Yuri Arcurs Photography Boot Camp in Cape Town 2012!

Looks interesting. Almost seems like a reality TV show, complete with the judging table, the excited photographers learning that they made the cut, etc.

I'm still not sure really what to expect as far as how people come out on the other side of the program, but I guess we'll see as this first class moves along. The video indicates that we'll be able to follow their progress on Yuri's website.

...What's the point of the video?  The 2 week class is over.  Likely the "lucky few" are chosen.  So is it to sell the "show"?

I'm guessing it's to entice sponsors and to sell the 2013 bootcamp.

The sponsors part of it would likely come in the form of web ads tied to the online coverage. Maybe it'll be a web series that Yuri hopes to sell to a tv network eventually.

Quote from: sjlocke on February 03, 2012, 08:00

omg, oh, the drama!  Who will be voted out this week and who will go on to be ... the next Arcurs Idol !?! Lol.

You weren't picked then 

Seriously I wish him well with this project, he's trying something different which I respect him for. My one thought though (and this has nothing to do with Yuri or his boot camp) is that when the students qualify will they be able to earn a decent living, I see photography as a business constantly being de-valued.

The more that are being trained up in a certain modus operandi, the more competition there will be in that genre, so more people fighting over the same market share.

This is entertainment and smart marketing. It has not much to do with photography - as much as American Idol has nothing to do with creating real talents.

It's all a drama, feel-good powerhouse that pushes the makers (in this case Yuri) into higher popularity spheres - he knows his stuff and he keeps moving forward.

Doing this boot camp and presenting it as a show is a logical step in branding himself. If he does this one right, the show might be picked up by a major network and he can license his idea to them.

Well done.

Would be funny to see really bad photographers that think they're great.

You can already do that in the SS forums

Quote from: RT on February 03, 2012, 12:00

Quote from: sharpshot on February 03, 2012, 10:57

Would be funny to see really bad photographers that think they're great.

You can already do that in the SS forums

One of them even comes here sometimes.

he certainly ainīt bad but too much of a teacher sometimes

i don't even want to watch the video.

who are the fools paying big bucks to learn the basics ? are they also expecting to be baby-sitted when things will go wrong ? do they really believe yuri is there to teach them how to outsell him ?

of course he is.. yuri have some in his own town that have IS portfolios, one is actually exclusive there

I am proud of him as a photographer, this makes me feel unproud.

However, I can see the how this is a step in the plan for the future.

admin edit: language

...However, I can see the how this is a step in the plan for the future.

I think Yuri has always been looking for his "next big thing" beyond being a stock shooter. Which of course is smart. The guy is at a level where he shouldn't have to stand behind a camera anymore if he doesn't want to. I guess this is his next big thing and his way of ensuring a future for his company. He's building an army of photographers who will commit to 3 years of working for him, doing whatever assignment he throws at them. And I'm assuming he keeps all of the work they generate in exchange for the education and experience. So he's essentially building a massive library of new work that will carry the company for years into the future, and he's repeating the process on a yearly basis. The next bootcamp is already being planned.

I'm still a bit amazed that people are signing on to be taught something in a way that will make what they are learning more difficult to earn a living at when they're done with the program. Every new class means another group of people learning the same style and technique, becoming your future competitors, while also spending 3 years building up the Yuri portfolio.

So what's the endgame? My guess: a Yuri portfolio of 1 million images within a few years. It's brilliant, really, but only for him.

The Clone Wars, begun they have.

Quote from: JPSDK on February 05, 2012, 23:11

...However, I can see the how this is a step in the plan for the future.

I think Yuri has always been looking for his "next big thing" beyond being a stock shooter. Which of course is smart. The guy is at a level where he shouldn't have to stand behind a camera anymore if he doesn't want to. I guess this is his next big thing and his way of ensuring a future for his company. He's building an army of photographers who will commit to 3 years of working for him, doing whatever assignment he throws at them. And I'm assuming he keeps all of the work they generate in exchange for the education and experience. So he's essentially building a massive library of new work that will carry the company for years into the future, and he's repeating the process on a yearly basis. The next bootcamp is already being planned.

I'm still a bit amazed that people are signing on to be taught something in a way that will make what they are learning more difficult to earn a living at when they're done with the program. Every new class means another group of people learning the same style and technique, becoming your future competitors, while also spending 3 years building up the Yuri portfolio.

So what's the endgame? My guess: a Yuri portfolio of 1 million images within a few years. It's brilliant, really, but only for him.

i think Yuri simply decided to become an agency and he's doing this sort of recruitement for fun and profit, the guys paying for the tuition will end up working for him at Arcurs Images or whatever the name.

Well, certainly traditionally, the next natural step for a highly successful stock shooter was to open their own agency. Of course that was in the days when you could have an 'agency' with just 15K images (like BananaStock for example), probably knew many of the buyers personally and could make serious money by eventually selling out to the big boys.

That route is nothing like as easy with microstock library volumes and prices, when the buyers have come to expect vast choice and you don't know them. The attraction and benefit of being able to cut out the middleman though has never been greater. It'll be interesting to see how this project develops.

Attending this bootcamp will pretty much give a huge boost to any photographers resume and will give him/her an advantage to stand out in the crowded field. Win win for both parties IMO.

Resume? Who for? What 'employment' might they gain learning stock photography with Yuri? Work as a image reveiwer for pennies at SS?

Well, certainly traditionally, the next natural step for a highly successful stock shooter was to open their own agency. Of course that was in the days when you could have an 'agency' with just 15K images (like BananaStock for example), probably knew many of the buyers personally and could make serious money by eventually selling out to the big boys.

for instance, Jon Arnold now has its own agency with 100,000 macro travel images and he's with Getty RM/RF and many others.