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Author Topic: Volume of Submissions Now Reducing?  (Read 24028 times)

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« Reply #25 on: September 24, 2010, 07:36 »
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fantastic work, turning people to depression and making them cry, think I'll stay earning millions less in the stock world.


Making children cry can make you even more famous and wealthy, at least if you are Jill Greenberg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Greenberg#End_Times_controversy


rubyroo

« Reply #26 on: September 24, 2010, 07:40 »
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Wow.  Each to his or her own, but I really couldn't do that.  It would feel too exploitative to me.

lisafx

« Reply #27 on: September 24, 2010, 08:46 »
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Wow.  Each to his or her own, but I really couldn't do that.  It would feel too exploitative to me.

Yeah, me too.  Probably why I was never successful in portraiture.  I treated the customers with respect, gave them great pictures, and they rewarded me by lowballing me. 

I'll stick to stock and commercial work, thanks. 

« Reply #28 on: September 24, 2010, 16:22 »
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What is worse, the photographer doing this - which were great pieces of imagery, in fact - or the parents who let their children take part in it.

But then, some children are great actors. Have you ever seen that video of a baby crying when he sees his mother, then shutting up when she is out of sight?

« Reply #29 on: September 24, 2010, 17:10 »
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What is worse, the photographer doing this - which were great pieces of imagery, in fact - or the parents who let their children take part in it.

But then, some children are great actors. Have you ever seen that video of a baby crying when he sees his mother, then shutting up when she is out of sight?

That is quite common. My youngest always checks my reaction before she starts screaming for her sisters blood in revenge for whatever injustice she has suffered. If I don't react, she plays along nicely.

rubyroo

« Reply #30 on: September 24, 2010, 17:14 »
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I have a brother like that... and he's over 50  :D

« Reply #31 on: September 24, 2010, 22:11 »
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Wow.  Each to his or her own, but I really couldn't do that.  It would feel too exploitative to me.

That is why you are not a milionaire.

rubyroo

« Reply #32 on: September 25, 2010, 02:44 »
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Oh... I wondered why that was  :D

« Reply #33 on: September 25, 2010, 23:38 »
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I've wondered if there was much of a market for portraits. I've done a few for friends and family and looking into more commercial work. Found that I am competing with the Targets and Walmart photo studios which charge peanuts. Most folks are happy with those generic studios with their lame backgrounds and cheap set prices. And there are established portrait studios for high schools that get the entire contract and run students through like cattle.

« Reply #34 on: September 26, 2010, 19:29 »
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I've wondered if there was much of a market for portraits. I've done a few for friends and family and looking into more commercial work. Found that I am competing with the Targets and Walmart photo studios which charge peanuts. Most folks are happy with those generic studios with their lame backgrounds and cheap set prices. And there are established portrait studios for high schools that get the entire contract and run students through like cattle.

As long as you're in America it's by far the largest market in the entire industry. Also you're only competing with franchise studios like Wal-Mart if you're intentionally targeting the poverty class american .. which there's no need to do. You don't want to target consumers who are going to spend $20. You want to target the ones who will spend $2000 .. let the rest go to WalMart it's no biggie. Contract studios are normally not a threat either .. unless you are wanting a school contract .. which in all honesty is not as good as what they like to claim it is in books and blogs. A contracted photographer does not mean all seniors are required to use them .. that's illegal. When it comes to the senior class, all it means is they're (sometimes) the ones who take the 1 photo used in the yearbook and often they will do the prom. All of our local schools are contracted by a studio established in 1972 but they actually only do maybe 1/100th of 1% of the seniors pics if they're lucky. To take control of a schools senior market you primarily need a well planned rep program and facebook strategy.

donding

  • Think before you speak
« Reply #35 on: September 26, 2010, 20:20 »
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I've wondered if there was much of a market for portraits. I've done a few for friends and family and looking into more commercial work. Found that I am competing with the Targets and Walmart photo studios which charge peanuts. Most folks are happy with those generic studios with their lame backgrounds and cheap set prices. And there are established portrait studios for high schools that get the entire contract and run students through like cattle.

I've talked to a few photographers that do a more customized type of portrait photography. They don't have a big expensive studio so they go to the customer. Their shots are different because they do the shots in a more natural setting...meaning parks....outdoor shots. The customer chooses where they want to go and they go there. I don't do this but have considered it. A lot of people prefer a natural setting rather than the staged studio shot so that may be an option for you.

« Reply #36 on: September 26, 2010, 20:50 »
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Speaking of stock vs. portraiture technique ... I was at a beautiful location in town the day, on a fine summer evening just around sunset.  A handsome-ish young couple was there being posed by a pro photog in various ways on the scenic overlook - looking at the sunset, looking in each other's eyes, leaning against each other, etc.  "Hello ...", I says to myself, is this gal shooting stock?  Wait ... no tripod or monopod!  No way could she get those shots past the inspectors with a telephoto lens and hand-held shots, not in that light.  But for 4x6's or 5x7's in the couple's engagement/wedding album, what the heck.  Crank up the ISO and switch on the noise reduction.  Not that it's a "skill" or anything that would make it difficult to switch from one job to the other, it's just interesting to see how the same activity, shooting attractive young people in nice surroundings, has very difficult technical requirements depending on the end use for the photos.

« Reply #37 on: September 26, 2010, 21:16 »
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Speaking of stock vs. portraiture technique ... I was at a beautiful location in town the day, on a fine summer evening just around sunset.  A handsome-ish young couple was there being posed by a pro photog in various ways on the scenic overlook - looking at the sunset, looking in each other's eyes, leaning against each other, etc.  "Hello ...", I says to myself, is this gal shooting stock?  Wait ... no tripod or monopod!  No way could she get those shots past the inspectors with a telephoto lens and hand-held shots, not in that light.  But for 4x6's or 5x7's in the couple's engagement/wedding album, what the heck.  Crank up the ISO and switch on the noise reduction.  Not that it's a "skill" or anything that would make it difficult to switch from one job to the other, it's just interesting to see how the same activity, shooting attractive young people in nice surroundings, has very difficult technical requirements depending on the end use for the photos.

Very good points! Must admit, as a 'full-on' microstock shooter, I almost forget that there are 'other' uses of photography that don't require the same technical specifications as what we do.

« Reply #38 on: September 26, 2010, 22:39 »
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Speaking of stock vs. portraiture technique ... I was at a beautiful location in town the day, on a fine summer evening just around sunset.  A handsome-ish young couple was there being posed by a pro photog in various ways on the scenic overlook - looking at the sunset, looking in each other's eyes, leaning against each other, etc.  "Hello ...", I says to myself, is this gal shooting stock?  Wait ... no tripod or monopod!  No way could she get those shots past the inspectors with a telephoto lens and hand-held shots, not in that light.  But for 4x6's or 5x7's in the couple's engagement/wedding album, what the heck.  Crank up the ISO and switch on the noise reduction.  Not that it's a "skill" or anything that would make it difficult to switch from one job to the other, it's just interesting to see how the same activity, shooting attractive young people in nice surroundings, has very difficult technical requirements depending on the end use for the photos.

Probably wasn't a pro .. more like a MWAC claiming pro status LOL. Pros are not thinking in terms of "this will look good as a 4x6" .. we're thinking about selling them something in a 24x36. However, it wouldn't surprise me if that photographer you saw made a few grand for their sloppy days work.


 

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