Comments on: The State of Professional Photographers http://rolandogomez.net/2009/02/state-professional-photographers/ Photographer, Author, Philosoblogger™ Thu, 10 May 2012 22:40:23 +0000 hourly 1 By: Jon http://rolandogomez.net/2009/02/state-professional-photographers/comment-page-1/#comment-666 Jon Thu, 26 Feb 2009 04:38:45 +0000 http://rolandogomez.net/?p=746#comment-666 So a lot of you might not like what I have to say, but photographer is two different things an art and a business. I love to shoot and only shoot what I want to shot at a specific price I refuse to low ball I rather not ever make money shooting if thats what I have to do. But as a business as with any business its all about getting the lowest price for what you need. This is any different from any other business. Does everyone here shop Macy's, Saks etc or do you shop at Target and Walmart occasionally. Do you pay top dollar to get the best for everything you purchase? The designer who make clothing for Target I guarantee would rather be making $100k couture dresses but there's not enough market to support them doing that. As time goes by whatever your expertise "progress" makes it easier for someone who doesnt have that expertise to make something closer and closer to your skill level. Everyone needs to evolve, long gone are the days that you could learn a skill and do that for the rest of your life without evolving. Photography is no different not everyone needs a piece of art they just need an image that sells whatever it is they're selling. So a lot of you might not like what I have to say, but photographer is two different things an art and a business. I love to shoot and only shoot what I want to shot at a specific price I refuse to low ball I rather not ever make money shooting if thats what I have to do. But as a business as with any business its all about getting the lowest price for what you need. This is any different from any other business. Does everyone here shop Macy’s, Saks etc or do you shop at Target and Walmart occasionally. Do you pay top dollar to get the best for everything you purchase? The designer who make clothing for Target I guarantee would rather be making $100k couture dresses but there’s not enough market to support them doing that. As time goes by whatever your expertise “progress” makes it easier for someone who doesnt have that expertise to make something closer and closer to your skill level. Everyone needs to evolve, long gone are the days that you could learn a skill and do that for the rest of your life without evolving. Photography is no different not everyone needs a piece of art they just need an image that sells whatever it is they’re selling.

]]> By: Tom Thompson http://rolandogomez.net/2009/02/state-professional-photographers/comment-page-1/#comment-665 Tom Thompson Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:17:33 +0000 http://rolandogomez.net/?p=746#comment-665 As one of those corporate photographers who has suffered greatly from the downturn in the economy and the lack of respect for the talent and skill required to produce a great image, I agree with most of RG’s statements. I’m having to enter the once scorned upon (by corporate photogs) wedding photography world. I’m finding that everyone who has a DSLR, even if they don’t know what the letters stand for, is a wedding photographer. They supplement their day jobs by shooting weddings for a few dollars so they can buy a new lens or a better tripod. My rent is paid by my photography, and I’m feeling the pinch. New tactics need to be developed, and new strategies formulated that will get us back where we used to be. As one of those corporate photographers who has suffered greatly from the downturn in the economy and the lack of respect for the talent and skill required to produce a great image, I agree with most of RG’s statements.
I’m having to enter the once scorned upon (by corporate photogs) wedding photography world. I’m finding that everyone who has a DSLR, even if they don’t know what the letters stand for, is a wedding photographer. They supplement their day jobs by shooting weddings for a few dollars so they can buy a new lens or a better tripod.
My rent is paid by my photography, and I’m feeling the pinch. New tactics need to be developed, and new strategies formulated that will get us back where we used to be.

]]> By: Greg http://rolandogomez.net/2009/02/state-professional-photographers/comment-page-1/#comment-664 Greg Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:22:22 +0000 http://rolandogomez.net/?p=746#comment-664 I would say you hit the nail right on the head. While I am not a corp. exec., I do like shooting nicer gear than a P&S for my own personal preferences. While I do shoot for fun, I don't pretend to be any form of a professional photographer, nor do I sell goods/services as a photographer. Now then for a perfect example of this that I will relate to you something that most people here may not understand, but can relate to... I grew up helping my parents out at their business. [LIST] [*]They owned (and still do to this day) a company that specializes in A/V duplication. They have had it for a little over 30yrs now. [*]Started off doing mass production and duplication for studios of the 8-tracks, reel to reels and cassettes. Along with video on 2", U-Max (3/4"), VHS and Beta. [*]The media world changed. 8-tracks gave way to cassettes, Reels died off, Betamax died off. [*]THen enter the world of CD's. OK they could still do replication and purchased large scale equipment that actually creates the physical disc from pellets, burns the image off the glass master and cranks them out. [*]THen comes the CD Burner, then the computer with WAV files and some software to convert the format. [*]I know... you dont need a history of portable audio, but suffice it to say that the home based CD Burner, the less than $500 8-drive DVD duplication towers, MP3/MP4 players, tune sharing sites, etc... [/LIST] It has killed many businesses that have been lucrative for many years because the advancement of technology and the mind sets that go along with them have changed many people's lives forever. There's not one of you that wouldnt think twice of cranking some of your photos through a tool (Photodex ProShow as a robust bot fairly cheap example) to create a slide display video. That capability 20yrs ago, you would have to take the prints to a video editor to get a VHS made for a trade show... Now people just crank them out on their desktops. Dont like that version, make a change and crank again. If we take another angle to that one, what about the people that because they know some simple tools like MS Word, PageMaker, MS Publisher, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. How many of you crank out your own designs, forms, cards, logos, etc and zip the off to a printer. Once again, a little over 20yrs ago, you would have to take that to a print shop for them to layout, typeset, crank a proof out on a Lino printer, then make the plates and print your final product. About 20yrs ago is when Pagemaker surfaced from the Xerox labs in CA on the MAI Basic Four computers and desktop publsihing rocked the world. Now we dont think twice about altering a layout of anything on our computers. No one stops to think of all the graphics shops that were put out of business because someone did it on a home PC. Its a convergence of media and advancement of technologies, and photography and its professionals are being sucked into the vortex along with its predecessors from other industries. DONT GET ME WRONG HERE.... I do NOT in any way belittle your profession! I applaud it! I am a person that appreciates all that goes on behind the scenes and all the pain, effort, money, energy, etc that goes into visualizing and creating the artistic works that you do. I wish I had a fraction of the artistic flair that the professionals that I have seen in gallery showings, coffee table books (Ansel for example), online forums and galleries. KUDOS to you! You guys ROCK! The convergence of media, the technology advancements, the internet, even IP Telephony... its all changing the world around us in many professions, industries and businesses. At the end of the day, its what we are able to do with what we have to work with, in order to carve out a niche in the market, fill that niche and make a name for ourselves. I would say you hit the nail right on the head.

While I am not a corp. exec., I do like shooting nicer gear than a P&S for my own personal preferences.
While I do shoot for fun, I don’t pretend to be any form of a professional photographer, nor do I sell goods/services as a photographer.

Now then for a perfect example of this that I will relate to you something that most people here may not understand, but can relate to…

I grew up helping my parents out at their business.
[LIST]
[*]They owned (and still do to this day) a company that specializes in A/V duplication. They have had it for a little over 30yrs now.
[*]Started off doing mass production and duplication for studios of the 8-tracks, reel to reels and cassettes. Along with video on 2″, U-Max (3/4″), VHS and Beta.
[*]The media world changed. 8-tracks gave way to cassettes, Reels died off, Betamax died off.
[*]THen enter the world of CD’s. OK they could still do replication and purchased large scale equipment that actually creates the physical disc from pellets, burns the image off the glass master and cranks them out.
[*]THen comes the CD Burner, then the computer with WAV files and some software to convert the format.
[*]I know… you dont need a history of portable audio, but suffice it to say that the home based CD Burner, the less than $500 8-drive DVD duplication towers, MP3/MP4 players, tune sharing sites, etc…
[/LIST]
It has killed many businesses that have been lucrative for many years because the advancement of technology and the mind sets that go along with them have changed many people’s lives forever.

There’s not one of you that wouldnt think twice of cranking some of your photos through a tool (Photodex ProShow as a robust bot fairly cheap example) to create a slide display video. That capability 20yrs ago, you would have to take the prints to a video editor to get a VHS made for a trade show… Now people just crank them out on their desktops. Dont like that version, make a change and crank again.

If we take another angle to that one, what about the people that because they know some simple tools like MS Word, PageMaker, MS Publisher, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. How many of you crank out your own designs, forms, cards, logos, etc and zip the off to a printer. Once again, a little over 20yrs ago, you would have to take that to a print shop for them to layout, typeset, crank a proof out on a Lino printer, then make the plates and print your final product. About 20yrs ago is when Pagemaker surfaced from the Xerox labs in CA on the MAI Basic Four computers and desktop publsihing rocked the world. Now we dont think twice about altering a layout of anything on our computers. No one stops to think of all the graphics shops that were put out of business because someone did it on a home PC.

Its a convergence of media and advancement of technologies, and photography and its professionals are being sucked into the vortex along with its predecessors from other industries.

DONT GET ME WRONG HERE…. I do NOT in any way belittle your profession! I applaud it! I am a person that appreciates all that goes on behind the scenes and all the pain, effort, money, energy, etc that goes into visualizing and creating the artistic works that you do. I wish I had a fraction of the artistic flair that the professionals that I have seen in gallery showings, coffee table books (Ansel for example), online forums and galleries. KUDOS to you! You guys ROCK!

The convergence of media, the technology advancements, the internet, even IP Telephony… its all changing the world around us in many professions, industries and businesses.

At the end of the day, its what we are able to do with what we have to work with, in order to carve out a niche in the market, fill that niche and make a name for ourselves.

]]> By: nina http://rolandogomez.net/2009/02/state-professional-photographers/comment-page-1/#comment-662 nina Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:05:03 +0000 http://rolandogomez.net/?p=746#comment-662 Wow, Rolando - you really hit the nail on the head with this post. I'm one of those professionals with a corporate job. I am doggedly working to build a business I can step into full-time (yes, and ready/willing take the financial hit to pursue a dream), I feel the pain the other full time photographers are feeling. This often substandard and free (or NEAR free) work that seems to abound is responsible for setting unrealistic expectations within the customer community. Shabby work often abounds (if you don't believe me - spend a weekend googling for photographers in your area...) Namby pamby - good enough to pass work is rampant. Incredibly poor work is also out there in abundance. Customers want the artistry, they want the skill, they want the products quality equipment, talent and training will provide - they just don't want to pay for it... They want the ROLEX, but not the price tag associated with, so they buy from the guy in the trench coat in the dark alley. You're right. We have to wait for this to come full circle, it's dependent upon the customer growing tired of substandard work. After a while, the fake rolex stops working, the gold rubs off, your wrist turns a strange color, the cheap CZs get cloudy... then you go looking for a new watch, a better one... maybe a TIMEX, or maybe a real ROLEX... The question here - is who will survive the wait? Wow, Rolando – you really hit the nail on the head with this post. I’m one of those professionals with a corporate job. I am doggedly working to build a business I can step into full-time (yes, and ready/willing take the financial hit to pursue a dream), I feel the pain the other full time photographers are feeling.

This often substandard and free (or NEAR free) work that seems to abound is responsible for setting unrealistic expectations within the customer community. Shabby work often abounds (if you don’t believe me – spend a weekend googling for photographers in your area…) Namby pamby – good enough to pass work is rampant. Incredibly poor work is also out there in abundance.

Customers want the artistry, they want the skill, they want the products quality equipment, talent and training will provide – they just don’t want to pay for it… They want the ROLEX, but not the price tag associated with, so they buy from the guy in the trench coat in the dark alley.

You’re right. We have to wait for this to come full circle, it’s dependent upon the customer growing tired of substandard work. After a while, the fake rolex stops working, the gold rubs off, your wrist turns a strange color, the cheap CZs get cloudy… then you go looking for a new watch, a better one… maybe a TIMEX, or maybe a real ROLEX… The question here – is who will survive the wait?

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