During his lecture, Weller provided not only an insight into his success, but also some of the pitfalls he has encountered along the way. As a student with aspirations into social documentary, I was intrigued to discover how his book, South African Township Barbershops and Salons, came to be. I suppose I was fairly naive in my assumptions, particularly with regard to the financial implications.
As a student of photography, I will be dedicating the next three years to acquiring and honing as many skills as possible. I imagine leaving Surrey University with as accomplished and diverse a portfolio as my talents allow. I will embark on the arduous journey of increasing and showing my portfolio to as many industry people as possible, keeping in contact, showing new work. I would also try my hand at recognised awards, such as the AOP awards, in order to embellish my resume and gain much needed publicity. There are of course art grants that can be applied for, but I envisage earning a living by any photographic means possible, in order to fund my own efforts in social documentary.
Simon Weller spoke of a lucrative commission with a car manufacturer which allowed him to fund his own photographic road trip. Weller has also been fortunate enough to secure several commissions in the music industry, photographing musicians and bands such as Danger Mouse and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. His trip to South Africa was indeed self-funded, accommodation, living expenses and guide fees all came out of his own pocket. The book was picked up by and published by Mark Batty, with distribution by Random House in North America and by Thames & Hudson in the rest of the world. You can find this book in such places as the bookshelves of The Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Students like myself can only dream of having our work for sale in such establishments. You would imagine such success to be mirrored financially, but not in Simon Weller's case.
This was perhaps the biggest words of wisdom that Weller had to impart to us budding photographers, for he has yet to receive one penny from the many sales of South African Township Barbershops and Salons. Weller didn't go into the reasons in detail, but indicated that there was some ambiguity with the contract he signed with the publisher. He is now going down the legal channels to receive the payment which he is entitled to. It seems to beggar belief that you can produce a successful book and still be out of pocket. Weller does not even have the financial ability to hand deliver a copy of the book to his subjects, something he dearly wants to do.
So I suppose the message is to not become overwhelmed in the early stages and seek legal advice from the start. Weller remains upbeat about the injustice he has been dealt, and I sincerely hope that he receives due recompense for the wonderful uplifting view of South Africa he has provided.
