The Value of a Photograph

Recently I have been working with a large number of photographers, many of them just completing school or otherwise emerging into the profession.  This post is for their benefit.

Consider for a moment a world without pictures.  It would be almost a world without beauty.

There is perhaps no other product that is as versatile as a photograph.  It can record a moment in history, whether tragic or uplifting; preserve the memories of children growing up, or the beauty of your wedding day in a way no other media can.  And while there are those who try to tell us otherwise, the image is almost always a very large part of the reason you purchase any of the various products and services that you consume.

Unfortunately, the power of the image is being largely taken for granted in today’s world.  And by this I don’t mean just any image, I mean the power of a well composed, technically and artistically perfect professional photo.

Imagine for a moment going to the grocery store and looking down the magazine rack where none of the magazines had photos on the cover.  Would you bother to look?  Not likely.  What if within the magazine itself there were no photographs?  How long would Vogue, Cosmo, Muscle and Fitness or Car and Driver hold your attention if there were no photos?  Would you pay money for the magazine?  Not a chance.

Now let’s work our way over to the frozen food isle.  Would you buy the package of frozen lasagna if it didn’t have a mouth watering photo of the product on the cover?  That answer is no.  Now, consider there are 4 or 5 brands of lasagna all new to you.  Which will you choose?  The one with the most appetizing photo on the box.

Step next door to the entertainment store.  Look at the music CD covers.  How interesting would they be without a photo?  What about the movies?  Does the photo on the jacket influence your decision to buy?  Yes it does.

I think you get the point and can easily expand on the ways the photograph literally moves the world.  And outside of the commercial world that value does not change.  The value of a fine art portrait that will grace a room with its beauty for many generations to come.  The priceless value of freezing a history making moment in time, such as the launch of the first rocket to the moon.  And consider the value of being able to look back at a wedding with the full beauty of the moment captured.

All of these things are priceless… yet the emerging photographer often finds that his dreams to make it big creating powerful and beautiful images are used against him.  “Pay your dues” or “this is great free exposure” or simply “this will be great for your portfolio” can seem to be the only words he/she hears.

If you listen you will soon come to believe that not only are your images worthless but that you yourself have nothing of value to contribute to the world…   at that moment, your dream will become your sorrow.

That is of course a lie and it is why I am writing this post.  Take a moment to understand what your contribution to the world is worth.  Then, take the time to learn professional practices so you can demand the world gives back to you what you give to it.

Only then can you enjoy your creativity.  Contrary to what the critics say, invalidation, poverty, hardship and sorrow do not contribute to the creation of great art… these things only destroy artists and they will only happen to you if you allow it.

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The Women’s Bean Project

I couldn’t let Christmas pass without taking a moment to tip my hat to the Women’s Bean Project.

I learned about the program and their work while photographing an event for the Denver Chamber of Commerce that was held there.  The first thing I noticed was the pure joy radiated by the women involved with the project.  While I don’t claim to know much about the project, I must say they seem to be one of the most worthwhile non-profits in town.

In a world where corporations are seeking increase profits by eliminating or offshoring jobs, the Women’s Bean Project is creating jobs for those who would normally have difficulty gaining employment.  And the morale of these women shows clearly that of any of our rights, the right to earn a living is perhaps the most valuable of all.

Please take a moment to visit their website and see what the program is doing and contribute in any way you can… or at least find out where you can buy their delicious foods and gift baskets.

And to the ladies at the Women’s Bean Project, my hat is off to you!

Photos below include participants of the program, staff and also members of the Denver Chamber of Commerce.

 

The Women's Bean Project - copyright Mark Stout

The Women's Bean Project - copyright Mark Stout Photography

The Women's Bean Project - copyright Mark Stout

Another microstock nightmare

Microstock has been rubbing professional photographers wrong for some time now due to their efforts to devalue the work of photographers to far below what it costs to produce it.

They accomplished this by promising camera enthusiasts and amateur photographers they will make a fortune by uploading their snapshots to the microstock sites, and then rejecting the vast majority of what they submit….  telling them on one hand that they don’t need fancy cameras or lights… and hey, don’t worry about those pesky permits just do it Paparazzi style. Several microstock sites have posted advice on how to dodge permits and get away with taking shots where it is prohibited, such as professional sporting games (just clone out the team logos and don’t let anyone catch you with your camera).  On the other hand, when contributors complain they are not making enough they are told all they have to do is invest in better gear, sets, props, wardrobe, makeup artists; spend more time scouting for exotic locations, and the big bucks will start rolling in.   Quite the contradiction.

Now the consumers of microstock photos are finding themselves equally upset.

I spoke to the art director of a magazine who told me they had to reprint the entire edition after they found the microstock image they had used for their cover on a billboard for an objectionable product days before the magazine was about to hit the stands.

Not much saving there, was there?

And it gets even more fun.  Today I read of a person who received official notification under the provisions of Section 512(c) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) to effect removal of the above-reported infringements from the photographer who held the copyright.

He was shocked.  He had “legally” licensed the image from iStock photo.  Or so he thought.  Problem is that the person who uploaded the image to iStock had stolen it!  Worse, iStock photo refused to take the image down once the theft had been discovered!

Read about it here.

He got lucky.  He only had to pay for the rights to license an image he now can’t use.  He could have been sued.

If you google the topic, you will find the problem is prevalent.  There are countless blog and forum posts where photographers are complaining that they are finding their images have been downloaded from a microstock site, or lifted from Flickr or another source and then uploaded to microstock sites where they hope to profit from the theft.

The problem here is apparent.  Microstock pulled the rug out from under the industry by opening the door to amateur photographers who do not know the value of their work… and have not been shooting long enough to know what it costs to produce it.  Unfortunately for the client, they also do not know the business practices of the industry and see no reason they can’t upload someone else’s image to make a few more pennies, worry about whether or not it was actually legal to shoot where they took the photo, or they simply fill in the model release themselves rather than ask the subject of their photos to do so (who may not have consented to be photographed at all). Since microstock sites do not know their contributors, they have no way to protect you against this.

It has also opened the door so widely that it is impossible for them to track the legitimacy of the images they license.  Shutterstock for example boasts close to 300,000 “photographers.”

How well do you think they know their contributors?  Can you risk the damage that will be done to your business when your client is slapped with a lawsuit for copyright violation of the image you thought you legally licensed through one of the microstock providers?

Probably not.  The moral of the story is that it is probably cheaper to hire a pro to shoot what you need, or to license the work directly from a photographer you know you can trust.  Your image is valuable.  So is your reputation.  Can you afford to have them destroyed by a cheap image?

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