Re: stock photography - what cost

[Jeff Saxman <jeff@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Or imagine the disaster ensuing by paying a wedding photographer to  
drive your bus.

Jeff Saxman

Saxman Photography, Inc.
www.saxmanphoto.com



On May 20, 2008, at 11:40 AM, jonathan turner wrote:

> When I was an assistant (early 90's - before the 'revolution') I  
> worked for
> a photographer who said the industry had shot it's self in the foot by
> supplying to image libraries as it would stop agencies and companies
> commissioning new work.
>
> But even without image libraries, digital cameras have made  
> everyone into
> photographers, so increasingly I find people who are doing it
> themselves...or getting a 'friend who has a camera' to do it. I  
> even know of
> a bus driver who is a wedding photographer on a weekend!
>
> Mind you, I still think there is truth in the saying 'you get what  
> you pay
> for'...if you're stupid enough to pay a bus driver to do your wedding
> photo's then you may not get the wedding album of your dreams.
>
> Jonathan.
>
>
> On 19/5/08 02:13, "karl shah-jenner" <shahjen@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > Stock digital photography.   Have a peek at the MSI and Acer ad  
> > images in the
> > link below
> >
> > http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/18/asus-and-msi-have-some- 
> > splaining-to-do/
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > And the comments:
> >
> > <quotes>
> > "I forget where, maybe the Wall Street Journal, but some newspaper  
> > had an
> > entire article on companies losing branding quality due to  
> > internet stock
> > photo usage (and many companies using the same stock photos).   
> > This is pretty
> > common though; I'm not sure why it deserves an Engadget article.  
> > Neither
> > company did anything wrong, per se."
> >
> > ***
> >
> > ""License type: Royalty-free"
> >
> >
> > ***
> >
> > "Anyone pr their dog can take a picture of this "quality",  
> > suitable for the
> > web, with a $100 camera. I'd do it for a $5. Companies get so tied  
> > up with
> > "professionalism" but the standards of "professionalism" change as  
> > technology
> > improves.   They're stupid to use stock footage when an original  
> > photo would
> > have taken any random employee 5 minutes at a school or home."
> >
> > ***
> >
> > I'm not sure which strikes me the most.  The fact that the average  
> > engadget
> > reader sees professionalism changing based on technology (!) ,   
> > that they see
> > commercial photography being reduced to a 5 minute operation worth  
> > $5 , that
> > they see nothing worthy of comment in a multi-million dollar  
> > company using
> > free images for their advertising or that it's so *common* it's  
> > not worthy of
> > comment.
> >
> > We have Virgin using images found on flickr, now we have these two  
> > companies
> > using free images in what I could only assume are advertising  
> > campaigns
> > costing $$$..
> >
> > I can understand say a one off image of something special found on  
> > a royalty
> > free image library or flickr being used in an ad campaign, but  
> > we're talking
> > about the marketting of an actual product - a new product,  
> > something which in
> > times gone by one would not expect to find in a stock image library.
> >
> > This 'digital revolution' must be saving these companies a fortune  
> > by cutting
> > those greedy photographers out of the loop (!)  :(
> > </quotes>
> >
> >
> >
> > Karls new photography business model ©:
> > Get the family members together pre-wedding and shoot the heads  
> > against a
> > white background (the Red One 12Mp cine cam would be good cheap  
> > way to get
> > shots at all angles in one quick smiling rotation), find out where  
> > they want
> > their wedding album shot..   Tahiti, the Whitsundays, Rome..  
> > wherever!  Head
> > to Flickr or the royalty free image sites and gather the shots  
> > then hunker
> > down in the computer room and set to creating the dream wedding
> >
> > packages start at $60 for 12 images!
> >
> > golden days..
> >
> >
> >
> > k
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> ------
> -------------------------------------
> Jonathan Turner
> Photographer
>
> e: home@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> t: 0113 217 1275
> m:07796 470573
>
> 7 Scott Hall Walk, Leeds, LS7 3JQ
>
> http://www.jonathan-turner.com