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Microstock Photography Forum - General => General Stock Discussion => Topic started by: helix7 on February 03, 2012, 07:50

Title: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: helix7 on February 03, 2012, 07:50

Yuri Arcurs Photography Boot Camp in Cape Town 2012! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ9GjK2DSds#ws)

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.
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: Sean Locke Photography 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.

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"?
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: helix7 on February 03, 2012, 08:29
...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.
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: RT on February 03, 2012, 08:40
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  :o

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.
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: ShadySue on February 03, 2012, 08:42
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  :o

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.
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: PeterChigmaroff on February 03, 2012, 10:21
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  :o

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.

It really is training more buggy whip makers while the Model T is being pushed off the assembly line.
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: click_click on February 03, 2012, 10:41
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.
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: sharpshot on February 03, 2012, 10:57
It does look similar to Idol/X-factor.  The only bit of those shows that I like watching is the auditions.  Would be funny to see really bad photographers that think they're great.
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: RT on February 03, 2012, 12:00
Would be funny to see really bad photographers that think they're great.

You can already do that in the SS forums
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: gostwyck on February 03, 2012, 12:30
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.
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: luissantos84 on February 03, 2012, 13:00
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.

;D ;D ;D

he certainly ainīt bad but too much of a teacher sometimes
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: antistock on February 04, 2012, 10:34
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 ?
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: luissantos84 on February 04, 2012, 11:18
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
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: grp_photo on February 04, 2012, 11:47
Well made!
Don't think stuff like this will make our business easier, except for him.
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: JPSDK on February 05, 2012, 23:11

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
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: eyecandy on February 06, 2012, 07:08
UUUUH! Looks super exciting!  ;D I wonder what they did during the 2 weeks??
I think its great that hi is offering people something like this. Wish i could have been there. 
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: helix7 on February 06, 2012, 07:53
...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.
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: antistock on February 06, 2012, 09:27
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.
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: PixelBitch on February 06, 2012, 14:48
The Clone Wars, begun they have.


...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.
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: Yuri_Arcurs on February 06, 2012, 14:53
There is a lot in the works. The next two months will be fun! :)
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: gostwyck on February 06, 2012, 14:58
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.
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: VB inc on February 06, 2012, 18:40
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.
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: gostwyck on February 06, 2012, 18:49
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?
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: antistock on February 06, 2012, 20:15
Resume? Who for? What 'employment' might they gain learning stock photography with Yuri? Work as a image reveiwer for pennies at SS?

or for yet another cheap-as-s indian outsource company.
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: antistock on February 06, 2012, 20:17
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.
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: VB inc on February 06, 2012, 23:12
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?

Excuse my ignorance as im not a photographer, but aren't there plenty of jobs/contracts outside of microstock? Couldn't a photographer land a gig working at some sort of agency or landing some commercial jobs based on his portfolio and resume of works on his bio page of his website? 'employment' is more than a fulltime job and im sure its more about who you know than how much even in the photography field if you had roughly the same amount of talent and hard work.
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: eyecandy on February 08, 2012, 04:19
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?

I don't think it'll hurt your resume, that's for sure!  ;)
It's never bad to expand your knowledge and learn new stuff, and there is no doubt that Yuri is doing well, so what they will learn will definitely be useful for them if they want to do stock.   :D
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: antistock on February 08, 2012, 04:44
where exatcly are these jobs ? the serious one are found only by "word of mouth" and networking.

anything else is usually about enslaved and low-paid "photo assistants", see Craigslist etc...

i don't know if Yuri is a famous brand in the advertising world but i bet he's not and they would not put too much weight in you having been one of his students.

besides, the reputation of microstock in the industry is quite bad, some even don't consider microstockers as real photographers and others dismiss stock at all, no matter if you're with getty RM or what, it's a very eletist and difficult market outside of stock.
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: Jonathan Ross on February 12, 2012, 14:18
Hi Yuri,

 Good for you mate, take it to the next level.

Cheers,
Jonathan
Title: Re: Arcurs Bootcamp video
Post by: ProImage on April 04, 2012, 17:32
Fantastic opportunity indeed