[Leica] WAS: Selling gear NOW: Free shooters. :-(

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)]

Harrison McClary offered:
Subject: Re: [Leica] Selling gear

>>Unfortunately Philip I think your paper is an exception rather than the
rule these days.<<<<<

Hi Harrison,

Without question it must be one of a kind these days! Very nearly every
newspaper photog I know tell the same things about their paper . "Cut back
Cut back get it for free!" 

The local paper here has an advertisement for "Have your picture published,
with your name." Yahoo wowee! Hoopteedo! Cut another professional photog off
staff! :-(

On the one hand newspapers are fighting a tough economical battle against
"free web pages, BLOGS, internet etc" that carry  news related information.

By the same token many papers accept whatever free pictures they can, as it
fills space and they can get rid of a photog or not replace a retiring
photographer. :-(

>> We as photographers are seeing the results of "I don't need it done
right...just good enough and I'll fix it in photoshop"<<<

The worse part of this is, even the publisher is accepting this second class
attitude and quality. "Joe can fix anything in PhotoShop he's so damn good!"

Imagine if doctors took the same attitude, "Oh hell he doesn't need three
staples to hold his gut in place, give him one and tape it up and we'll make
more profit!"  There'd be an out cry of great magnitude!

If you are a photog full time working pro with a family and the paper says,
"You're gone because we're getting free pictures" whether from the local
camera club or people sending images via their cell phone camera you are
going to be pretty mean assed ugly about people giving free pictures just to
get their name credit. Quite often on just a piece of crap that should've
been deleted before it was downloaded off the card. 

People who are amateurs, who do not earn their keep from photography, don't
see giving free pictures as a problem for those who do. Because they get all
excited having their name on a picture page meanwhile denying someone money
to buy food for their family.

As Harrison said .. "if it's good enough to publish it's good enough to pay
for!" That's a photographers common sense logic of looking at it.

The amateur? "WOW I got my name in the paper with my picture!" And they do
that with absolutely no thought of the damage they're doing to another.

Unfortunately I'm wasting my breath and typing time because nothing will
change. 

What does have to change is professional photographers no matter who, have
to move with the times and go with the flow in finding another discipline of
photography where they can earn a decent living. WHY? Because whining about
all the free stuff isn't going to change as long as you have the hordes and
hordes of digi-shooters who claim to be photographers when they wouldn't
know a good photograph from a dung heap!

But they sure as hell know how to make digi operated electronic  exposures
of nothing!

ted