you want it for what? free?
while many people see the digital age of photography as the greatest thing since sliced bread, i on the other hand, as well as many of my other photography colleagues, think otherwise.
while there are indeed some great benefits to digital - faster turn around, greater retouching abilities and instant gratification - the flip side is at what cost does this convenience come with? i'm not just speaking dollars and cents. i'm also talking about the deterioration of the industry as a whole (which i'll address in another entry).
there are so many negative sides that i really don't know where to start...or where the end is. one of the biggest misconceptions is that because it's digital, it's cheaper.
let me say this loud and clear...DIGITAL IS NOT CHEAPER!!!
while there are no film and processing costs and digital media keeps getting cheaper and cheaper, people often forget that professional photographers need to upgrade their equipment a lot more often.
back in the film days, i used the same two camera bodies and five lenses for over 10 years. fast-foward to digital. in just over 5 years, i have upgraded my camera bodies twice and my computer twice. thankfully, i have been able to use the same lenses. my laptop, however, is due for an upgrade within the year. add to that the cost of software and upgrades. as you can imagine, this will all add up into the 5 digit zone. give me back those film and processing charges...at least clients were willing to pay for those!
as a result of this digital-is-cheaper mentality, people tend to want it for less...or worse yet, free. people seem to think that because there are no real tangible costs to copying or transmitting digital files that they shouldn't have to pay for them.
think again.
while there may not be any tangible costs involved, there is still intrinsic value within each digital file. after all, if someone wants to use it, then it should have value.
a colleague of mine sent me this youtube video, which led to me to write this blog entry. although he's talking about a video interview, i think screenwriter Harlan Ellison pretty much covers the notion of giving your stuff away and why people shouldn't expect it for free.
any questions?
1.14.2009
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Happy New Year Darrell!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree! To do business today is very different than the old days. There is a lot more competition due to the "Serious Amateur" who is willing to give their work away. Its very hard to discuss a wedding contract today without having to give away the DVD of images. I heard last year in Las Vegas at a wedding photographer expo, it was attended by 60% amateurs and that will go up this year.
What is the solution? Not really sure. Maybe as professionals we need to get even better? I believe over the long haul we will be ok but we need to survive today, especially in today's economy.
I believe this type of forum is great, to see other industries going through the same problems and fighting back, holding ground with integrity, believing we have value in our time spent.
I can definitely see the cost of the equipment (new bodies, laptops and software).
ReplyDeleteMaybe the problem is that people cannot see the difference between professional and good amateur images and that leads to "settling" for less than pro quality. Sure we all need to improve our talents in our trades but in a world of budget cuts and “good enough” quality is sometimes sacrificed well too often.
Hey . this is great stuff, man. I'm in NYC now, but lived in L.A. for 2 years and i'm trying desperately to begin a writers group here in the city. I accept anyone and any subject, but i figure the more unique the better. If you can give me any tips or advice i would appreciate it. Especially, how to get people's attention to organize a serious, semi-anarchic writer's group with no boundaries. Thanks and rock the West Coast.
ReplyDeleteRob Siddall
drugwriters.com (not up yet)