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Ranger9 has already provided that link above.Here is a link with another take on this
http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/2009/07/real-new-frugality-time-style.html
I sure wouldn't be to quick to dismiss this video thing which is just starting up relatively speaking. 5 of my weddings this year passed on an album and opted for a 5 minute slide show movie with music and some effects ... it would be a simple step to include some moving footage and go to 6 or 7 minutes. Actual footage of the "wedding standards" ... part of the ceremony, the cake cutting and maybe some of the dancing and bouquet toss would be naturals interspersed with stills of decisive moments ... this way you wouldn't need stills of the standards so there wouldn't be any real shooting flow conflict.I see it as you adapt or you fail. My business, wedding photography, is full of this devaluation due to digital photography and you have to adapt, distance yourself from the 'new' or you fail and no crying about it will help put bread on your table. Let's face it, it's a new reality and the gearshift lever has no reverse on it. You can either select park or drive but if you don't move then everyone will pass you by.
Look at Getty, they scoured Flikr and found a new crop of photographers, offered about a 1000 of them jobs including a friend of mine. There was lots of whining from the regular Getty photographers who just didn't get it, people want to buy photos that aren't typical stock, especially in the 'look'. The marketplace has moved on and I think Getty were very intelligent in their approach. Reminds me of a quote from a Terry Pratchett that I was reading yesterday. The designer of a new machine asked for apprentices and students only 'as they've not yet learned the limits of the possible'.
In my own market there are at least 5 new people trying to break in to what is an extremely small market, I'm one of only 3 photographers servicing the Orthodox Jewish wedding market in the entire UK outside of London. There is only one who I even begin to worry about. That's the guy who Getty chose, the one with innovation, new ideas and a modern approach. The others are all trying to copy the 'top' man in the business, a man whose photography got stuck in 1980, who never adapted to digital properly and who is about to retire. They'll never get anywhere. I know I have to innovate and move with the times or I'll be out of a job.
What is making me slightly nervous is this convergence of video and photo. Everyone seems to be very excited about it (read the clients will expect it soon enough) but no one has any real concrete ideas as to the implementation or marketing of it. I do know however that the idea of someone shooting a wedding while doing the video of it, all at the same time and with a DSLR is more than laughable. But, I'm keeping my eyes wide open as to where this will go.
:ROTFL: :ROTFL: :ROTFL:... In ancient times, like ten years ago, ...
Not to go to far off subject here, but I don't agree Ben. Not that disagreement means I'll start doing that myself. Not interested because it is what I did for a living for 30 years. Enough already.Thing is Marc that you couldn't shoot video and still take the stills you do, nor work with a 2nd camera, nor shoot something that isn't infront of the lens videoing the 'action'. You could have a camera specifically geared to the video while you shoot your stills 360 degrees around you but we've had that for a while, it's called a videographer! If this kind of thing does kick off then I'll employ a videographer with tools made for the job and we'll work our output into a single package.
The idea of convergence seems to me just another way to make sure we work more for less pay. Let's be honest, how much would an album have been compared to the slideshow? See where I'm going with this?
Start your own stock service ...Stock is supposed to priced by circulation, use and time . This is clearly not even remotely close to those standards. The sad part the guy is happy as a pork roast in pig ****. Now there is the crime. Sad for the industry. This really encourages us to go shoot high end stock images. Folks stock as we know it is dead. I have to agree with David on his last comment. Any involvement in stock is like taking a leak on yourself any more, not fun and stinks. Sorry this one rubs me the wrong way for a long time now.
I'm sitting on 35 years of images and there is no revenue i can create from it.
Too spell "to" with too many o's is toooo much!I could not even click a link that someone called this moron. That blogger has been fighting for photographers rights and trying to educate photographers. Too denigrate someone who spends time helping others is low. Too hype getty which from some of the companies it bought like allsport and wireimage has been the model that has driven down photographers payments is particapating in your own destruction.
What on God's green earth makes you think we "all" want to be professional photographers?!? Ewww!!!!!...you are destroying a profession that you all hope to join.