The business side of photography
If online content becomes a free commodity, will your creative thoughts have any value? Of course, everyone loves free but sometimes free costs too much.
Should everything be supported by advertising so that all content can be free?
If yes, then is the ultimate conclusion that the only online content will be advertisements? Ads disguised as news. Ads disguised as entertainment. Ads disguised as relevant information.
Far-fetched?
A little while ago, I was asked to shoot some corporate portraits for a multi-billion-dollar international insurance company. The problem with the pictures already on its web site, as the communications director explained, was that none of the people shown in the photos worked for the company. Every picture on the site was a generic stock image of anonymous people.
The director actually said that he was quite embarrassed about this. But his employer was more concerned about the cost of custom photography. In the end, the company decided to stick with cheap stock images for its corporate identity. (Did I mention “multi-billion-dollar company”?)
The irony here is that this is an insurance company which, by definition, is all about managing and reducing risk. Yet the company itself is taking a huge identity risk.
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Here’s a funny video showing what can happen if you hire the wrong photographer for the job:
While this video may seem far-fetched, situations like this do happen, especially when a client shops price only and hires the cheapest photographer.
Some photographers may be a jack-of-all-trades and they can do half-decent pictures of almost anything. But a true professional knows their limits and won’t waste a client’s time and money by trying to shoot a project that’s not within their field of photographic expertise.
A professional photographer knows that doing it right the first time is good not only for the client’s business but also for their own.
Canada has started its war on photography (and also on sketching and taking notes).
The Gatineau/Ottawa transit system, along with the federal government, is asking people to call police if they see: “[a]n individual taking photos or pictures in a location that has no particular interest, drawing maps or sketches, taking notes or wandering in the same location for an unusually long time”.
What’s the difference between taking photos and taking pictures? How would you like to be arrested for being armed with a sketch pad and a charcoal pencil? Watch out, I’ve got pen and paper and I’m not afraid to take notes!
Haven’t they learned anything from the ongoing problems in the USA and UK with their silly anti-photography laws and bans? Far too many links to list but here are a few: Link 1. Link 2. Link 3. Link 4. Link 5. Link 6. Link 7. Link 8.
Haven’t they learned that taking pictures has nothing to with terrorism? Haven’t they learned that photography increases security?
Are they stupid?
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Hard work or work hard
Pay more or buy more
Price or worth
Efficient or effective
New idea or new effort
Follow up or follow through
Lack of resources or lack of resourcefulness
Revise or refine
Adopt or adapt
Maximize or optimize
A part or apart
Propose or oppose
Prepare or repair
Compare or contrast
Complicated or complex
Correct or perfect
Zero in or zero out
Speak up or speak out
Fit in or stand out
Tear down or build up
I think or I believe
Idea or dream
Push or pull
Customer service or customer appreciation
Receptionist or rejectionist
Money or wealth
Picture or image
Change or opportunity
Setback or step back
Shortcut or detour
Bridge or tunnel
Aspire or inspire
Create or complete
Success or achievement
Profit or progress
Toronto’s public transit system, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), suffered a few front-page scandals over the past several weeks. And yes, there’s another front-page scandal today.
The current scandal is not that a married TTC executive, who was living a double life, got his “long-time female companion” a $50,000 contract with a TTC design consultant.
The real scandal is that the woman, described as being “an amateur photographer”, was paid “at least” $50,000 over ten months to take pictures at public meetings and of roads where new streetcar tracks might be built.
$50,000.00 for pictures of meetings and roads.
$50,000.00 for an amateur photographer.
Attention TTC: Since the woman has been, uh, “released” from her contract, I’m available for your photography needs. Not only do I charge less than $50,000, but here’s a bonus I’ll throw in: I guarantee I won’t end up in a front-page scandal.
Most press releases don’t get published.
This is partly due to the sheer volume of incoming press releases and partly because of the lack of news value contained in the releases.
But the chance of a press release being published is greater today than ever before. All newspapers, magazines and various news web sites, need and want content, especially free handout material. Demand is high and the supply is much higher. So what’s the problem?
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