EDITORIALS
It Only Takes One
By Chris Council
The photography business, especially in the editorial realm, has become a race to the bottom. The only way the industry will stabilize is for photographers to band together, stand up and say “enough.” Photo credits don’t pay the rent, and neither do below-market fees. Sometimes it’s hard to say no to a job, even a low-paying one, but everyone needs to decide their own personal breaking point when it comes to accepting a job.
To put this in context, here’s an example of a recent “job” that I turned down. I put the word job in quotes, because it didn’t pay anything. The USA Pro Cycling Challenge rolled through Aspen a few weeks ago, and I was contacted by a representative of the local chamber of commerce to photograph the event. The pay — nothing, zero, nada, zip.
But I was told it would be an “incredible opportunity to ride on the back of a motorcycle to photograph the event.” All I had to do was drive 3 hours to the next town over the night before, spend the day on the back of a donorcycle without falling off, use $12,000 of my own equipment, provide the images to the chamber of commerce (where they could be used however they wanted, as long as they wanted), and oh yeah, somehow find a way back to my car after the event which would entail another 6 hours in the car round-trip. No thanks.
I was berated by the agency and made to feel that I wasn’t contributing to the community, since everyone else was pitching in. Ironically, the agency was being paid handsomely by the city, which spent $258,000 the prior year on the event, including $50,000 spent by the chamber of commerce. You would think they could come up at least a nominal day rate to pay a photographer.
Aspen is a small town, and the photo community here is small and fairly tight-knit. I was first in line for the job, and after I turned down the “job” the other local photographers gave the same response as me, except one, who accepted.
Which brings me to my main point, which is that it only takes one person to drive down rates and lower the bar. So instead of the chamber of commerce budgeting properly for this event next year, they will once again assume they can get free images.
There may be times when it makes sense to do a job for free, although I’m hard pressed to think of any. Perhaps it’s any opportunity for access you could never get otherwise, and you think there’s a way to sell the images as stock afterwards. Or perhaps you are trying to break into a new specialty and need the practice and exposure.
But if you take a photography job without pay, or below market rates, you had better have your reasons, and they had better be damn good. And make sure you think long and hard about how your actions affect the industry as a whole, as well as the other photographers in your community.
Chris Council is the chief photographer at the Aspen Daily News, and is also available for editorial and commercial freelance assignments. He and his camera have traveled in 42 U.S. states and 22 countries on 5 continents, including Russia, Estonia, Croatia, Poland, Tanzania, Thailand, Egypt and Australia. He is an avid outdoorsman who has bicycled across the United States, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and hiked in the wilds of Kamchatka. This editorial was reposted from his blog.
Comments
Hey Chris, I got the same offer and countered with what I thought the job was worth.........funny, I never got a reply. Stick to your guns!
well said.
I agree 1,000%. I recently moved to a new city thinking I might pad my income with the occasional real estate shoot, only to discover a local company has turned that segment into Wal-mart operations; they shoot and deliver photos and a slide-show the same day for a fraction of normal market rates. One person's selfishness to undercut the rest hurts everyone, even themselves, in the long-run. I wish other photographers were less short-sighted.
Hear, hear! I can't agree more. I wish more people would understand this across all creative industries. It brings down the whole community no matter what medium you work in if you undercut others by charging below market value just so you can win the work.
This brings me to a question which I will pose to everyone, feel free to reply if you know the answer. What are your freelance rates as a creative living and working in Colorado? All disciplines are welcome to respond.
Right in line with the CA regional salary survey.
A wise man (and long time Denver CD/Agency Owner) gave me great advice.
Never give it away, but be fair to all involved.
Chris,
I can't agree with your argument.
Let me tell you a story. I was in Vegas a few years ago and the Strip was crawling with bike cabs. So I hopped in a bike cab and asked the driver to pedal me down the Strip. I thought it would be a relaxing way to see Vegas. But the whole time, taxis swerved into our lane and honked and screamed obscenities at the biker who was working his ass off pedaling me around. Turns out the taxi drivers were pissed that the bike cabs were taking their business. Too bad. Bike taxis were a good idea. The taxi drivers just didn't like it because it disrupted their industry.
The problem with photography these days is that digital technology, stock photography, photo sharing sites and all kinds of other innovations have disrupted the traditional business model. I hear a lot of photographers talk about how they need to stick to their guns and maintain their prices. I've been to workshops where photographers insist that newcomers in the business need to license photos with rights that are confusing and unrealistic for most businesses.
It's the same thing that I hear from copywriters and designers who complain that crowd sourcing undervalues their work.
The problem is that value is set by the people who buy the work, not the people who create it.
I love photographers. I think you are artists that not only capture the world; you show us things that we otherwise wouldn't see. You turn everyday scenes into inspiring chronicles rivaling the works of poets and composers. Thank you.
But the fact is, your business has been disrupted. It's time to take a good hard look at your business model and to take a lesson from Mother Nature – evolve or die.
P.S. I posted this under my real name because I respect Chris and his art form. I would appreciate it if others would be equally respectful in the rebuttals I'm sure will follow.
At the end of the day guys it comes to supply and demand. If they can get people to shoot for free, why pay? They'll only pay when the guy who they got for free does a horrible job.
When you have a 'cool' job like outdoor photography or cinematography (my background) this will inevitably happen becuase there are folks out there dying to get into the trade. Even if all the professionals band together, there will always be some kid with a 5D and a couple lenses who'll do it for free to ride on the back of a motorcycle and the 'experience'
What clients will realize eventually is that you pay for what you get - eventually they'll get someone for free who does a horrible job, drops the camera on the course, forgets their rain cover, and just fails to deliver - there's just no accountability from an 'intern'
As you mature and get better and better, it becomes easier to turn down work and demand a higher rate. Just be sure to charge them double when they call you to fix the unpaid intern's shoddy work!
-Dave D.
yep, hear ya. I was approached several times this summer by a local non-profit . They wanted me to donate my time since the event benefitted disabled veterans. I agreed !! its for a good cause and I had time and no expenses as I was offered a shuttle to/from the event.....well, just recently I learned that the CEO of that 'non-profit' makes just north of $300'000.-- and more ANNUALY !!! Non-profit my a$#$%. so much for that.
Dan
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