A sad commentary on the current state of professional photography
http://petapixel.com/2013/06/09/wanted-free-photos/
http://petapixel.com/2013/06/09/wanted-free-photos/
Wanted - free photos
- Thread starter Dave_W
- Start date
WhiteLight
Senior Member
He'll probably get his moneys worth 
Don Kuykendall_RIP
RIP :(
I had to share this with some photographer friends on FaceBook. They will love it.
I run into this all the time. People want professional quality photographs but want to pay Walmart prices for them. But what makes it worse is there are hacks (or what I call GWC's - Guys With Cameras) who will oblige them. They are the kind of people who advertise a full wedding package for $299 on Craig's List. I don't do many weddings but my packages start at $1200. But the bride and groom get a custom 8x10 wedding album, NOT a DVD with their poorly done wedding photos on them.
Caveat emptor
Caveat emptor
Last edited:
Phillydog1958
Senior Member
Good piece.
Horoscope Fish
Senior Member
*scratching head*
Umm... No, I don't know what you mean. What DOES he mean?!?!
Maybe he has friends in the ganja trade, mon!
WhiteLight
Senior Member
Simple.. He means he knows no one..
And that he is quite a cheapskate (cos if he was broke, he would probably be humble & polite about it)
He means if you don't fall for his rosy words, nobody else will...
Some of the comments are hilarious...
And it looks like 'Sarah BK' is the person who raised her hand to do the job
Last edited:
Now don't hate me for this, but I work for free, no no stop kicking my beanbag...... I don NOT cover what would be paying jobs, mainly charitable music festivals where I get free entry and they can give as much as they can for the chosen charity, there is no way that one of these events would ever pay the what £2-3000 for 3 days of shooting from a pro? so no one loses here, but the idiots expecting a quality photographer for free is just beyond belief, like people expecting bands to play for free, not even offering fuel money. Maybe I should advertise as a good home looking for a Bentley? or Harley Davidson
Now don't hate me for this, but I work for free, no no stop kicking my beanbag...... I don NOT cover what would be paying jobs, mainly charitable music festivals where I get free entry and they can give as much as they can for the chosen charity, there is no way that one of these events would ever pay the what £2-3000 for 3 days of shooting from a pro? so no one loses here, but the idiots expecting a quality photographer for free is just beyond belief, like people expecting bands to play for free, not even offering fuel money. Maybe I should advertise as a good home looking for a Bentley? or Harley Davidson
What you do is WORLDS AWAY from what that guy is wanting. You are doing something out of your charitable spirit, that guy just wants something for nothing, while giving nothing but his imaginary "connections" in return.
Horoscope Fish
Senior Member
Heh... You think you gotta it bad being a photographer? If you really want to see people try to worm free work out of you I suggest you try making your living as a Clinical Massage Therapist (I prefer the term "body worker", personally, but too many people started asking about having the dents popped out of their passenger side car door so I started using the more technical moniker).
/Gave it up after a few years...
//Have an office job now...
///Slavin' for the man... HELLS YEAH!
/Gave it up after a few years...
//Have an office job now...
///Slavin' for the man... HELLS YEAH!
Whiskeyman
Senior Member
I shoot for my kids' middle school and high school bands, along with others. We mostly post on on the internet, but last year I used Wal Mart to produce 20 x 30 posters for the band room on my dime.
After they saw them, a lot of parents said that they'd love to have one. When they found out how much, some of them didn't even want to pay Wal Mart prices for them.
After they saw them, a lot of parents said that they'd love to have one. When they found out how much, some of them didn't even want to pay Wal Mart prices for them.
Don Kuykendall_RIP
RIP :(
I am retired and just enjoy shooting. I have considered shooting a limited amount of weddings at a much reduced rate. The only ones I will do are ones that a preacher has contacted me and assured me that these kids can not afford to get a photographer. I will shoot and give them low resolution shots for web/facebook only. I will put the rest on my Zenfolio account and the can buy prints as they can afford them.
I have fun, the couple gets better photos than they would have gotten from their third cousin's husband and his Canon P&S. No photographer goes hungry.
I have fun, the couple gets better photos than they would have gotten from their third cousin's husband and his Canon P&S. No photographer goes hungry.
Like Don, I'm retired and just enjoy shooting now. I used to do weddings, but it got to a point that people wanted $2000 worth of wedding shots for $300. So I gave up shooting weddings. Not worth the hassle for this old guy.
My free shoots are limited to family and the odd time for a person that just couldn't afford a pro photographers prices. Those are rare, though.
Landscapes and sports are non paying shoots, but they're so much more satisfying in the long run.
My free shoots are limited to family and the odd time for a person that just couldn't afford a pro photographers prices. Those are rare, though.
Landscapes and sports are non paying shoots, but they're so much more satisfying in the long run.
Good cameras abound now in the hands of average photographers, they have no idea what they should be aspiring too,they turn out the odd good picture friends see it and ask them to cover there wedding.
Well that’s the beginning of the journey, all of a sudden they are semi pro and start touting for business, at a price that puts £50 apparent profit in there pocket for a couple of hours work on a Saturday. My late wife was a professionally trained wedding and portrait photographer, I spent a couple of years assisting her before being allowed to do a wedding on my own,i didn’t do many weddings as I soon found out they gave me no pleasure,so kept my day job and spent another 20 years assisting her.
With wedding costing a fortune, normally spent on clothes,reception and honeymoon often very little is left for the pictures
Self criticism is the one thing these people lack,i know my ability the pictures I take and the ones I post on here will never be world class, they are only taken for my pleasure and although I want to improve ime happy if I don’t.
When I remarried money was tight,registry office and home made reception,we had a friend take some pictures and have a lot of wedding snaps, one 10x8 I manèged to make after a few hours in photo shop, fortunately I knew enough to understand the reason for the results.
There is no answer and it will get worse,over the years professional bodies have tried to elevate the wedding photographers status with no success,just pleased its not my living.
mike
Well that’s the beginning of the journey, all of a sudden they are semi pro and start touting for business, at a price that puts £50 apparent profit in there pocket for a couple of hours work on a Saturday. My late wife was a professionally trained wedding and portrait photographer, I spent a couple of years assisting her before being allowed to do a wedding on my own,i didn’t do many weddings as I soon found out they gave me no pleasure,so kept my day job and spent another 20 years assisting her.
With wedding costing a fortune, normally spent on clothes,reception and honeymoon often very little is left for the pictures
Self criticism is the one thing these people lack,i know my ability the pictures I take and the ones I post on here will never be world class, they are only taken for my pleasure and although I want to improve ime happy if I don’t.
When I remarried money was tight,registry office and home made reception,we had a friend take some pictures and have a lot of wedding snaps, one 10x8 I manèged to make after a few hours in photo shop, fortunately I knew enough to understand the reason for the results.
There is no answer and it will get worse,over the years professional bodies have tried to elevate the wedding photographers status with no success,just pleased its not my living.
mike