Day 10 - market schhhmarket

I just wanted to start by saying thank you today and appreciate any visitors going out of their way and spending valuable time reading my blog.
I know there’s at least three or four from the “reactions” check box at bottom of each post! Haha
I’ve got to get finishing up my business plan and there’s much research to do!
Must focus!
It’s so hard to calm my mind thinking of the potential this trip has! I’ve been so discouraged with how things are going in this city, trying to survive as a photographer. I haven’t been doing all of what I’d like to be doing but going all out trying to prove myself in areas that are just draining the life out of me.
I mentioned about market respect in an earlier post.. and that a market doesn’t exist anymore.
Well in all actuality it does.. but it has turned table. The photographers used to control the market... that part of the market doesn’t exist anymore. The part that remains just chews you up and spits you out!
A variety of factors contributed to a complete failure in a photographer controlled market.
Ego is at the core of it all.
For some reason many photographers seem to have thought that their work and time was... what? 10, 20, 100 x more valuable than anyone else’s hourly wage on the planet.
Unchallenged it was a successful monopoly. The demand exceeded the supply.
At the dawn of the digital age, as long as there was a big enough gap between pro cameras and pro-summer (let’s say.. point and shoot) cameras the market stayed relatively intact.
As technology advanced and that gap started to fill, all of a sudden everyone had a quality image at their disposal. Egos were set ablaze everywhere! Instant self proclaimed artists with little understanding of the art and process. An easy form of self expression. Easier than drawing stick men.
The camera is doing most of the work it used to take a good technical knowhow to obtain.
There is still much missing in most of the captures these days.. but without having to spend a great deal of time learning the technical stuff, one can spend more time learning the other stuff!
To make it worse (or better depending on what side of coin one is) Internet tutorials offer up tips and secrets by the 1000’s.
Most pros can tell the difference between an experienced photographer and one who only shoots as well as the books he/she buys or the tutorial(s) they’ve read. But many customers can’t.
Egos are tickled as all the photo sharing sites are flooded with new photographers looking for praise in their images. You can see this by going to sites like flickr etc and find people that submit one photo to 100’s of groups looking for admiration, comments and awards.
Most will start trying to tap into the concert scene and fashion shows. They see this as a “rock star” type photography job, where they the photographer feel that “they” are the rock star. Better than the artists, better than the fans. Often seen popping off mutiple eye blinding flashes by the second (a big no-no at concerts and live shows) soon to discover that there’s little to no money in it anymore.. they move on to weddings because of the big bux they see. I know that market is getting hit hard too, but because it was one of the highest paying markets it has outlived the rest of them.
Many couples are getting robbed of true value on this wonderful day though because they can be easily deceived by many photographers skill level through a web portfolio filled with the best images that photographer has ever taken. This could be 20 out of 50,000 taken! Web galleries do not show a shooters success ratio.
I personally have decided not to do weddings. I love doing them and they’re so easy to find beautiful captures, but unfortunately this is one of the rare things I back out of because of mobility issues.
I need to be certain I can race to a specific special shot and capture it... but I can’t.
Even if I used my wheelchair I can get to spots faster than a walker sometimes but is it fully accessible for one.. the other problem I do not want to create is distraction.
I dread being a big part of what people remember at ones wedding.. A photographer wobbling around trying to get over things.. or in a wheelchair.Shooting a wedding is just pushing the limits of acceptance I seek out in people as a professional.
The last wedding I did was a very beautiful couple, family and experience. I’ll leave that market with them as a close.
I’m left with photojournalism, another dead market.
Just recently I think I just experienced the butt of that scene, throwing all my hard work, devotion, loyalty and dedication out to the window. Having to refuse a cut rate offer (for web use) limiting my Spec publication to print only. Sigh... I could go on and on and on.... but I’ve already exceeded my post limit target.
I feel depleted and beaten down in an industry I can’t help but stay in, it's like I have no choice.. it’s something that must I must do!
I KNOW I have a choice... but it’s in my heart and soul to see me way through this and share life messages through my captures!
I’ve got to GO OUT and share the news of life and a love of life, in my own special way!
This trip is a start to that! I seel it... I feel it!
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