Time Marches On

Remember those cousins who were older than you but still young enough to be fun?  Remember when they hired a "Young" teacher?  Remember when retirement seemed a lifetime away?  I do.

Beazle is eighty-one years old.  She and her neighbor started sharing the newspaper when the price went up.  Mom and her neighbor go with each other to doctor's appointments.  The neighbor has gotten to the point that she decided not to cook anymore.  She uses her late husband's pension to buy take out.  I say good for her.

It's sad to hear when a favorite teacher passes away.  We mention nice things about them on FaceBook.  It doesn't sink in yet because these particular teachers were up in age back when we were in school. 

Beazle and my in-laws don't drive out of town anymore.  They make sure they get home before dark.  This is understandable because after all they are elderly. 

My cool cousins are thinking about retirement.  They're considering if they'll retire this year or next.  When did they get old enough to retire?  These same cousins said they don't like to drive after dark these days.  They say it's getting difficult.

One of my "Young" teachers found me on FaceBook a few days ago.  She said she retired two years ago.  What?  How can this lady be old enough to retire?

A school mate recently retired.  No, she hasn't reached retirement age.  But she has worked for the State for over twenty years.  She retired so she can stay home to care for her husband who has cancer.  People our age with over twenty years at one job.  People our age with serious health issure.  What.

Just the other day I was walking in my neighborhood when this guy pulls alongside me in his car.  He asked me if I needed a ride to the bus stop.  I declined because I didn't know him.  He said he is a nice, loving person and I remind him of his grandmother.  Yes, I'm old enough to have grand kids, (none yet),  little grand kids, but not grand kids old enough to drive.  

I'm still looking for the rewind button. 

I read a book talking about in the near future people will live for centuries or even forever.  The author discussed slowing the aging process or reversing it.  He was saying old people would live like vibrant fifty year olds.  How would it be?

Stop Selling Yourself Short.....

.....and stop expecting something for nothing.  I see both these trends on Craigslist and it's got to change.  There are so many of us out ther competing for the same dollar that pricing has gotten to be ridiculous.  As independent contractors we've got to stop selling ourselves short.  We need to stick together and educate the public about the worth of our craft.

Go to the Services/Creative section on Craigslist and you'll see what I'm railing against. 

With the digital age of photography and the convenience of having my own studio, I'm offering headshots for only $25. Included is one free 8x10 and high resolution digitally edited copies of the shoot on a CD/DVD at no additional cost. No gimmicks, no crazy sales, nada. Just great pictures at a reasonable price. (Mon - Fri only, sorry.)

For an confusion about this, I'll break it down like this. For $25, you set up an appointment for a 30 minute headshot session at my studio. Bring an outfit change or two if you like because we can take A LOT of photos in just 30 minutes. Once done, we review the photos. You pick five that you like, I edit them immediately, and print one 8x10 while I burn a DVD of the photos. You walk out with an 8x10 print, a DVD of all images of the shoot including the chosen (edited) and unchosen images. All photos are in high resolution large enough for a billboard.

Now lets break this down to see how or if this photographer is making any money.  She will spend more than thirty minutes with this client, especially if the client brings two changes of clothes.  Pouring over the photos to choose five will take another five to ten minutes.  Editing five images will take another half hour or so depending on what needs to be done.  Printing the 8 by 10 and burning the CD will take a few minutes too.  Now comes payment and more pleasantries when the client leaves.  This photographer has invested at least ninety minutes in the photoshoot.

Because she decided to print photographs herself she has the added expense of a quality printer and the right inks.  High quality 8 by 10s take a lot of ink.  (I don't print my own photos because of the high cost to get good looking prints at home.  When I did try home printing in years gone by, the ink took a few minutes to dry.)  The cost of photo paper and CD has to be considered.

She had examples of her work on the Craigslist ad and it is quite good.  This lady is selling herself short in price and getting no residual effects.  She is giving away full resolution images so her client can print them at Heaven know where, put them on Facebook and share them with all his friends, and all the photographer got was $25.  

True, pictures of you aren't like stock images and lots of people will want them, but the client wanted them.  Maybe close loved ones of the client will want some.  But she just gave any potential future business from this client away.  I think she should have put the five edited images on an online gallery so he and/or loved ones could order them from her.  You may think the client will look up this photographer when he needs more pictures taken.  He might, but he won't find her.  She'll be out of business by then.

Another trend is to shoot and give the client all the pictures straight out of the camera.  I don't like to do that because some ordinary images can look amazing with a bit of tweaking.  Do you really want your clients to see your test shots, your bracketed shots, the one with Aunt Millie sneezing, or the one where the sun is glaring off Grandpa's glasses?  Everybody and their brother shows pictures straight out of the camera.  Why would a photographer want to show the same kind of thing.  My new camera over exposes by a full stop.  I've adjusted the settings but I wouldn't want clients to see those images in their unedited state.   

Freelancers of all kinds; lets price our work fairly so we all can make a decent living.

There are also posters on Craigslist that want us to work for free.  They place ads for inturns or for TFP work.  These posters like to say they're starting out and want you to work for free or trade.  They say you can use their gig to build your portfolio.  Yeah right.  I build my portfolia on objects and Andrea.  I shop one wedding for my portfolio  but the bride payed me something.  I've got my portfolia, thank you very much.  If there are no clients there is always stock.

I call posts like this ads with audacity.  Look under Gigs/Creative.

We are a label on the southside of Atlanta looking to build a team of up and coming camera operators, directors, producers and photo and video editors. We are a rising label with clients both major and indie who are looking to work with new talent. THIS IS A NON-PAYING INTERNSHIP however, there are ways to make an honest dollar and gain exposure for your works. You will be assigned to projects and partnered with clients that need our services. If you are serious and interested, then please leave your name, contact number and links to your work. Photoshoppers are welcome and so are students. We are looking for the best of the best so be competitive! **Full studio will be provided for your works**

A new web series is launching in Atlanta.
It will take everyday people and transform the way they live, dress and act in relationships.

We are looking for videographers and cinematographers for this project.
If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please send us an email and include your equipment (camera type(s), mic(s), lighting, etc.) and years of experience.

This project is unpaid, but your work will gain exposure and will be a great addition to your portfolio.

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YouTube compared to Peer to Peer

Back in he early 2000's a lot of us were downloading music from places like Audio Galaxy and WMX.  Now we add songs, movies, and television episodes to our Favorites on YouTube.  Why was Peer to Peer illegal while YouTube is acceptable? 

A decade ago artists complained about their losing money due to people downloading music from the internet.  They took legal actions to stop it.  Many people don't buy CDs anymore, they download a rights managed copy of an artists work onto their iTunes account.  Once on their iTunes account it can be loaded onto mobile devices. 

These same musicians along with new artists upload their creations to YouTube so millions will see their work.  These multitudes will see or hear the artists' work for free; just like on the radio.  Unlike with radio, people can add songs, movies, and TV shows to their favorites list.  Now the general public has instant access to these artists' work on demand and for free.  Why aren't the artists complaining about this.  Why do they knowingly and deliberately put their work out there for the world to enjoy for free?  Will those fined for downloading music for free in the 2000's get a refund?