A 1000000000000 photos on sale

Can you stand this Mavericks like wave of images for sale? It is all about selling and buying. Good photos are used by the industry to sell their things every day. The new instagram-killer eyeem.com has a business-model that is based on licensing your photos to companies around the world. That sounds good in the first place. But it kills the prices for people who live from photography. And big players adapt every fresh style from the streets to sell their (sometimes disgusting) stuff. Would you like to see the work of Henry Catier Bresson on a Volkswagen ad in the streets? And think about the money the instagram-founders got from facebook in relation the money you can ear by selling your photos (maybe to Mercedes).

The same goes with other successful platforms. And your photo will cost just 20-200 dollars for stock customers? Every image. For a little business or a giant campaign!

I believe that a well produced photo is a hundred (million) times better than stock. Imagine all that smiling faces with a headset attached beside every hotline number. There is no relation to your company and what you are doing. There is no linked creativity. It is the same thing like going to a cheap fast food restaurant without any soul and eating in a good restaurant with a personal touch enjoying good service. If your photos are good, customers will appreciate that and pay for them. Don´t offer stock photos. Try to help your customer in developing or following a visual language. Show how good craftmanship and art can produce great results.

Don´t let serious photography go the wrong way and stay out of this mass business...

Photograph Rebekka & Albertina by Nils Kuelper (robvisual) on 500px
organic barber & tailor in one shop

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why should you buy the new X-PRO2?

Image
I wrote some articles about the X-PRO1/2 in the past. I mentioned there that you don´t need to upgrade your camera if you're happy with it. Maybe you spend the money on travel, prints or some more lenses. If you are starting from the scratch or need a faster and better camera I will tell you why this camera is perfect for you: the rangefinder style - if you shooting street or reportage etc. it is great to use a camera that won't cover your whole face to maintain eye contact with your subject (this is not the case with the X-T1) faster auto focus even in near dark environments - I often missed a shot because of this with my X100s, X-PRO1 (but you can also use an X-T1) weather sealing - in conjunction with a water proof lens you can now do some shots without fearing a malfunction inside your precious camera more responsive - the faster cpu will make this camera more like an analog one where everything happens when you press a button without too many lagging ISO dial -
More information »

Final thoughts on the X100F and the XPRO2 after using them for a longer time

Image
After selling my X-T1 and X100S I bought the XPRO2 and the X100F to work with them in different situations. I love the form factor and the OVF of the XPRO2 and the size and the silent operation of the X100F. With this lineup I can choose the right cam for nearly every situation (I am not a sports photographer). This can happen when you go for a nice reflection-shot (35mm f1.4/XPRO2) How are my feelings after using the XPRO2 for one year and the X100F for three months now? I know that there is no tool in this world that will serve all your needs without a little drop of bitterness. Perfection is a lie and I don't expect a camera (and anything else in life) to be perfect. So I try to be fair and only write about things without falling into that ranting scheme that is all around the web. XPRO2 I love the size and the possibility to use the OVF that allows me to see what is coming into frame. I can also use the 18mm with zone focusing to concentrate on the decisive moment
More information »

My first experiences with the X-Pro2 (part 2)

Image
Some days have passed by and the camera feels more like an every camera does. I find it always interesting how hard we suffer when we wait for a new gadget and how fast we forget about those feelings after a short period of time. "Hey, come on! It's is a brand new X-Pro2!" ;-) I did a little trip with my wife and my parents in law to a nice little hotel in Kuehlungsborn (a place at the Baltic sea coast of north/east Germany) to enjoy walks at the beach, a hot sauna and a good dinner to forget about work and get some fresh air into my lungs. The camera was with me (as always) and I took some more photos for this little real life review. Will it blend? The mother of all questions. This camera does the job and feels great in the hand of a photographer. My lineup for the weekend were the XF 27mm and the 60mm lenses. The last mentioned glass is said to be sluggish in terms of auto-focus so I was curious about how it will perform on the X-Pro2, because on my X-T1 it
More information »