Myself and some other photogs have teamed up together on introducing a new magazine that will be out for print and purchase on April 1st! We want to feature talent like what we've seen on this site! We want to be a spotlight and a platform for photographers like yourself!
We have some fun contests where you can win great prizes right now as well! So please tell all your photog friends to check out our flickr pool and fanpage! :)
@dmortega@Scrivna@refriedradio Ok, I am seriously hoping this is a hoax, but if not it is also a good example of how people take advantage of amateur photographers.
I've tried being nice about this in previous posts but I'm just gonna let'er rip this time. Look at what they are offering:
- They want your photos FOR FREE
- They are SELLING copies of their magazine
- Therefore, THEY are making money off YOUR photos
This happens quite often, in fact, Magazines, newspapers, websites have contests offering to "feature" your photos in their trade. They want your photos for free, you might get a nifty prize, at the very least you get "recognition" for your photo.
People, why are you giving away your photos for free so someone else can make money off it?
At the time I wrote this, 203 photos have already been added to their Flickr group. Oh, and guess what? They want you to sign a release if you win the contest so they can use your photo.
Hey, guess what: is anyone out there a car dealer? Cause, if so, I'd really like a Dodge Charger. And, in return for getting the car FOR FREE, I'll FEATURE you on my blog, website, and Facebook page. Sound like a good deal?
@jasonbarnette Thank you... people giving away stuff for free makes it hard for the real pros to make any money off of their stuff, too. Why pay someone to do a photo feature, when there's thousands of amateurs on Flickr, right? Grrr
Oh, brother! First off we're new so no money yet, secondly we have alot of photographer friends that would like to see their work in print and they deserve it, we'll be lucky if we make anything at all but right now we're doing it because we want to create a magazine that we're passionette about and create a platform for artists that we feel never get showcased and they should. If you don't want to participate then dont. I'm not begging anyone just want to spread the word to the talented people on this site because these are the type of people we want in our magazine. But you....you're right. They don't get paid. We don't have any money to pay anyone including ourselves. Hopefully we will get big enough that we can pay people to be in our mag because you all deserve it.
@hmgphotos --- I don't think this is fair because the majority of us are not professional photographers. Maybe we aren't looking to become professional photographers either. Sure, I'd love it if anyone paid for any of my pictures but the reality is probably no one will.
People can steal them off this site if they want anyway. People can steal them off your facebook profile too. My flickr account doesn't allow downloading or copying which is something anyway.
There is certainly a place for paid professionals in our society but the truth is there are many, many really top-notch amateur photographers who deserve to be recognized and why shouldn't they get published? Maybe if someone sees and likes their work they will pay them. Anyone that gets paid knows you need a portfolio. Does yours only contain photos that you were paid for? I see nothing wrong with building your portfolio with anything posted here, on facebook, flickr, or in a magazine,
@jasonbarnette --- I certainly appreciate your input. There are far too many individuals and groups who are doing just what you say. Keeping this information out in the foreground will give us information to work with. Unfortunately there will always be up and coming photographers who will not know this, so thank you for continuing to remind us.
Read the rules and read the fine print. If you aren't comfortable with what is offered then decline. Simple.
@jewls_59901 --- If this turns out to be fake for the purpose of reselling others work well, then be prepared to feel the wrath of the photography community.
@jasonbarnette - i have in my possession a "matchbox" Dodge Charger, so deal!
All kidding aside - very good points!
But on the other hand, just like in the music business you have to get noticed to make it big - so sometimes giving away a free shot might lead to bigger and better things. @jewls_59901 is is just providing a medium for that possibility.
@dmortega Dorrena, I can tell you one, very sad truth: If really top-notch amateur photographers continue to give away their photography for free, there won't be any professional photographers left.
Did you know the photography industry is dying? Seriously, it has less than 10 years of life left to it.
Is it because even cheap point-and-shoot cameras can take great photos now? No.
Is it because on average 5 out of every 10 households in America own a DSLR? No.
Is it because cellphones are coming out with 8 or 10MP cameras? No.
You want to know the reason? Because the people with those really great point-and-shoot cameras, amateurs and moms-with-cameras that own a Nikon D90 or other DSLR, and those people with an iPhone camera and giving their photos away for free.
I mean think about it: why would anyone pay for photos when thousands, yes thousands, of people are giving them away for free?
Last week I lost a potential commercial photography job right here in Myrtle Beach. I told the person I would charge $495 for three hours work and camera rental equipment (I needed to rent an additional four strobes to do this shot). They responded in an email calling me a thief and unprofessional and said "I can get my son's girlfriend to do this photo for free." And you know? She did. She did it for free and that photo is now on their website. Sure, I could have done a much better job at much high resolution. She used no strobes, only ambient light and sunlight pouring in through a window. The photo is a little fuzzy, so it's either out of focus or over-rendered. Either way, this business decided that paying a professional photographer to shoot the first image thousands of people see on their website was not worth it because his son's girlfriend could do it for free.
Given another ten years of this mentality and professional photographers will not exist. There go your professional DSLR's, high-quality lenses, and camera equipment. Supply and demand. Since 1995 there have been fewer and fewer professional photographers listed on NPPA each year, which has caused all the major camera manufacturers to raise their prices. A professional level camera today costs 20% more than the same professional level camera 20 years ago. That is not how it is supposed to work: prices are supposed to go down.
Okay. Rant finished. I think.
@indiannie_jones Love your screen name. I may give you credit just for that.
@hmgphotos Lets team up. You go for the head, I'll go for the kneecaps.
@rossco088 Er, uh, uhm...that's not quite what I meant. For a "Matchbox" car...I'll only give you credit at the bottom of my blog. The very bottom. In small print. Small invisible print. And only for a week!
@jasonbarnette --- Well, that does present a problem doesn't it? I guess photography will go the way of fine art.
It appears there is no way to stop the onslaught of photos that people are sharing. Quality will be what you need to sell. High quality that cannot be duplicated by just anyone with a camera. How about adding some of those examples of low quality vs high quality in your portfolio to show clients? People pay for quality work. People also pay for things they can't get just anywhere.
Maybe you won't be able to justify a huge investment for internet sites but what about family heirlooms that will be passed from generation to generation or those photos that are once in a lifetime shots. Papparazzi make money doing this type of photography all the time.
I don't think paid photographers will become obsolete at all. If anything they will be paid well if the work is good.
I can sort of see both sides to this argument. Personally I would NEVER submit a photo (mine aren't good enough anyway) to a comp unless it was to raies money for charity (I.E. BBC Countryfile calender comp).
I own a shop, how would I feel if next door a shop opened up that had homemade versions of my products AND they were given away for free?
What I'm saying people is there is two sides to this livelihoods are at stake, and people love to win a comp. If it's for charity WHAT'S THE HARM? BUT if they are gaining financially out of it IS IT RIGHT? I don't think so, so I wont do it!
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Here is their website.
http://throughthelensphotographymagazine.blogspot.com/
I've tried being nice about this in previous posts but I'm just gonna let'er rip this time. Look at what they are offering:
- They want your photos FOR FREE
- They are SELLING copies of their magazine
- Therefore, THEY are making money off YOUR photos
This happens quite often, in fact, Magazines, newspapers, websites have contests offering to "feature" your photos in their trade. They want your photos for free, you might get a nifty prize, at the very least you get "recognition" for your photo.
People, why are you giving away your photos for free so someone else can make money off it?
At the time I wrote this, 203 photos have already been added to their Flickr group. Oh, and guess what? They want you to sign a release if you win the contest so they can use your photo.
Hey, guess what: is anyone out there a car dealer? Cause, if so, I'd really like a Dodge Charger. And, in return for getting the car FOR FREE, I'll FEATURE you on my blog, website, and Facebook page. Sound like a good deal?
People can steal them off this site if they want anyway. People can steal them off your facebook profile too. My flickr account doesn't allow downloading or copying which is something anyway.
There is certainly a place for paid professionals in our society but the truth is there are many, many really top-notch amateur photographers who deserve to be recognized and why shouldn't they get published? Maybe if someone sees and likes their work they will pay them. Anyone that gets paid knows you need a portfolio. Does yours only contain photos that you were paid for? I see nothing wrong with building your portfolio with anything posted here, on facebook, flickr, or in a magazine,
@jasonbarnette --- I certainly appreciate your input. There are far too many individuals and groups who are doing just what you say. Keeping this information out in the foreground will give us information to work with. Unfortunately there will always be up and coming photographers who will not know this, so thank you for continuing to remind us.
Read the rules and read the fine print. If you aren't comfortable with what is offered then decline. Simple.
@jewls_59901 --- If this turns out to be fake for the purpose of reselling others work well, then be prepared to feel the wrath of the photography community.
All kidding aside - very good points!
But on the other hand, just like in the music business you have to get noticed to make it big - so sometimes giving away a free shot might lead to bigger and better things. @jewls_59901 is is just providing a medium for that possibility.
Did you know the photography industry is dying? Seriously, it has less than 10 years of life left to it.
Is it because even cheap point-and-shoot cameras can take great photos now? No.
Is it because on average 5 out of every 10 households in America own a DSLR? No.
Is it because cellphones are coming out with 8 or 10MP cameras? No.
You want to know the reason? Because the people with those really great point-and-shoot cameras, amateurs and moms-with-cameras that own a Nikon D90 or other DSLR, and those people with an iPhone camera and giving their photos away for free.
I mean think about it: why would anyone pay for photos when thousands, yes thousands, of people are giving them away for free?
Last week I lost a potential commercial photography job right here in Myrtle Beach. I told the person I would charge $495 for three hours work and camera rental equipment (I needed to rent an additional four strobes to do this shot). They responded in an email calling me a thief and unprofessional and said "I can get my son's girlfriend to do this photo for free." And you know? She did. She did it for free and that photo is now on their website. Sure, I could have done a much better job at much high resolution. She used no strobes, only ambient light and sunlight pouring in through a window. The photo is a little fuzzy, so it's either out of focus or over-rendered. Either way, this business decided that paying a professional photographer to shoot the first image thousands of people see on their website was not worth it because his son's girlfriend could do it for free.
Given another ten years of this mentality and professional photographers will not exist. There go your professional DSLR's, high-quality lenses, and camera equipment. Supply and demand. Since 1995 there have been fewer and fewer professional photographers listed on NPPA each year, which has caused all the major camera manufacturers to raise their prices. A professional level camera today costs 20% more than the same professional level camera 20 years ago. That is not how it is supposed to work: prices are supposed to go down.
Okay. Rant finished. I think.
@indiannie_jones Love your screen name. I may give you credit just for that.
@hmgphotos Lets team up. You go for the head, I'll go for the kneecaps.
@rossco088 Er, uh, uhm...that's not quite what I meant. For a "Matchbox" car...I'll only give you credit at the bottom of my blog. The very bottom. In small print. Small invisible print. And only for a week!
It appears there is no way to stop the onslaught of photos that people are sharing. Quality will be what you need to sell. High quality that cannot be duplicated by just anyone with a camera. How about adding some of those examples of low quality vs high quality in your portfolio to show clients? People pay for quality work. People also pay for things they can't get just anywhere.
Maybe you won't be able to justify a huge investment for internet sites but what about family heirlooms that will be passed from generation to generation or those photos that are once in a lifetime shots. Papparazzi make money doing this type of photography all the time.
I don't think paid photographers will become obsolete at all. If anything they will be paid well if the work is good.
I own a shop, how would I feel if next door a shop opened up that had homemade versions of my products AND they were given away for free?
What I'm saying people is there is two sides to this livelihoods are at stake, and people love to win a comp. If it's for charity WHAT'S THE HARM? BUT if they are gaining financially out of it IS IT RIGHT? I don't think so, so I wont do it!