Photographers that devalue themselves are of no use to their clients, or themselves,  I wrote about what photography costs the other day and this morning I read an article by John Harrington that horrifies me. Istock photo sold a cover photo to the TIME for $ 30.00.

The photographer is alledgedly happy that he made the $30.00, he is probably more excited that he has made the cover of TIME than anything else. Seiously that is a good plug for your portfolio, but here’s the thing all of your future clients will expect the same pricing structure.

I looked at stock photo sites as an alternative income source and worked out that to make a profit you would need to sell a photo many times. In theory reuse of an image is not a bad thing, but what if as a client your opposition uses the same image in an advert as you are using on your brochure? Does that not devalue your marketing efforts.

I know that when I see a business using clip art from the libraries of publisher, that they are not serious about marketing and their business, seriously who uses standard clip art as a logo? Why would you consider a photo taken in New York of a skyscraper relevant to your Johannesburg based business. Why would you want to use a cliched image that has appeared in a million other places to differentiate your business?

Would you use images of your brothers children rather than your own?

Back to the photographer, I made a concious  decision that I would not work 18 hours a day for a pittance, If I ws going to starve, It would not be because I was working and enriching everybody else and not myself.  Photographers, web designers, handymen, builders and every one else, charge a fair rate for your services, Do not live on the breadline because you devalue yourself.

Been to a doctor lately, Try and get him to reduce his rates because you think he is expensive. One thing that years of trying to accommodate others has taught me, Those that you bend over backwards for are and cut costs are always ingrates. Those that are willing to pay a reasonable rate for above average work are always more of a pleasure to deal with.

Photographers need to stop prostituting themselves on sites like Istock photo, How can you eat and afford more and better equipment if you will not place a reasonable value on your efforts, How can you gain respect from others for your efforts if you have no respect for your own efforts.

The real new frugality by John Harrington

How much does Photography cost?