One of the many problems for photographers is how those who couldn’t care less about the business of photography do damage to the business of photography. Often, these are people who have other jobs that pay the bills, and they look to photo credit to give them pleasure, acclaim, and notoriety, getting their satisfaction at the expense — literally — of those who earn a living making pictures. Many times, these are “moms with cameras”, or MWCs. What I’d like to highlight today is something different. It’s a MWC who is endeavoring to do things right.She is writing a blog, titled “Hey Girl, Nice Shot – It takes more than a camera to go pro.” She’s got several posts I’d like to highlight, and encourage you to read. They are:
(Comments, if any, after the Jump)
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Originally published on Photo Business News & Forum on February 17, 2008. Comments are closed; this post is part of the archive.
People who have other jobs, couldn’t care less about the business of photography, and require only photo credits and personal satisfaction in return for their work are called Hobbyists. Surely you’re not suggesting that hobbyists are getting the best of working professionals, or that hobbyists should conform to standard business practices or even that hobbyists should stop practicing their hobby. Are you?
If someone has made a choice in life to attempt to make a living from something that millions of people enjoy as a hobby, then they better be darn good at it and be able to clearly show clients why they should be willing to pay what they consider to be a “living wage”.
I don’t think the problem is with Moms With Cameras or Dads With Cameras or Guys/Gals With Cameras or whatever else you want to call them. The problem is with the sense of entitlement held by so-called “professionals”.
I don’t want you to take this negatively, I’ve followed your blog for quite some time and think it is of vast help for a professional photographer trying to make it freelance.
But, here’s where I’m going to have to agree with Paul (previous poster). Amateurs are out there, and as cameras continue to improve and get mass distribution (I just read statistics on how many millions of 8+MP cameras had been sold and were expected to be sold, I’m sure you also saw them) there are only going to be more. There’s nothing we can do at this point to turn it back, the hole in the damn is just too big for our thumbs.
Does this mean it’s going to kill a lot of areas of stock photography? Yes. Do I think it’s going to badly damage a lot of areas of freelance photojournalism in the US? yes. Do I think it’ll have an even greater impact on wedding and portrait photography? Yes (and since I shoot those I know somewhat first hand, and I’ve had people come to me lamenting that their cousin’s uncle was the only one there with a point and shoot camera he didn’t know how to work and the wedding as outside at noon with no clouds).
New technology and ways of doing things have always taken a toll on users of previous technology. The printing press on scribes, the mechanical typing on the printing press, the word processor on the typewriter (I realize not all of those examples fully apply but am going to go with less detail for the sake of space.)
All of this means that the pool of professional photographers will shrink, which is sad. But, a company can’t guarantee that an unpaid amateur will get the shot, or even a less qualified professional. I believe even you had an entry where you were underbid for a shoot you do each year, only to be called after the fact because _you_are_reliable_. Your photos are good, I won’t deny that, but there are thousands of people out there, amateurs and professionals, who take photos just as good. You do well because a company can come to you and know that you are worth every penny you charge, because you get the shots they need.
The photographers who survive all of this won’t be the ones who banded together on price, or rights packages, or even on work made for hire. They will be the photographers who have the reliability and creativity to get what the client needs.
Those business practices are what set you apart from a lot, and your blog is at its best when you are touching on them.