its a free market. prices are determined by demand and supply. photographers who are really good should not have to worry about newbies nipping at their heels because the quality of their works should speak for themselves.
instead of complaining about people undercharging, save your effort for improving your skills.
i get the sense that there are photographers here who have been shooting for many years and feel that their 'experience' merit them higher fees. quantity doesn't equate quality. you can be shooting for 30 years but if you make no effort to improve yourself and keep your skills and techniques relevant to the times, you don't deserve anything.
change is the only constant, and adaptation keeps one relevant.
Agreed. I once read on another forum about photogs "resting on their superstar status and experience". Photogs provide a service while on the job, and service is an ongoing competition between all competing parties. This is quite a universal law.
For the small events i think most of us don't exactly wish to fork out money to hire a photog either. Some of us don't even need a professional camera body present at the event, we just need someone with a fairly quick shooting PnS camera who is attentive to possible shots & candids throughout the entire event to cover what "normal unempowered mortals" might not see.
And there's the after-event processing where many normal PnS people might not have the time or knowledge to effectively PS the satisfying photos for presentation to the employer. "Exposure" meant "showing skin" to me when i was among the normal PnS bunch.
Same concept like the budget airlines vs high end flying (like SQ?).
The companies can hate all they want on each other but when we stand on the side of the consumers area it all seems insignificant to us what their price wars are about.
Humans were born to be selfish, even if not to a large extent. It would be unfair to discriminate free-photogs for small jobs out there while we are busy lapping up discounts and taking the most budget-friendly route possible. In fact, i think half of this forum's topics are all about equipment and putting as much bang for buck equipment in your arsenal.
And i'd also like to add on that some of the "pros" here or anywhere for that matter, started photography digitally. For many years, digital has been the more cost-friendly route to take, with a lower learning curve as compared to film. Some of us may not be where we are today if the learning curve was higher - we might never have started. So are we going to hate on others for making decisions we may have once made too?
On a sidenote, theres someone hiring a photog for a small kindergarten graduation ceremony for both taking on-stage photos and candids of the event. Seriously, i'm not really into the money they pay, i would consider doing it for free if i was not already booked on that day. I like kids with their bright smiles, many of us do, and they make great subjects in photography. Instead of having to be sneaky-sneaky going around playgrounds photographing kids we have a place to photograph them without worry of being questioned by moms or dads. We have our reasons for offering a "free service" as well as the risks involved. We are just backups
cry
not the real pro-deal. There is no substitute for quality.
Just my $0.02, hope my post doesnt raise too many issues. I just thought that most of us here are experienced enough in life issues to get the point that every trade comes with competition (be it current past or future) and it's your choice to delve into the trade or not. In my honest opinion, i don't ever see myself going as a full time photog, i would really rather do a 9-5. :dunno: Cover events only for an extra income.
Or at least pick up another skill as a backup plan in the case where the market gets really bad. Nobody to blame if you put all your eggs in one basket.
"Regulating this industry" is somewhat a harsh way to put things. It feels like then any and every photog has to join the "cartel" in order to provide their services at rates which are closely monitored. Clubsnap is certainly a place where cheap help is easier to find, but it also helps the professional freelancers who aren't willing to let agencies take a cut from their pay.