• Please use real names.

    Greetings to all who have registered to OPF and those guests taking a look around. Please use real names. Registrations with fictitious names will not be processed. REAL NAMES ONLY will be processed

    Firstname Lastname

    Register

    We are a courteous and supportive community. No need to hide behind an alia. If you have a genuine need for privacy/secrecy then let me know!
  • Welcome to the new site. Here's a thread about the update where you can post your feedback, ask questions or spot those nasty bugs!

The stock photography industry today

Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Doug Kerr said:
Betsy Reid, founding executive director of the Stock Artists Alliance, has written a fascinating essay, published in the British Journal of Photography, about the contemporary evolution of the "stock photograph" industry. Here's a link:

http://www.bjp-online.com/british-j...072022/stockpiling-trouble-stock-industry-ate

Best regards,
Click to expand...

Doug,

The final paragraph is most informative and valuable here to this community and pretty well follows what we would try to encourage for each other.

"Despite proof to the contrary, some full-time professionals still believe they are entitled to be primary image providers. It is time to stop the blame game and re-focus on the challenge – how to earn a living by making pictures. Photographers can no longer afford to hang out a shingle with the moniker “good photography at a reasonable price”. The differentiators for success are as follows: highly distinctive imagery reflecting a clear and compelling aesthetic vision, marketing savvy, sharp business skills, adaptability and persistence. Today’s professional photographer must deliver nothing less. BJP

Read more: http://www.bjp-online.com/british-j...ling-trouble-stock-industry-ate#ixzz1RSB6qqeF"


​
 
Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
So where do we, (some full time pros, some hobbyists), rate ourselves

  1. Highly distinctive imagery

  2. Clear and compelling aesthetic vision,

  3. Marketing savvy,

  4. Sharp business skills,

  5. Adaptability

  6. Persistence.


For myself, It's really a new career as I've mostly done work on a large scale for major charities pro bono. This has given me the experience I need to develop my photography and now try to follow my own esthetic drive. I'm working on 1, 2 with 5 & 6. Once I have the portfolio I want, then I'll hire the best I can to cover the business aspects!, 3 & 4.

So, to what extent do the real world's demands and pressures effect your own plans for selling and growing your services, craft and pictures.

Asher
 
Murray Foote

Murray Foote

Member
I think there are more categories than that. What you're calling Pros are to my mind really commercial photographers, who make their living as entrepreneurs on the "free" market. There are also salaried photographers, who have probably no need for 3 and 4 and perhaps a lesser need for 6.

I was a salaried photographer for a little while and I am an amateur photographer (literally, a lover of photography) and I don't identify as a hobbyist. That, to me has a connotation of a sideline, even perhaps a way of using up time. To me, photography is a vocation whether I make money from it or not. I don't think I have much of 3 or 4 and maybe I should develop that but I'm not even sure that I want to. It's nice to have some recognition and even to be able to sell a few prints, but probably I don't aspire to be a commercial photographer, even the unlikely case of a commercial fine art photographer, because I wouldn't want to become a prisoner of the demand for what I might produce.

6 depends on what it is you want to persist in. I've never shot for stock so its passing doesn't have a great personal impact on me. I'm definitely interested in persisting in developing my photographic skills as far as I can (which is of course an endless process). Having retired, I no longer have work aspirations as such. My career goal is now to live life as well as I can.
 
Jerome Marot

Jerome Marot

Well-known member
Murray Foote said:
I think there are more categories than that. What you're calling Pros are to my mind really commercial photographers, who make their living as entrepreneurs on the "free" market. There are also salaried photographers, who have probably no need for 3 and 4 and perhaps a lesser need for 6.
Click to expand...

Exactly. I am a bit fed up with the mythos of "pro" photographer as it is used in magazines and on the internet. To me, it appears as a fantasy construct, designed as some kind of role model that all hobbyists should somewhat aspire to.
 
M

Michael Nagel

Well-known member
Jerome Marot said:
Exactly. I am a bit fed up with the mythos of "pro" photographer as it is used in magazines and on the internet. To me, it appears as a fantasy construct, designed as some kind of role model that all hobbyists should somewhat aspire to.
Click to expand...
I could not agree more!

The image of a "pro" photographer is IMHO also a hype helping to sell "pro" gear.

There is even another twist to it: There are gatherings of people with interest in photography and they are clearly enjoying it, but some of it get infected by what I call the 'pro-virus' and the gatherings, which were there to take photos just for the fun and learning from your own and other people's errors become a low-level and later increasing competition driving away the people who just want to enjoy photography (which does not prevent from learning).

There are (more than enough) professional photographers who's daily work is way more prosaic than addressed here.
I am talking of photos for school yearbooks, product photography (less glamorous products than cars or fashion), etc.
For some, an occasional workshop they are organizing helps to leave the circle of daily routine.
The important words here are dependability and price.

Talking in categories:
1.
Honestly, I cannot tell for myself. I have been told me that some of my photos can clearly be identified as mine without a name tag on it. I take it as a compliment, but not more.

2.
Vision - it depends on the subject. I am still experimenting and will clearly never stop. The interesting things are beyond the beaten path. There is still room for an occasional snapshot.

3.
No! I am not selling pictures and I do not intend to do so except if someone asks for it (and insists). My photos are licensed under CC-NC as I do prefer to stay clear of all the people who have to earn their money with photography.

4.
Not tested. See above.

5.
Not required, but enjoying the freedom to choose what I want to do.

6.
Yes. There are things which happen over the time and end up as a continuous Project or planned projects which are conducted over long time frames as there are other things like work and family requiring attention.

Cem - thanks for pointing out Murray's mission statement.
Murray - your statement is essential - I wish you success for this!

Best regards,
Michael
 
R

Ruben Alfu

New member
Asher Kelman said:
Doug,

The final paragraph is most informative and valuable here to this community and pretty well follows what we would try to encourage for each other.
Click to expand...

Hi Asher,

I fully agree, even more, someone with all those skills and qualities mentioned by Mrs. Reid, should find reasonable the point of view of David Hobby (from strobist.com):

If you are still thinking, “Who will pay me to take pictures?” you are heading down a very, very competitive path. Better to think, “What can I explore, define and create with my camera that will create value?” And then, “How can I monetize that value?”
Click to expand...


This is taken from an interesting piece published in Scott Kelby's website:
http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/?s=David+Hobby


Ruben
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top