DISCLAIMER: In the context of my following comments I’m in no way stating I’m a rock star wedding photographer. I am merely sharing my views on the state of the wedding photography industry based on my observations and the observations and experiences of others. I am writing freely and uncensored. I have no intention to offend anyone =)
Recently on Facebook there was a lot of chatter about the recent levels of frustrations rising among photographers and the integrity of the wedding photography industry. The wedding photography structure that is defining success among the masses has definitely seen a lot of photographers maximizing opportunities to earn revenue by means other than taking pictures. The trend seems to be that once you reach some level of notoriety – locally or nationally, small or large scale – you have a license to seek sponsorship, maybe plan a small tour and hold workshops (REALLY?!?!). In short, MANY more photographers are holding workshops, whether they’ve been in the biz for 30 years or 30 days, and I am totally fine with that by the way – some of these people I know personally =) On that note, I completely 100% support free market and business, capitalism, whatever you wanna call it. If someone wants to make a buck, go for it, helps put food on the table and pay your luxury car note. If someone has some great business or photography knowledge to share, by all means sell your intellectual property via courses/classes, tutorials, workshops, etc.. I personally offer private consultations to photographers (mostly new ones), but by referral only, I don’t advertise it.
What I do not support is how many photographers, particularly new ones, are somehow lead to buy into the infomercial style of sales from some (not all) of the “rock star” shooters – sales of products and services that will make you an instant-mega-rock-star-photographer. “Buy-my-book-take-my-$1000-four-hour-workshop and you’ll be great like me by next year”, or “for $199 let me show you how my workflow will increase your profits by ***%, and purchase my DVD for $99 while you’re at it, but don’t call or email me because I never want to speak to you again unless you bring your wallet =)”. What really blows me away is how so many of these photographers promote “SHARING” and “FREELY LOVE ONE ANOTHER THRU NETWORKING” and “HOW GREAT IT IS TO GIVE TO OTHERS”…”AND IF YOU BUY MY WEBSITE TEMPLATE/BOOK/WORKSHOP/DVD YOU TOO CAN SHARE, LOVE, AND LIVE A FULFILLED LIFE”. Sorry to break it to any new photographers reading this, but that’s a bunch of bulls***. First of all, no one is giving anything for free as you’ll learn quickly when you have to reserve your seat – VISA, Mastercard or PayPal accepted LOL! I believe this path will disappoint many new photographers when they later realize they missed out on the importance of understanding practical marketing strategies and the true art of exposure, light and storytelling versus the hundreds and thousands they spent on actions and workshops that did nothing to help them turn a profit. I also hate to say it but being friends and a groupie of one of these rock star photographers will likely not help your business move forward either. Well has Armin got a solution for you… for $99.95 I’ll send you my 6 disc set on how to become a wedding photog… Just kidding just kidding!
haha, okay back on topic…
I have photographer friends that have spent thousands of dollars on product, services, and workshops and many of them still feel lost and are showing low returns on their investments. Not to mention how so many of the new photographer websites I’m seeing are looking more and more alike because they’re using the same templates over and over again. Not to mention the popularity of Photoshop action sets for sale to the masses where one click of the mouse and voila, your image looks stellar… but does it really or did you just hide its flaws? Again, I respect the photographers who want to earn revenue through their photographic and business status (hey, this is America land of opportunity!). I just think more & more photographers, particularly new ones, are beginning to wise up to these tactics and what’s worth spending on and what is not. The guise of SHARING and LOVE just doesn’t hold a lot of water anymore.
I try to keep my finger on the pulse of the industry as much as possible. I listen to and read a lot of what photographers are feeling, saying, selling and gossiping about – yes even the gossip has some validity lol. I’ve heard the feedback about workshops from many photogs who were very disappointed in the content and personalities of some of these events and classes they attended. Even I was kinda shocked to hear some of the accounts. I don’t enjoy venting about a business I love and rely on to pay the bills but I feel some of these issues can no longer be hidden and we can no longer hide from them. The frustration for me is relatively new, and after a lot of thought I understand that to survive I need to adapt (not conform!) instead of resist changes and trends. I’m currently exploring other business ventures linked to the industry in hopes to educate and entertain at the same time without taking a dime from other photographers, but that’s a separate topic!
On that note, it’s not just the wedding photography biz, but commercial shooters are affected by the influx too with so many new photographers – everyone’s a photographer these days with the relative ease in entering the biz compared to before – DSLRs are more affordable at so many levels and prices. The software for image processing is getting better and more user friendly as well. Websites & blogs are getting easier everyday for anyone to set up. Many commercial photographers find themselves in intense bidding wars these days with all the undercutting going on–just like in our wedding photog industry–yes, I understand we have to start somewhere and build a portfolio so I won’t go off too much on that lol. But the fact that hundreds if not thousands around the country are starting photography businesses and vying for work in the same space, whew it’s getting very messy out there. Check out my video interview of Douglas Sonders, a successful commercial photographer where we talk about some of these issues.
In closing, many new DSLR owners contact me to take some private lessons and/or learn more about the business – just another indicator of the rising popularity of the entry-level DSLR. I personally think it is a very exciting time for photography though, despite how I feel about the current state of wedding photography. Despite the influx and the number of competitors rising I am confident that the business plans and the changes I will be implementing for 2010 will help keep my brand alive.
Let me reiterate that I’m not bashing workshops at all, even though it might’ve come across that way at first. There are some GREAT workshops out there with valuable information that can help you reshape and build your business. Many reputable and established photographers hold worthy seminars and sell worthy products and services. Be sure to do your homework, get referrals about workshops, and understand the value of your photography.
Now please enjoy this funny blog post that some of you may or may not have read yet… it’s a cynical and humorous spin on the rock star photographer culture.
http://studiougly.com/2009/06/17/how-to-become-a-rock-star-wedding-photographer-2.aspx
Try commenting or asking him a question in his status update.. Unless you are Task Frack Photographer in his network he wont even acknowledge you exist.
by Armin
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