Comments on: The “Business” of Photography

By: Pixgremlin

Pixgremlin — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 16:13:46 +0000

Thanks for sharing this bit of info.

By: Mário

Mário — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 14:37:53 +0000

It’s interesting to read these coments, i’m from across the ocean, and from a small county. In here, outside from the major two cities, there is no market except for wedding photographers and 30 minute photoretailers.

By: Jon Kobeck

Jon Kobeck — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 03:58:11 +0000

I am curious, where does the fine art photographer fit into all this?

By: dysf

dysf — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 03:27:08 +0000

but they’re handling a different type of expectations. there’re too many overgeneralisations; they’re two different playing fields and it’s hard to say who’s “better”..

By: Bruce DeBoer

Bruce DeBoer — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 02:55:35 +0000

OK … chew on this a little: Once successful competing nationally, is it possible to say that the smaller market photographer is better than the larger market guys? After all, they have to be – talent carries the day. They have to overcome the cache, politics, and visibility of a larger market businesses. Makes sense doesn’t it?

By: Back to Business

Back to Business — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 23:17:06 +0000

One little-thought-of Equalizer in this largemarket/smallmarket conversation is the issue of rentable equipment. Yes, you’ll pay $2500 a month for a nasty apartment in Greenpoint, but the flip side is, you can go to any number of rental houses and rent most everything you need to pull off a job, thus freeing you from the financial burden of purchasing ever-increasing digital gear, plus insuring it, plus storing it, (which, in NY, is a major issue).

In a smaller market, there is a very good chance that, in order to be prepared, you’ll need to OWN most everything that you use, (and backups too).

And not to mention the accessability in the larger markets of knowledgeable crew and freelance labor. Whereas, in the smaller markets, in order to have these things, you’d almost need to employ them full time.

Would be interesting to see a spreadsheet, and see, at the end of the year, who comes out ahead. All of a sudden, $2500 a month rent might not look so crazy.

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 22:55:55 +0000

You bastards. Stay out of my bloody small market.

By: cb

cb — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 22:04:40 +0000

What people between the coasts seem to forget is that most of the NYC/LA photogs emigrated from the hinterlands to the coasts for the good work. They didn’t want to stay in Smallmarket, USA and have to be generalists to survive. They came to be near APE et al. The proximity to each other, the cross-pollination of styles (or referencing, or ripping off) pushes the medium forward. It’s a pressure cooker and it produces results. The ones that seem to survive have the ability to build or appropriate a style and also the business acumen to market themselves and then deliver the goods. The “talent” then is not just photo talent – I would say that the photo part is maybe 1/2 the game. The ones that do the best have the complete package.

By: Chris Walters

Chris Walters — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 21:09:31 +0000

Very True!

By: Peter

Peter — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 19:04:02 +0000

Not to mention that when you move out of the large market, the astronomical cost of living there works in your favor if you’re selling a house, but at least breaks even if you’re renting since the cost of an apartment in Nebraska will cost virtually nothing in comparison.

Although the marginal downside is the lack of good assistants. In my experience, you’re going to have to train your own if you’re in a small town.

By: Bruce DeBoer

Bruce DeBoer — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 18:37:54 +0000

Yup, what he said.

By: » The “Business” of Photography

» The “Business” of Photography — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 18:27:57 +0000

[...] You can read the rest of this blog post by going to the original source, here [...]

By: Back to Business

Back to Business — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 18:09:46 +0000

Thank God we’ve steered the ship back on course. Whoever wrote this hit the nail squarely.

Hiring commercial photographers is probably the Ultimate “Buyers Market” — there are so many more photographers out there, than actual Jobs. I agree, with Manhattan and Brooklyn alone, why the need to go anywhere else, unless it’s a front-of-the-book assignment?

And the advice to “do your time in a big market for a while” is great advice. I know several who’ve done that. There’s just something to being exposed to high quality crews that changes your standards, and then, when you move, you bring those standards (hopefully) back to the smaller market. My only caveat to that — you might need to move back to the Big Market after a few years, to goose your standards again. Ah, the dangers of Complacency.

Whatever the case, this was a great Comment, and this is an excellent Blog. It’s a mini Master’s Course.