This education IMO should be to photographers even more than clients.
Dear Glyn
Absolutely! It certainly is not the responsibility of the client. It IS the responsibility of every professionally minded photographer to consider the present and future of fellow photographers in how they run their businesses I believe, not just to think of their short time gains.
I have been to lectures at Focus etc, by high standing professionals in our industry (and on one of these lists) who are INITIALLY making loads of money creating RF images (ie CDs and Initial charges) but who blatantly admit that they are making the killing now, because if they don't others will.
This is the familiar argument for the supply of the weapons of war.......this policy is IMO morally corrupt and has the habit of coming back and hitting the supplier in the face. I don't think we need to elaborate as most here will surely appreciate the significance in my argument I think!
They also acknowledged that their actions would eventually damage our own industry!!!!!
And yet they persist?
There was a lot of heated discussion afterwards by MANY concerned photographers but these guys just don't seem to care as long as they've made their pile.
That's both short sighted and selfish in the extreme. No doubt someone will point out that this is not so different to destroying the resources of the World for short term gain, thus ignoring the consequences for the generations expected to follow. We are IMO seeing the swift degeneration of the standing and worth of professional photography. Digital capture, sales and distribution have to be used responsibly or we suffer the consequences both now and in the immediate future.
As customers in most walks of life increasingly seek the cheapest deal, why can we blame the customer when some short sighted or selfish photographers are fuelling that attitude.
Glyn I don't think we are blaming the customer, we surely have only ourselves to blame on this one. Those unwilling to stand up and be counted are by default supporting the slide. I know this will upset some but I have to say it as I see it. I have been in this industry for far too long to not believe in standing up for what one believes. Hell's teeth I have always been prepared to loose a job than to accept terms I am not happy with even if there was not another job in sight.
It is comforting to know that so many others on this list are prepared to lose jobs and continue to talk to both clients and photographers in order to protect our basic rights of intellectual property and ALL that this stands for.
Amen to that.
Pressure valve now sealed!
Cheers
Richard -- Scanning?.....Forget it! For Quality Drum Scans for Professionals that are really right see Labs section at www.prodig.org (and email Richard for pdf) =============================================================== GO TO http://www.prodig.org for ~ GUIDELINES ~ un/SUBSCRIBING ~ ITEMS for SALE
