Newbie at Cover Shoot Assignment - what to look out for?

[LazerLordz]

Deadpoet, I respect your point of view and might, to a certain degree, agree with it. But it is still irrelevant to this thread. Afterall, OT is still OT regardless of the validity of your statement. If you do feel strongly about this, perhaps you could start a new thread about it. And if you do, I am sure you wouldn't want others to start a new discussion about what equipment professional photographers use, or even worse start a poll on people's favourite colour.

Sometimes, the urge to correct the presumed flaws is too great to resist, which ends up in such thread deviations.:sweat:

 

[Deadpoet]

Deadpoet, I respect your point of view and might, to a certain degree, agree with it. But it is still irrelevant to this thread. Afterall, OT is still OT regardless of the validity of your statement. If you do feel strongly about this, perhaps you could start a new thread about it. And if you do, I am sure you wouldn't want others to start a new discussion about what equipment professional photographers use, or even worse start a poll on people's favourite colour.

OT or not, it's very difficult to say. Threads tend to get a life of their own, and can move in numerous direction.

Whether my post is OT or not, my believe is that, the first couple were definately not, the last few, possibly. But you cannot ask someone to not respond when some coward like Quiksilver, who hide behind a nick registered just to attack me.

I am actually getting a bit OT here. Let me get back on track.

It's a chicken and egg thing. No shoot no experience, no experience no shoot. Of course, as a newbie, you will want to shoot as much as possible, grab any opportunities that present themselves. My gripe is not at Fleek. He was presented with an opportunity and he took it and run with in. My number one gripe is the magazine, who because of a few dollars, engaged someone with no experience to shoot its cover.

My second gripe is that in Singapore, and lets limit our discussion only to photography, cheap wins anytime over quality. Can anyone tell me otherwise this is not the norm in Singapore??

As to starting another thread just on this topic, I prob won't, but I will continue to serve as a reality check.

 

[LazerLordz]

OT or not, it's very difficult to say. Threads tend to get a life of their own, and can move in numerous direction.

Whether my post is OT or not, my believe is that, the first couple were definately not, the last few, possibly. But you cannot ask someone to not respond when some coward like Quiksilver, who hide behind a nick registered just to attack me.

I am actually getting a bit OT here. Let me get back on track.

It's a chicken and egg thing. No shoot no experience, no experience no shoot. Of course, as a newbie, you will want to shoot as much as possible, grab any opportunities that present themselves. My gripe is not at Fleek. He was presented with an opportunity and he took it and run with in. My number one gripe is the magazine, who because of a few dollars, engaged someone with no experience to shoot its cover.

My second gripe is that in Singapore, and lets limit our discussion only to photography, cheap wins anytime over quality. Can anyone tell me otherwise this is not the norm in Singapore??

As to starting another thread just on this topic, I prob won't, but I will continue to serve as a reality check.

Guess we lack a sophisticated clientele who knows or is willing to learn about what we do and forge a partnership rather than a client/salesman relationship that is almost bordering on talking down to the photographer.

Education might be the way to go, but then again, which small, embyronic magazine has the finances to pay thousands dollars for the rights to use a picture just for one year.

 

[Deadpoet]

Guess we lack a sophisticated clientele who knows or is willing to learn about what we do and forge a partnership rather than a client/salesman relationship that is almost bordering on talking down to the photographer.

Education might be the way to go, but then again, which small, embyronic magazine has the finances to pay thousands dollars for the rights to use a picture just for one year.

got to start somewhere.

 

[MDZ2]

OT or not, it's very difficult to say. Threads tend to get a life of their own, and can move in numerous direction........

(Quote truncated to reduce post size. Please ref to original post for full details )

Deadpoet, I agree. Sometimes the urge to respond to an immidiate post is so strong (like now) that we forget the original intent of the thread, which in this case, was to illicit response in the form of constructive advice and not to lament about how the pursuit of quality has been overshadowed by bargain hunting. While it might be well intentioned to illuminate the situation, there is a right time and place for it (read another thread). It is a little like a child finding himself stuck at the bottom of a monsoon drain while playing in it. While it is good to highlight the pitfalls of playing in such a dangerous place, it would still be irrelevant at that point as the immidiate need is to get him out of there. And that is what I meant by OT.

That said (since I am already guilty of it myself), I shall now add my 2 cents worth to this 'monkeys for peanuts' side discussion. It still boils down to supply and demand. I would think that it is similar, to a certain degree, to some people buying imitation products hoping that it would be as good as the original. In some lucky cases, it is, but in most, the term 'You get what you pay for' still stands. Eventually those who fail would be more wary of going cheap in their next venture, while those who succeed would become braver still. And so the earth continues to spin.

But thinking that such practice would 'spoil the market' is akin to what's happening in the telecommunication market ( and any other markets where monopoly existed ). With the immergence of VOIP and the likes, should we continue to go for the more expensive telcos because they need our support to survive? I guess it all depends on where you stand doesn't it? By reducing the overall budget and price of each magazine. these small publication houses might probably sell more copies to people interested more in the editorial content than pictorial quality, ultimately forcing professional photographers to reduce their fees. Or they could find their publication lying on the racks of vendors collecting dust. In the first scenario, the consumer wins while in the second, the photographer wins. And that's just it, both sides of the coin will always coexist.

My apologies to the Thread starter Fleek, for adding to the OT:embrass:

 

[Virgo]

I think one got to start somewhere, but small/easy enough to manage. For me, I started doing wedding photography only when I've done a few backup photographer jobs and those friend-friend no-pay jobs. Gained experience along the way and then pluck up the courage to take up main photographer's job.

We all start somewhere. That's what this corner is all about.

 

[Deadpoet]

I think one got to start somewhere, but small/easy enough to manage. For me, I started doing wedding photography only when I've done a few backup photographer jobs and those friend-friend no-pay jobs. Gained experience along the way and then pluck up the courage to take up main photographer's job.

We all start somewhere. That's what this corner is all about.

Exactly, you work your way up. Be an assistant, be a back up, and then, be the main event. You start somewhere, but not as the main event if you are a newbie.

 

[fotoudavid]

Exactly, you work your way up. Be an assistant, be a back up, and then, be the main event. You start somewhere, but not as the main event if you are a newbie.

correct, i assist commercial photographer @ a salary of $650/-. i learn and learn and learn till i move out to start my own.............i never dare to shoot products till i am confident.

 

[Virgo]

Exactly, you work your way up. Be an assistant, be a back up, and then, be the main event. You start somewhere, but not as the main event if you are a newbie.

Sure bro. At least that's not my style to be the main if I'm new. However, come to think of it, if anyone here is a newbie, and when this opportunity knocks for you to be the main photographer, will you accept it? ;p

Sorry fleek...OT here, but maybe you can take the response that follows as a guide.

 

[sORe-EyEz]

correct, i assist commercial photographer @ a salary of $650/-. i learn and learn and learn till i move out to start my own.............i never dare to shoot products till i am confident.

$650??!:bigeyes: how long ago was that? :bigeyes: