve my abilities. And that ultimately leads to me getting better at what I do.

ssim wrote in post #15328760
I only try to please one person, me. If I know that I gave it my all the client will be happy and that has borne out over time. I have found that photographers can be pretty nasty when it comes to giving compliments on others work. Heaven forbid that the other guy might be better so I tend not to bother with what they say. Afterall it is myself that I am trying to feel good about and that is all that matters for me.

I'm going to mirror some of what Sheldon says here. Ultimately, you have to please yourself because that's one of the reasons you pursue the craft and hone your skills. Of course if you have paying clients, it's critical to listen to what they want and do your best to fill their needs and honor the contract. If they're happy they spread the word, and that drums up business. Of course that makes ME feel better and validates my efforts.

There are some local commercial & fine art photographers I know whose work and creativity I admire and respect. I've actually second shot or worked on projects with them and we support each other whenever possible. I go to their exhibits and they reciprocate - so in that regard we respect each other. And even though I do what is important for my own photographic pleasure, it does feel good when these talented folk attend my shows or support my efforts in some ways.

sapearl wrote in post #15328979
I'm going to mirror some of what Sheldon says here. Ultimately, you have to please yourself because that's one of the reasons you pursue the craft and hone your skills. Of course if you have paying clients, it's critical to listen to what they want and do your best to fill their needs and honor the contract. If they're happy they spread the word, and that drums up business. Of course that makes ME feel better and validates my efforts.

There are some local commercial & fine art photographers I know whose work and creativity I admire and respect. I've actually second shot or worked on projects with them and we support each other whenever possible. I go to their exhibits and they reciprocate - so in that regard we respect each other. And even though I do what is important for my own photographic pleasure, it does feel good when these talented folk attend my shows or support my efforts in some ways.

very well said.

5W0L3 wrote in post #15329049
very well said.

Thanks Manav - very kind of you .

Here's the thing: we have a svery trong arts community in Cleveland. We even managed to pass a cigarette tax levy several years ago that pumps millions of dollars annually into the entire arts scene. That includes painters, dancers, musicians, photographers, etc. Grants are given, prizes are awarded and competition funds are given out for recognized excellence.

As such many of us do recognize and support each other. More can be gained from cooperative and helpful ventures than adversarial or negative interactions. I realize this may not be quite what the OP had in mind with his initial statement, but it does figure into the greater picture of arts community which does include photographers. The concept of respect can take many forms.

My own pleasure and satisfaction with my own concepts still has paramount importance. At the same time though I have gained a great deal by conversing and interacting with my peer photographers. Nobody knows everything and much can be gained from constructive give and take . Discussion is always valuable. - Stu

Both.
When the client is happy, I get paid.

However, doing only what it takes to make the client happy will not push me to improve myself as a photographer. I seek critiques (and hopefully sometimes approval) from other photographers because that's what really pushes me to find the weaknesses in my work, and improve for next time.

I think we're doing well as photographers when our standards are higher than those of our clients. If we simply tailor our work to what we already know pleases 'most of the clients' -- well, this pathway doesn't lead to growth, in my opinion. I think we should all be pushing ourselves to try new things, to expand our photographic vocabulary, even if that means leaving some customers behind and picking up new, more discerning ones.

The trick is to be able to extract some level of satisfaction knowing that you've done a good job and satisfied your client EVEN IF you know you're a long way from where you want to be.

My psychological style regarding my own work is basically the following:
1) 1 hour after the wedding: concern that I did terribly shooting the wedding
2) the next day: still concerned
3) upon actually seeing the images and then finishing them for the client: I'm thrilled with the work and know the client will be happy
4) two weeks later: feel like I'm mediocre and need to push myself.

Christopher Steven b wrote in post #15329683
My psychological style regarding my own work is basically the following:
1) 1 hour after the wedding: concern that I did terribly shooting the wedding
2) the next day: still concerned
3) upon actually seeing the images and then finishing them for the client: I'm thrilled with the work and know the client will be happy
4) two weeks later: feel like I'm mediocre and need to push myself.

Ha ha ha, what a perfect description of how I feel when shooting stage shows.

You forgot the last step:
5) A year later, look back on the work and realize "I can't believe I thought this was acceptable. I'm so ashamed that I delivered THIS to the client."