William Robb wrote:
> Unfortunately, around where I live (Southeastern US - North
> Carolina)
> there's one company that already has a lock on the business; already
> has
> contracts with most of the school systems.
>
> Another good line is CHURCHES - get the pastor on the hook with a
> really
> LOW PRICE for a group portrait of the congregation then sell all the
>
> individual families portrait packages
>
> They also have the contract for the "Photo Studio" at most WalMart,
> Target
> & J.C. Penny stores.
>
> They don't hire photographers.
>
> They take kids who want to be photographers, give them a quickie
> course -
> Camera here, this light here, that light there, switches just so ...
> this
> is how the background is hung - and pay them $11.00 an hour +
> "reimbursement" for expenses.
>
> The reimbursement = $.35 a mile for the wear & tear and fuel for
> their
> personal vehicle + minimal per diem.
>
> After a while the kids realize that when you add in all the unpaid
> travel
> time they're making less than they could flippin' burgers at
> McDonalds, so
> the company has to hire another batch of new kids.
>
> Still, I'd take $11.00 an hour if they'd hire me for one of the
> nearby
> J.C. Penny or Target studios, but I ain't going out on the road for
> that.
>
> Moot anyway - they don't hire photographers.
Photographers are too hard to train. They always think they have a
better way (which they do), and they tend to be loose cannons in the
studio.
William Robb
Speaking as veteran of the portrait mills, and a guy who used to make
his living training these people, I did hire "photographers." But I
prefered not to, because too many people who think of themselves as
photographers are anything but, having only a pocket full of bad habits
and an indifferent attitude toward learning useful techniques.
It was usually too difficult and time-consuming to retrain the bad
habits out of them, but sometimes it was worth it, if I could see some
willingness to accept instruction.
It's not just the volume people who have this attitude; I applied at a
couple independent studios back in the day, and was given the same line,
that they only hired people who knew nothing about photography so they
wouldn't have to deal with all the retraining.
I know it's very fashionable to mock the volume photo people, and like
any other industry it has its faults, but it's also a great way to get a
solid grounding in the basics of studio photography, not to mention
having access to piles of equipment that you don't have to go out and
purchase yourself, and if you are motivated enough to grasp the
fundamentals and apply them, you can create some truly exceptional work.
But only if you have the balls to stand up to a parade of toddlers and
their mothers/grandmothers.
--
PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List
[email protected]
http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow
the directions.
