Posted by Tony Prower on March 10, 2012 at 5:06 AM
Are professional photographers an endangered species? I am seeing more and more lamenting from professional photographers who despise amateurs giving their work away. Oh, and micro-stock also!
This is not an easy topic. What I am talking about is landscape photographers trying to make a living whilst the landscape is filled with amateurs with pretty reasonable gear... and some of them get into the right places at the right time. I am not referring to amateur product photographers approaching pizza-hut with a really good picture of cheese melting over deep crust.
Is this a problem enhanced by digital photography and the internet? or did this issue exist in the days of old?
Times change along with our way of doing things, it is a hard lesson but you have to change also. An amateur landscape photographer can do what they want with their photographs. To have every so called professional moaning about it is the equivalent of Ferrari drivers honking their horns in traffic jams.
Give me the wisdom to accept the things I cannot change...
Posted by Dan Borzynski on March 10, 2012 at 10:16 AM
The full time professional stock shooter, especially in nature photography - that may well be a dead end. As you point out, digital and the internet have made it much easier for "amateurs" to get their work out into the market and sales.
But the professional photographer, no. Unfortunately, one of the biggest pieces of being a successful photographer is being a successful business owner, which includes marketing and business planning/business development - the same skill set that would allow them to rise to the top in private industry.
From conversations I've had from pros at both ends (successful and those at the margins), most of the individuals who have complained most loudly have been those who have the weakest business skills.
This is not to say that their complaints about people essentially giving away work is unjustified. As someone who is making an effort to market my work, I have a problem with that myself. But I'm not going to complain about it - just work harder and make my best effort to be sure publishers would prefer to pay me money rather than work with someone who is giving their work away.
Well, I'm not a professional nature photographer, just an amateur who does not give away their shots. I am however a successful businessman that understands and agrees with Dan about the need for normal business skills.
There is no need to complain about amateurs giving away shots, that is just the way the technology has developed to change the business model of the professional. There are many many instances of business models becoming obsolete with the internet and technology advancement (see the corner movie store, or record albums). There are also many more on their way out (my guess is that cable TV is next big out although they are fighting it hard).
So a professional photographer needs to change their business model to fit the new market. Many have done this by expanding into a lot of class room work, Photography tours, writing magazine articles to go along with their photos, etc.
Not really a "hornets nest", just another step in evolution of the business.
Discussion
2 repliesThis is not an easy topic. What I am talking about is landscape photographers trying to make a living whilst the landscape is filled with amateurs with pretty reasonable gear... and some of them get into the right places at the right time. I am not referring to amateur product photographers approaching pizza-hut with a really good picture of cheese melting over deep crust.
Is this a problem enhanced by digital photography and the internet? or did this issue exist in the days of old?
Times change along with our way of doing things, it is a hard lesson but you have to change also. An amateur landscape photographer can do what they want with their photographs. To have every so called professional moaning about it is the equivalent of Ferrari drivers honking their horns in traffic jams.
Give me the wisdom to accept the things I cannot change...
But the professional photographer, no. Unfortunately, one of the biggest pieces of being a successful photographer is being a successful business owner, which includes marketing and business planning/business development - the same skill set that would allow them to rise to the top in private industry.
From conversations I've had from pros at both ends (successful and those at the margins), most of the individuals who have complained most loudly have been those who have the weakest business skills.
This is not to say that their complaints about people essentially giving away work is unjustified. As someone who is making an effort to market my work, I have a problem with that myself. But I'm not going to complain about it - just work harder and make my best effort to be sure publishers would prefer to pay me money rather than work with someone who is giving their work away.
There is no need to complain about amateurs giving away shots, that is just the way the technology has developed to change the business model of the professional. There are many many instances of business models becoming obsolete with the internet and technology advancement (see the corner movie store, or record albums). There are also many more on their way out (my guess is that cable TV is next big out although they are fighting it hard).
So a professional photographer needs to change their business model to fit the new market. Many have done this by expanding into a lot of class room work, Photography tours, writing magazine articles to go along with their photos, etc.
Not really a "hornets nest", just another step in evolution of the business.