You can make all the "meaningful imagery" you want and work tirelessly at it too. Make it perfect if you like. I don't care if you're the most skilled artist and craftsman the world has ever known. All of that means nothing to the buyers, most of whom are turned on by the photograph's subject and other things we'd never imagine were important, but not our craft which is the thing we value. I make reproductions for one of the best artists to have ever lived. His work is jaw dropping, just totally awesome in concept, scope and execution. Yet he's broke, barely has enough money to feed himself, and he's known only to a few patrons who appreciate him and collect his work. He does it because that's what he does and there's nothing else for him in this life. Craft isn't now and has never been a way for serious artists to make a living. People will collect pictures of dogs because they like dogs. They'll buy the print of a sunset through rocks, a Corvette or cute puppy taken with a cell phone before considering a perfectly hand crafted surrealist extravaganza if they find the subject matter not to their liking. So long as people value subjects more than art, it doesn't much matter how it's done whether it's a snap shot with a cell phone or from large format professional equipment. Who the artist was doesn't matter either unless it's an investment grade collectible piece, and then nothing matters except what it was last sold for at auction. -----Original Message----- From: jimbo Sent: Monday, February 18, 2013 3:48 PM To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Digital BW] Re: Photography That Doesn't Suck Tony, Please don't get mad at me..... well too mad ok? I mean this well and it'll maybe be hard to chew. What is very clear from your response is that your not a professional or full time photographer.. that needs to buy bread and my ever famous saying "beer" from our efforts.. You went a place you really didn't need to go and it was actually non productive in the end.. I say that because .. you've most likely not walked his walk.. Being a committed full time photographer or artist for that matter is one of the scariest things on the planet today.. You want to under stand faith and commitment.. well a good place to look maybe is a shooter that just can't quit... The past say 5 years have been very difficult.. It doesn't mean we work less in truth it means we work different and harder in many cases.. Do you, sir , have that level of commitment? The world has been moving to the Walmart mentality.. ( Sorry I just had to say it that way..) So it's like this ..adapt, reconfigure or die.. The neat part and I say neat part is .. we're in a funny space for a while.. Cameras every where.. images everywhere.. confusion everywhere... when the dust settles .. the real shooters or their succesors will win.. So let it be written.. Their is no substitute for hard work and talent.. I'm doing things today that I thought I'd never have to do.. My whole life is about making meaningful imagery.. interacting with people, clients that are willing to trade their hard erned money for a part of me to hang on their wall, in their office or my new place video.. etc.. that's what I need .. it's what drives me. So maybe I'm flawed.. When it works .. it drives me to a greator place.. I think that's how it's supposed to work.. not sure.. So .. to sum up.. and this is just for you to contemplate ok? You were looking at numbers when you saw that the poster sold 30,000 images.. over I guess 12 years.. Divide that by 12 dude.. that's his exposure.. Do you know how to understand what the side line benefits of that kind of exposure really is? So Jimbo says lets root for this guy.. not try to take him down.. You drive him away and you won't learn shit from him.. .. but then maybe that doesn't matter to you.. jimbo ----- Original Message ----From: Tony Sleep To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, February 18, 2013 9:45 AM Subject: Re: [Digital BW] Re: Photography That Doesn't Suck On 18/02/2013 14:53, orbancc wrote: > > Then the equipment went through a revolution -- printers, scanners, hard > drives, computers, software -- all became cheaper and better and that > transformed the problem. I dropped the price to $50 for a 16x20, and over > the last 12 years I have printed and sold more than 30,000 prints in 5 > sizes from 8x10 ($20), 11x14 ($30), 16x20 ($50), 20x24 ($75) and 24x30 > ($100). Plus I offer archival for quite a bit more -- some people need the > better quality distinction, but only about 2%. That suggests you've maybe grossed ~$150,000 in 12 years. Less (say) 40% for overheads and costs (printers, ink, paper, space, energy, computers, s/w etc), that leaves $90k - a net average income of ~$7,500/year. For how many hours work, and other time spent and direct costs incurred in the photography? Finding a price point at which people will buy but you earn nothing is quite easy... -- Regards Tony Sleep http://tonysleep.co.uk No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2013.0.2899 / Virus Database: 2639/6099 - Release Date: 02/12/13 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Please visit the Group Homepage to check the Files, and other resources as they are often being updated. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint If you wish to receive no emails or just a daily digest, or you wish to unsubscribe, please edit your Membership preferences by visiting this same page. 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Message
Re: [Digital BW] Re: Photography That Doesn't Suck
2013-02-18 by John Castronovo