The first time that I ever looked at a photography forum was about 3 years ago. I surfed through the endless galleries and conversations and couldn't figure out how anybody could possibly be making money shooting any of it. It was as if every discussion revolved around types of photography that I knew to be a loser in terms of making money. (decent executive lifestyle type income etc)
Then it dawned on me that the average photo enthusiast isn't really seeing much of the commercial photography that makes money so maybe they don't even know it exists. Maybe they aren't aware of it simply because they aren't the audience. For example, a really competitive architectural photographer might be shooting some of best jobs in the country but the work will only be seen by a handful of potential buyers for the buildings. Or maybe a competitive product photographer might be shooting some of the best products in the country but the audience for the products is so small that only a few thousand or tens of thousands of people will even see his work in the catalogs.
Many of the higher paying and exclusive photography jobs are designed for and only seen by a small audience. Maybe this is why there is often a disconnect between what some of the more exclusive photo companies are doing and the opinion that exists about their decisions in the forums.
There are many thousands of photographers around the world shooting these jobs, but they are doing it mostly anonymously. They aren't famous, and most people don't know who they are and have never seen their work. These are the people that really need certain types of exclusive gear to meet their demands. They can't function without it, and while there aren't that many people with the demand they certainly have the money to pay for it and just think of it as another business expense. What is a 40,000 dollar camera in a studio space worth 7 figures already packed with 500k worth of lighting gear? The cost of a new camera system is just another drop in the bucket. There aren't a lot of photographers out there like this, but there are enough for a handful of camera makers to do just fine if they are accommodating to their needs.
Maybe the bottom line is that a hobby is a hobby and business is business. Try not to imagine that what's seen in mainstream advertising, photo hobby magazines, blogs, forums etc is all that there is to the commercial photo industry.
Mike, you make some very good points that I wish were more widely understood. I can confirm from personal experience that what you say is true. I spent over 20 years of my career doing the hard yards as a freelance advertising photographer, shooting commissions for ad agencies, initially in Australia, and eventually internationally.
Most of the early years were spent acquiring equipment - the 5x4 system, the MF system, the 35mm system, the Lighting system blah, blah.
Then, along came digital. My first setup, a Leaf DCB1 set me back nearly 60K back in '95. The re-investment cycle since then has run, on average about 3.5 years. My rule of thumb has been that a back has to return a minimum of 10x its purchase price over that 3.5 year cycle or it wasn't worth it. With the exception of a bleak few years I had in the mid-naughties (which had more to do with personal challenges than professional ones), the gear has paid its way, and then some. In that time, I have owned Phase One H5, H10, H25, P25, P45+, P65+, Aptus 12 and with my wifes permission, (she's known as The Finance Minister) I'll soon order an IQ180.
My professional ethos has always been that my clients should always get more than they are expecting. My best shot ever is always the shot I am about to do. As such, I have always sought out the company of the brightest creatives, shared ideas and studios with the brightest photographers and just as importantly, shot with the best tools available at the time.
I am not special. These characteristics are shared by many top photographers. They set high standards for themselves, then set out to raise the bar. The point is, this is NOT a small club. It's just an invisible one. For every "megastar" photographer who gets the photo-press's attention, there are 100 who are shooting just as good work, and making just as much, if not more money. (See Annie L's and Marcus Klinko's recent histories for great examples of how all is not as rosy as it sometimes seems).
Vitriolic statements like the ones that start this thread, simply do not help spread understanding of our shared love, photography.
For starters, the Pro-user MF market is much bigger than many realise. Volume is well into the thousands, not the hundreds mentioned.
At the top end of this market, if your Logo doesn't start with P or H, you are barely a bit player (sorry Mr.L).
The recent bitching about Phase One's upgrade policy really surprises me. This is the one company that has CONSISTENTLY maintained an upgrade program. Try upgrading your Canon or Nikon. Good luck.
Try selling your Canon or Nikon after a new model has been announced. I'm pretty sure it will be worth roughly 1/10th of what you paid for it, even if it's barely a year old. Here we have Phase offering 65% trade in value for a P65, even if its 3 years old. Hrannar, get off your high horse mate. Incidentally, I've never had trouble selling a used Phase back, and sometimes got more by selling it than taking advantage of the trade in offer. Believe it or not, there are people out there who are actually grateful to get a used back.
Hrannar, I consider my Phase One back the single most valuable tool in my entire kit and certainly not a novelty item.
My 14+ year experience as a customer of Phase One's has been that they as a company are the company MOST focussed on the photographers needs. I base this opinion on their deeds, not the spin from their PR department. The features in this latest generation of backs simply confirms this.
I think the more understanding there is that there exists a community of high-end users that is pretty much invisible to the average enthusiasts, and that this is the audience that Phase and Blad primarily play to the needs of, the better understanding we can have behind these discussions.
Mike, thank you for injecting some balance here. Hrannar, I would love to hear one day that you have made whatever adjustments you need to so that buying a Phase back is not such a stretch for you. Owning one is both a privilege and a pleasure.
Cheers,
) because I still drive a toyota corolla I bought in 1998!
