Snappr: commoditisation of photography

[lynnb]

See media report about a new start-up billing itself as "the Uber for photography", to make quality photography more accessible to consumers, connecting them with pre-vetted photographers from $59.

I wonder who does the vetting. Sure to get lots of "quality" for $59. Maybe a 5 minute job with an iPhone might be profitable 🙂. But who am I to judge - maybe lots of talented amateurs will queue to earn pocket money and say they are now a pro (and then find there's no potential to scale up their income to earn a living).

I think I'll create a new start-up called "Exposure" - photographers can register for only $10, and work for free in return for exposure. When they've had a lot of exposure the money will flood in, trust me. Only highly motivated and talented photographers need apply.

 

[Keith]

FFS ... the world is being Uberised! Photographers who have spent their life times building up their businesses will be delighted about this I'm sure. And this trend we have on this planet currently that the measure of your success in life is aligned with having your own business gives me the irrits.

Maybe someone should uberise the military ... imagining having an ap on your phone that can bring a private army to your doorstep at the push of a few buttons!

That fact that this stuff leaves me absolutely cold only proves one thing in my mind ... I'm getting old! 😛

 

[x-ray]

50 years as a professional and thought I'd seen everything. As disturbing as this is I can't see it having any real effect on the quality oriented end of the industry. In the fifty years as a commercial photographer growing a major business based on quality work I don't think I've ever had a client that would hire someone for $59. You can't expect much more than a kid with a camera for that kind of money. Quality clients know that quality work cost money and experience counts. Anyway this has been going on since digital photography. People with a digital camera with little to no experience out trying to steal work away from seasoned pros. What these guys get is the scrapings from the bottom of the barrel. They get the $100 wedding, the cheap sports team photos and the head shots for kids trying to get into modeling. They don't get the Fortune 500 clients, catalogs, annual reports or ad agency work. These guys get the leftovers that no one wants because the budget is too low.

Like I said I e seen it going on for ten years or so and even have a couple of friends trying to break into the industry. They learn quickly it takes experience, not just a camera and lens. I haven't looked in the making money section on RFF in a while but in the past have seen plenty of instances of people on this forum taking on work for free or for little pay and little to no experience just for exposure or a few bucks to buy a new gadget. Nothing new and nothing different than what's been going on for a long time. Not to worry.

 

[davidnewtonguitars]

My son is a college kid (21) had a camera a little over a year, and he does random photo sessions: band pictures, graduation pictures, skate-boarder shots, hipster portraits etc. with no other credentials than he carries a camera around all the time, and his Instagram has lots of likes. Pay for a session: $60-100.
He got a "professional" job by word of mouth, a tatoo-shoot for a magazine, signed a professional looking contract for 6 shots culled from 60 shots. Pay: $50.
He's tickled pink, what kid wouldn't be?
Guess what? His pictures are hipsterly awesome, usually creepy, sometimes stunning, and if professional photographer is still a job in a few years, he will probably give it a go if he is still single.

Why is Uber "Uberized" the code-word for something that is cheapened? Doesn't a nice Uber ride cost more than a regular filthy taxi or city bus?

 

[x-ray]

Big difference in driving to the airport and executing a complex and expensive photo assignment. it's a tremendously different world shooting a job with a $100,000 budget and a $100 shoot with a skateboarder or a rock band. Also once known for cheap work, always known for cheap work. I know one photographer who has been trapped doing cheap work all of his 45 year career. He's worked his butt of and never made any real money.

Great for your son. We all have to start somewhere and I wish him luck. There's a lot to learn about business though.

 

[Steve M.]

I suspect the keyword is "from" $59. That would me the high school senior w/ an iPhone I assume.

Personally, I think it's a great idea, and they are right about how digital has totally changed the photographer-for-hire market. With today's cameras that have autofocus, auto exposure, and lots of battery life, who needs a "pro" photographer for most events?

Now if you want a really meaningful B&W portrait, this won't work. You need someone that shoots film and knows their stuff. But most photographic needs are not like that at all. These guys saw a possible market and went for it. I think it's smart. The reference to uber probably has nothing to do w/ money, it's about a more informal, person to person way of doing business, and I am also all for that.

 

[x-ray]

With today's cameras that have autofocus, auto exposure, and lots of battery life, who needs a "pro" photographer for most events?

Now if you want a really meaningful B&W portrait, this won't work. You need someone that shoots film and knows their stuff. But most photographic needs are not like that at all.

You revealed how clueless you are.

 

[sepiareverb]

You revealed how clueless you are.

Or have you revealed how lucky you are? In my neck of the woods there is no chance to get any sort of paid work shooting any more. I now do retouching for pay, old family pictures someone with money needs a copy of, or the occasional darkroom print from some old film found by someone who can afford to pay me to print it. The iPhone image is good enough for every current use any "client" might have, and attempting to get paid for taking a picture is a joke. The masses don't give a d@mn if the picture is better than what comes out of some schmucks iPhone. What matters is that it is free.

 

[x-ray]

I never worked for the masses, only corporations and yes I e been very fortunate.

The commercial world changed for sure but it wasn't due to digital cameras. A lot of corporations merged with others, went out of business or moved out of the US or area. I can see how the consumer market was hit though. I have plenty of long time professional friends that do portrait and wedding work that have suffered. Mostly this is due to cellphone cameras where moms always have one in their pocket ready to snap pix of their kids and friends getting family and friends to shoot their wedding. I also agree the consumer doesn't know good from bad and even some clients. Still I know a number of wedding and portrait guys that built their business on quality that still have a seriously good business.

 

[x-ray]

The sad thing about this is it'll make it even more difficult for young photographers to build a substantial business with a real studio. It takes a lot of money to own a big studio. I'm semi retired now and closed my 6,000 sq ft studio a few years ago. Do you have any idea what it cost to run a studio like that.

The clients like I had required large space to shoot huge sets and huge equipment. The studios that can handle these kinds of jobs are scarce now except large cities. This kind of operation won't exist with $50 or even $100 am hour jobs.

 

[Mr. Fizzlesticks]

The middlemen are f'in up the world, no doubt about it. Just a couple more leeches joining the rest of the leeches in Silicon Valley.

 

[Brian Legge]

People can already find the cheap/free options trivially on craigslist. I'll be shocked if this picks up any steam in practice. Its just one in a long line of startups that will be billing itself as 'the Uber of X' in an attempt to ride the popularity of the service.

 

[KM-25]

It really does not matter how long from now, 5, 10,15 years: someone will be rocking the photo world and pulling in serious income. And some will make a go of it and tank, props for trying, right?

I know how I have been doing, had my best year since 2007 last year. Having an entrepreneurial spirit, I plan on doing well into the future, really could care less about "uber happy snappers".