Creagerj
Incidental Artist
...unless you are a customer or client. Put aside you're own personal opinions of film and digital photography and try to develop an opinion of the subject from the uneducated client's prospective. If you were customer what would you want? Film or digital, and why? Remember to pretend you basically know nothing about cameras beside the fact that when you push a button a picture is magically captured.
I raise this question because of an experiance I have just recently had. One of my hobbies and passions is photographing bands. I'm a musician and I enjoy doing it. It also means that I get to see a free show. I do it for free or basically free, I've never once been paid real money (for any picture), although some day someone might actually reimburse me for the film. I think my work is good, and I'm a decent photographer, although I'm no where near the level of some of the photographers her that I hope to some day be considered par with. Still I deliver a pretty good product considering I don't get paid a cent. I take lots of pictures and I touch them up in photoshop and give whoever a cd with the pictures I thought were worth while.
Recently I contacted a band that was looking for a photographer for an upcoming show. They wanted someone with a digital SLR but that usually never shies me away because in the end they still get something in digital format. Actually they wanted someone with a digital SLR and big flash to take pics of them and drunk people. They were offering $25 for the gig, which in the end works out to about $2.50 for me in profit. I would have done it for free to be honest. I told them that I could give them pictures that I take on my film camera in a digital format. I also gave them my spiel on why I like film more than digital. I also told them about how I do take my time in editing my pictures to make sure that they are the best they can be. I also tried to explain to them that they might like the pictures I take more if I just work in low light and not use a flash. Anyway, the only reply is "I'm sorry, I need digital".
I don't get it. I could understand if they weren't confident in the fact that I'm only 20 years old or that I've only been taking pictures for about four years. Personally I would be surprised if they were expecting a pro for $25, and I'm just about top not ct for that price range. But no, they just want a guy to take digital pictures with (probably) his lower end consumer SLR and (probably) off brand zoom lens so that they can have instant gratification. I'm not claiming to be gods gift to photography because I am certainly not, but I do think I could have delivered better results than they will probably end up getting.
Has film lost so much value in the client's eye that they would rather have the newest thing in untrained hands rather than a guy who is willing to forgo being paid for the money he puts into the film he shoots and the time he spends editing his work?
Half of me hopes thats they will get someone who doesn't really know what they are doing to take very washed out pictures with their big flash and consumer SLR with their cheap zoom lens (probably quantaray, ok I have one of those and it doesn't suck that much). On the other hand I would hate for that to happen to them, but it could turn them onto the path of righteousness.
Sorry this is so long I had to rant a tad.
I raise this question because of an experiance I have just recently had. One of my hobbies and passions is photographing bands. I'm a musician and I enjoy doing it. It also means that I get to see a free show. I do it for free or basically free, I've never once been paid real money (for any picture), although some day someone might actually reimburse me for the film. I think my work is good, and I'm a decent photographer, although I'm no where near the level of some of the photographers her that I hope to some day be considered par with. Still I deliver a pretty good product considering I don't get paid a cent. I take lots of pictures and I touch them up in photoshop and give whoever a cd with the pictures I thought were worth while.
Recently I contacted a band that was looking for a photographer for an upcoming show. They wanted someone with a digital SLR but that usually never shies me away because in the end they still get something in digital format. Actually they wanted someone with a digital SLR and big flash to take pics of them and drunk people. They were offering $25 for the gig, which in the end works out to about $2.50 for me in profit. I would have done it for free to be honest. I told them that I could give them pictures that I take on my film camera in a digital format. I also gave them my spiel on why I like film more than digital. I also told them about how I do take my time in editing my pictures to make sure that they are the best they can be. I also tried to explain to them that they might like the pictures I take more if I just work in low light and not use a flash. Anyway, the only reply is "I'm sorry, I need digital".
I don't get it. I could understand if they weren't confident in the fact that I'm only 20 years old or that I've only been taking pictures for about four years. Personally I would be surprised if they were expecting a pro for $25, and I'm just about top not ct for that price range. But no, they just want a guy to take digital pictures with (probably) his lower end consumer SLR and (probably) off brand zoom lens so that they can have instant gratification. I'm not claiming to be gods gift to photography because I am certainly not, but I do think I could have delivered better results than they will probably end up getting.
Has film lost so much value in the client's eye that they would rather have the newest thing in untrained hands rather than a guy who is willing to forgo being paid for the money he puts into the film he shoots and the time he spends editing his work?
Half of me hopes thats they will get someone who doesn't really know what they are doing to take very washed out pictures with their big flash and consumer SLR with their cheap zoom lens (probably quantaray, ok I have one of those and it doesn't suck that much). On the other hand I would hate for that to happen to them, but it could turn them onto the path of righteousness.
Sorry this is so long I had to rant a tad.
