SPA ? Future of Commercial/Professional Photographers


Status
Not open for further replies.

poohbear

Senior Member
Aug 11, 2004
1,163
0
0
Sengkang
Is there a Singapore Photographer Association ?? or any official body that represent commercial / professional photographer ?? Maybe an Association can help to regulate the market price for commercial photographers in Singapore. I mean , look around you , the market has come to a point where anybody can be anybody. For those photographer whose photography is their profession , it's hurting them. Some were forced to lower their price, some just fade away ..... sigh :cry: . I mean it could be some form of acreditation and standards for the photographer's workflow. Anyway , i'm speaking not because I'm pro/commercial photographer(I'm a old newbie) but I foresee that in the future , more of the 'looking for free photographer' 'low budget wedding looking for photographer' etc etc kind of post will surface.

Anyone to share your take on this ??
 

poohbear said:
Is there a Singapore Photographer Association ?? .......................
Used to have one Professional Photographers Association of Singapore, and I was a member too, but long time didn’t hear anything from them, no sure still exiting or not.

Btw, last time Kodak and Fuji also have professional photographers network. But all become history liao.
 

i believe most 'professional associations' and 'institutes' in singapore are dead ... except for doctors and lawyers.
 

There is such society, whereby commercial/professional forms it. Becos of alot of ppl nowadays owns a Digital, its makes photography looks easy.

So, alot ppl jump inside and start shooting, anyhow quote, so prices nowadays drops.

During film times, photography was a form of profession, now with digital, its juz a tool to make a living.

Wheres the pride?

Seem many young CAMERA man walking ard with DSLR like D70, D20 etc with BIG lens, i wonder, have Singapore Photography slides downwards interms of standards?

I hear it some where, 1 old man asking a middle age photographer at night, whats the speed now, the guy set to programme mode, shoot it( D70), under, set to shutter piority, trys and he tells the old man the speed.

The old man replys, in my younger years b4 eyesight got problem, i can tell it straight away, in sunny or at night.......maybe don't need that skills anymore, camera nowadays makes experience looks like nothing.

So, wat to do, pro or not pro not a problem nowadays, you got Digital, you are a pro, so long as you don't charge high price. Thats what markets reacts.

Some shots i see cannot make it, but ppl still say VERY GOOd, wat to do???
 

smurfman said:
Some shots i see cannot make it, but ppl still say VERY GOOd, wat to do???

And when pple trying to correct or advise them

instead of listening to advise, they will defend themselves and say "I am just a newbie and i am still learning", what to do???

but somehow, even they know their shot may not make it, on the other hand they help other organisation to shoot for free, thus spoil the market for commerical photography (that's why there are so many request for free photographers in CS)
 

poohbear said:
Is there a Singapore Photographer Association ?? or any official body that represent commercial / professional photographer ?? Maybe an Association can help to regulate the market price for commercial photographers in Singapore. I mean , look around you , the market has come to a point where anybody can be anybody. For those photographer whose photography is their profession , it's hurting them. Some were forced to lower their price, some just fade away ..... sigh :cry: . I mean it could be some form of acreditation and standards for the photographer's workflow. Anyway , i'm speaking not because I'm pro/commercial photographer(I'm a old newbie) but I foresee that in the future , more of the 'looking for free photographer' 'low budget wedding looking for photographer' etc etc kind of post will surface.

Anyone to share your take on this ??

Sigh... "hang cheng pai".... all killing the PRO... and with DIGITAL... so IDIOT proof, everyone also call themselve PROFESSIONAL... more like PROFESSIONAL KILLERS.... and poor PRO all kenna RAPED..... :thumbsd:

I personally think FILM is the LITMUS test of your photography skills... (ok, digital users not happy, but this is how I feel).....

In SG..... everything is CANABALISING each other... and what make money, SG people JUMP in and can under cut by PRICE.... and in the end, ALL DIE...

Look at bubble tea, and look at luo han, aquarium???

All HERD mentality, and what do they care?? Results, professionalism, quality, etc??? Nah... cheap... SG people all love CHEAP THINGs... cheap skate?? CHEAP so they look for CHEAP stuffs...

I can only share your pain as a PRO, since I am not one, but in some ways.... these are SIGN of DESPERATE times in SG that people have to RESORT to all these tactics....

Not TOTALLY their fault at all.... but I think we all know inside is enough........
 

Wai said:
And when pple trying to correct or advise them

instead of listening to advise, they will defend themselves and say "I am just a newbie and i am still learning", what to do???

but somehow, even they know their shot may not make it, on the other hand they help other organisation to shoot for free, thus spoil the market for commerical photography (that's why there are so many request for free photographers in CS)

when polaroids was not invented, pro shoot straight in film, and they got it. who can do that now?
 

ya, i think photography is getting more and more non-professional as prices of D-SLR drops. Everyone has those huge monster and they just shoot shoot shoot and pick the best out of don't know how many thousand photos.

But still, to me, i believe that the real professional still got their way of surviving i guess.

Many members here are also getting more professional.
 

Wai said:
And when pple trying to correct or advise them

instead of listening to advise, they will defend themselves and say "I am just a newbie and i am still learning", what to do???

)

and the best part is they ask to see ppl shots, and, do the person who advise need to show?

Hahaha, sometimes can be amusing.......
 

I believe interest in photography has grown a lot in recent years and general skill levels are also improving at a faster rate but pro's experience still come in very useful.
 

mpenza said:
I believe interest in photography has grown a lot in recent years and general skill levels are also improving at a faster rate but pro's experience still come in very useful.

Bro, no use one. I saw one guy claim to charge wedding shoot above $1k, but 1 fine day, theres a thread looking for free photographer, he jump in very qiuckly, so, wat to do?
 

in my very humble opinion, the 'digital-ising' of photography has not eroded the 'standards' in Singapore. when you see more and more people walking ard the streets lugging a digital camera, it doesn't automatically or necessarily mean 'standards' has dropped.

it just means 'photography' has become more and more accessible, and thus, more and more popular among the people. in the past, photography can be said to be a rather 'niche' hobby. eg., when you see a fully manual film SLR..either you take a very enthusiastic interest in learning how it operate, or you rather stay away from it. film, to the common public, is relatively expensive. unless you are really into photography, you wld rather not spend money on buying, shooting and developing and printing films unless it is for some significant event.

digital advances in photography technology, of course, has changed all that.
more and more people are willing to 'expose' (pun pun) themselves to photography. you see digital compacts and camera phones everywhere. people you normally won't associate with photograhy (e.g young teens and working professional adults) are taking more and more pictures than before, everywhere they go.

of course, as the pool of local 'photographers' increase, so does the range of photographic experience, technical expertise and aesthetic appreciation amongst them. if you happen to see more of the ... so called 'bad' photographers around, that doesn't mean they are all bad.

there will always be a core of people who take a really genuine interest in photography..studying it in detail, and shooting, be it traditional b/w, slides, color negatives or even just taking great pics digitally.
 

:think:

sounds unbelievable... don't think that's a pro though.
 

smurfman said:
Bro, no use one. I saw one guy claim to charge wedding shoot above $1k, but 1 fine day, theres a thread looking for free photographer, he jump in very qiuckly, so, wat to do?

hahahahahahahha,that is damn pathetic!!!!!!!!
 

Maybe all PRO photographer must go for a test like Distinctions Criteria by some photographic society like example The Royal Photographic Society or Master Photographic Association.

From there all their photo will judges by panel and at the end of the test you will be issue a title like LRPS,ARPS and FRPS.With this title you can print them into your name card.

This is my own point of view.Not again any people here.

Regards
peteryeo
 

smurfman said:
Bro, no use one. I saw one guy claim to charge wedding shoot above $1k, but 1 fine day, theres a thread looking for free photographer, he jump in very qiuckly, so, wat to do?

time (and effort) are valued by people differently under different circumstances :dunno: I have friends who won't lower the fees to get job and they still get lots of jobs despite increasing their charges over the years.
 

mpenza said:
time (and effort) are valued by people differently under different circumstances :dunno: I have friends who won't lower the fees to get job and they still get lots of jobs despite increasing their charges over the years.
:thumbsup: the power of good quality work recognised by customer and advertised by word of mouth
 

if you may, let me share with you, what the term 'professional photographer' means to me.

it doesn't just mean someone who makes a living by accepting pay for taking pictures.

first of all, he/she is someone who has a very good understanding of light and lighting, and how to manipulate it to affect photography. no matter presented with whatever kind of situation, location or subject, the professional photographer would be able to deal with it. he/she would not be stuck with, let's just call it a shot-block, where the photographer spend a long time, if not hours, wondering how to shoot it.. either due to lack of preparation or knowledge. whether it's getting right angle, selecting the right lens, lighting it the way its meant to be etc, he/she shouldn't fear or be daunted by the task.
challenged, maybe, but not handicapped by it. if the shot is impossible to pull off, he/she would be able to professionally handle and provide an alternative solution.

secondly, a professional photographer should be able to conduct him/herself in a professional manner. in all sense of the word.

also, this may sound a bit coarse ... if a photographer who calls him/herself 'professional' .. and markets him/herslf to a certain niche, eg. fashion, it better be because they are really good at it, has a very good future and strong interest in the subject matter etc. and not because they do not know how to shoot any other things.

lately, there have been an increasing number of individuals who have made their first step into 'professional' photography by shooting PR events and weddings... an area traditionally volatile in terms of market rates. while there is no particular need to regulate the 'market'...as this should vary according to the skill/experience level of the photographer and expectations of the client... we should all hope the photographers charge appropriately according to their professional standards, and not because of 'stealing' market.
 

Status
Not open for further replies.