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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
If you read one blog post all year... make it this one.
Brian Blanco, Photographer
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Tampa / Sarasota | FL | USA | Posted: 5:34 PM on 11.16.10 |
->> Yes, it's no secret that Chip Litherland and I are good friends, but that's not why I'm posting this. If I pimped every blog post the guy had it'd be my full time job (sorry Chip). I'm posting it because it is the single-most important piece of advice I've seen in photo blog-land in quite some time.
http://chiplitherland.com/blog/2010/11/open-letter-to-newspaper-photographe.../
Thanks Chip. |
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Chuck Liddy, Photographer
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Durham | NC | USA | Posted: 6:14 PM on 11.16.10 |
| ->> wow. awesome. |
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Bradly J. Boner, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Jackson | WY | USA | Posted: 6:58 PM on 11.16.10 |
| ->> Quite frankly, I'm tired of reading about doom and gloom. |
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Michael McNamara, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Phoenix | AZ | USA | Posted: 7:24 PM on 11.16.10 |
| ->> Bradly, I didn't read it as doom a gloom. I read it as "get yourself ready for the next chapter where you get to determine your own direction, as long as you put in the effort." |
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Bradly J. Boner, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Jackson | WY | USA | Posted: 7:29 PM on 11.16.10 |
| ->> Any blog post that begins with, "If you think you are safe in your job, you aren’t" isn't gonna make my day any brighter. That's just my personal opinion, though. |
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Nick Adams, Photographer
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Houston | TX | | Posted: 7:44 PM on 11.16.10 |
| ->> No job is safe. |
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Brian Blanco, Photographer
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Tampa / Sarasota | FL | USA | Posted: 8:06 PM on 11.16.10 |
| ->> McNamara: Bingo. |
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Steven E. Frischling, Photographer
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->> Bradly
I think Chip's article was right on the money. It was not doom & gloom, it was blunt ... but a reminder its up to YOU to figure out how to market yourself next. It is in your hands to decide how you'll try and make it work as a photog.
Do you want your day made brighter as the newspaper industry tries to avoid its death? |
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Sam Morris, Photographer
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Henderson (Las Vegas) | NV | USA | Posted: 9:06 PM on 11.16.10 |
->> Was just thinking of posting this.
If you want to check out the Tiffany Brown reference, do take a look: http://www.tiffanybrown.com/ |
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Thomas E. Witte, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Cincinnati | OH | USA | Posted: 9:34 PM on 11.16.10 |
| ->> That's ironic Bradly - I'm tired of people acting like there's nothing to be concerned about. |
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Angus Mordant, Student/Intern
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Sydney | NSW Australia | Australia | Posted: 10:14 PM on 11.16.10 |
| ->> As a photojournalism student i didn't read it as doom 'n gloom. I found it fairly positive and informative actually, It tells us what we all know that jobs are hardly safe but i found it said it nicely, got the point across and was well written. If you where offended by that i think you needed the wake up call. |
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Bradly J. Boner, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Jackson | WY | USA | Posted: 10:26 PM on 11.16.10 |
->> Steve and Thomas - I think you're missing my point. I never said I didn't WANT to read it, I said I was TIRED of reading it.
Basically, while the article was indeed "right on the money," there's really nothing new to it. It's the same stuff we've all been hearing for years. If any newspaper photographer is in any way surprised or stunned by anything in that blog post, they've obviously been oblivious to the utter collapse of the industry around them. So if I don't think it's exactly cutting-edge commentary that yet another former newspaper photographer is blogging yet again about losing yet another staff job and moving on to yet another career, it's because I've heard that song before, man, dozens of times. Maybe I'm just cynical about the cynics. I mean, seriously, no matter how many times they re-make Hamlet, I hate to break it to ya, he dies in the end. Every. Single. Time.
It's equivocal to telling owner of one of the half-dozen mom and pop video stores that actually still exist in this country that there's no way their business is going to survive because Netflix will eventually suck off all their business and crush them. They see the writing on the wall, and they've seen it for years. If they're smart, they're preparing for the eventuality that they'll have to shut their doors and liquidate their DVD inventory at 3 bucks a pop, and move on to another career. But I'm sure they would get pretty tired if every single former video store owner walked into their shop and told them what they already know.
I suppose I'm just ready to move beyond the whole "the industry is changing, change with it or get out" bit. I'd like to think that, given the enormous amount of attention to this issue over the last few years, most newspaper photographers have already evaluated and have come to terms with their individual situations. And if they're smart, they're already doing or have done just about everything laid out in that blog post, because, man, they've read it before somewhere else. |
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Jim Colburn, Photo Editor, Photographer
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McAllen | TX | USA | Posted: 10:56 PM on 11.16.10 |
->> My thought on this blog post is,
"No shit Sherlock, where have you been for the last decade or so?"
Nothing new. |
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Louis Lopez, Photographer
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Fontana | CA | USA | Posted: 1:46 AM on 11.17.10 |
->> Same story, same advice. Bradley right on the money.
and surprisingly, Jim was channeling my thoughts for once. |
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Steve Ueckert, Photographer
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Houston | TX | | Posted: 1:59 AM on 11.17.10 |
->> "In the end, it’s all about making photos that you love. Keep yourself doing just that."
What else is there?
Besides keeping the bills and taxes paid, and the sanity in check. |
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Steve Ueckert, Photographer
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Houston | TX | | Posted: 2:12 AM on 11.17.10 |
->> Jim--
We almost, finally, agree on something:
"No shit Sherlock, where have you been for the last decade or so?"
Decade, c'mon, in reality it has been the last more-or-less half-century. The two newspaper towns ended in the '80's, but the contraction of the print media has been happening for at least a half-century. Remember, LIFE died for the first time in the last month of 1972. That was the year I graduated from high school.
--Steve |
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Brian Blanco, Photographer
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Tampa / Sarasota | FL | USA | Posted: 7:55 AM on 11.17.10 |
->> Ok, I'll bite (and I'm sure I'll regret it)... "Doom and gloom", seriously? If that's what some people read then that's truly unfortunate. Nothing about Chip, or his post, is "Doom and gloom". In fact what I read was, "Hey, you can do this and it can be great... but you have to get off your ass if you expect it to work."
This whole thread reminds me of an email I received about 2 years ago:
About two years ago I got laid off from my staff job and the very next day I regrouped and retooled myself as a freelancer. I'd wake up in the morning and spend 8 to 10 hours a day sending emails, creating promotional material, buying gear, networking, building a website, making phone calls, etc..., essentially I was hustling because, as Chip mentioned, I knew it was up to me.
Well, my hustle started paying off and I wrote an article for the Sportshooter newsletter detailing my transition from staff to freelance. I felt it was a positive article, but I received a couple of nasty emails from people who appeared to be downright angry that I was seeing some success. One email essentially said, "Hey, I've been laid off too and I put up a website and now I can't afford to do anything but sit in my boxer shorts and wait for the phone to ring. What can I do if the phone doesn't ring?"
The emailer was literally sitting in his parent's home, watching TV all day and waiting for his website to make his phone ring.
I'll say it for the record: If that's your business plan then you *will fail* in this business. And that's what Chip was saying.
It has been two years now that I've been on my own and I have to tell you, I enjoy my work 10 times more than I ever did is a staffer. I can (and do) pick and choose what I shoot. My assignments are far more interesting than they were at the paper. I feel that my clients appreciate my contribution much more than anyone ever did at my old paper. Freelance has been more financially rewarding than my position as a staffer. I spend FAR more time with my wife (and now new baby) and I'm overall happier, less stressed and more excited about my career.
But, yes, there's a trade off. I can't sit back and wait for a bi-weekly paycheck to automatically appear in my checking account. I actually have to get up in the morning, walk into my office and spend the next 8 hours hustling: doing something, anything that inches me, my business, and my family forward. It's a business model that has worked well for me thus far and I'm going to stick with it. If you get lazy in this business you get forgotten.
Let me tell you, Chip and I are in the same market. There's about a 20 minute drive from my front door to his, so now that he is a full time freelancer life would be easier for me if he was the type to just sit around watching Yo Gabba Gabba waiting for his phone to ring. (I wouldn't let that happen) But Chip makes his own luck. He's a hard worker, he's incredibly talented, his clients seek him out and he has been very busy and successful in his first few months of being a freelancer... he could have kept his mouth shut and continued to be successful but instead he chose to sit down and share the formula.
It's not "doom and gloom" folks, it's a blueprint. |
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David Harpe, Photographer
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Denver | CO | USA | Posted: 8:43 AM on 11.17.10 |
->> Here's a summary of the blog post:
1. Your newspaper job might not be secure.
2. If you start a small business, run the business properly or it will fail.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I credit the folks who regularly participate in Sports Shooter with knowing that kind of thing already.
I'm with Jim...nothing new here. |
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Brian Blanco, Photographer
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Tampa / Sarasota | FL | USA | Posted: 9:45 AM on 11.17.10 |
->> You're right David. Everyone on this site is, in fact, a bastion of solid business knowledge and those professionals who've had success should keep their advice to themselves so as not to bore everyone else.
We should instead keep the discussion to which are the best monopod pads, where to buy the coolest credential holders and how great it is to shoot on spec.
I'll email Brad now, apologize and ask him to remove the thread. |
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Butch Miller, Photographer
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Lock Haven | PA | USA | Posted: 11:19 AM on 11.17.10 |
->> I've been preaching the same advice to friends and colleagues for years ... prepare yourself for the inevitable ... newspapers and magazines as we know them do have a very short shelf life ... each day, more and more publications are being forced to accomplish more with less resources ... better to make the move onward on your own terms ...
I left working for dailies seven years ago and couldn't be happier ... I spent all my free time the previous two years laying the groundwork and planning the details for my move ... it's not easy, but so much better than being forced to make the move suddenly due to cutbacks or even a shut down.
I agree ... especially for newspapers ... it has been a slow dwindling process since WWII era ... each successive generation since then has depended less, and less on the daily paper as a source for news and information ... it is only in the past decade where we have actually begun to experience a more dramatic shift ... |
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Clark Brooks, Photo Editor, Photographer
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Urbana | IL | USA | Posted: 12:02 PM on 11.17.10 |
->> Jim Colburn wrote: ""No shit Sherlock, where have you been for the last decade or so?""
Not the way I would have said on the board here, but exactly what I was thinking.... lol ... I read the entire post hoping to learn something new, exciting. I was disappointed but on the other hand while not exactly anything new to many of us, the blog post is valuable in that does affirm some of the advice dozens of us having been writing here for years as well as let those with an uncertain future that there is hope and light on the other side if they get their ducks lined up sooner rather than later.
Myself, Rick Rickman, Eric Canha, Michael Fischer and a few others have been recommending planning for the future by saving working capital, buying equipment you will need to go at on you own as well as coming up with diverse set of services and products, creating or servicing niche markets, learning basic business skills and more for at least half a decade. Here is one thread as an example: http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=17979
Another example - http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=29919 - where Armando Solares offers a great deal of solid advice for the laid off or departing photo staffer.
The moral of the story and even this thread is you have to proactive instead of reactive. Start planning today for the future. Don't wait for the walking papers and severance pay. Don't wait until the competition has whittled away at your bread and butter, core business. Don't wait until your core client base erodes because your services are not longer valued or needed.
Staffer, freelancer, self-employeed...the fact is, as I've said here in the past, photography is in the most rapid state of evolution since the development of emulsion. As a photographer in this period of the industry thanks mostly to technology, change is inevitable and rapid. Resistance, unfortunately, is futile. Preparing for the future now means while you may hit a few bumps in the road, you will almost never make a wrong turn in when future arrives. |
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Armando Solares, Photographer
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Englewood | FL | USA | Posted: 12:22 PM on 11.17.10 |
->> Clark,
I forgot I wrote that 2 years ago. It still holds true. One thing I forgot, is to be able to adapt. That can mean anything, adapt to new technologies, adapt to the clients needs adapt to the market, adapt to change and recognize change quickly. Adaptation leads to evolution and so on... |
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Mark Loundy, Photo Editor
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San Jose | CA | USA | Posted: 12:26 PM on 11.17.10 |
->> There is a constant stream of starry-eyed newcomers who need to be educated about the realities of the business. If you're up to speed, that's great. But not enough people are.
--Mark |
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Landon Finch, Photographer
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Colorado Springs | CO | USA | Posted: 12:48 PM on 11.17.10 |
| ->> I can't get past the first sentence, centered text in paragraph form hurts my eyes more than the flashes at a royal engagement announcement. |
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Eric Canha, Photographer
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Brockton | MA | United States | Posted: 1:07 PM on 11.17.10 |
->> At some point when the message takes on the same drone as the other 9999 blogs warnings, the message becomes lost. It just becomes part of the background noise.
Chips post wasn't 'wrong' or inaccurate BUT unlike the photo that accompanied the post, the REAL subject gets lost in the first 7 paragraphs. Truthfully I would have stopped reading it 3 paragraphs in had it not been for all the furor being generated here.
The second half of the blog is right on the money. Get off you ass, learn new things. Meet people, make FRIENDS, network. Take nothing for granted and ........ All the other positive things Chip wrote.
Personally I think that what that post needed more than ANYTHING was a good editor to shrink it down, tighten it up, and present it in such a way that the reader WANTS to read the next paragraph rather than to dread what other injustice or evil will be reported in the next sentence.
p.s. Chip PLEASE get rid of the centering. Left of full justify the text.... PLEASE. |
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Eric Canha, Photographer
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Brockton | MA | United States | Posted: 1:08 PM on 11.17.10 |
| ->> Landon me too... I copied the text and pasted it into word and justified it there. |
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Matthew Sauk, Photographer
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Sandy | UT | United States | Posted: 1:24 PM on 11.17.10 |
->> You should always prepare yourself for the worst case scenario.
I coach so I know I could be fired at any moment. It reality in the coaching world.
It is just like any job, the day you get comfortable, the day you won't see it coming. |
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Louis Lopez, Photographer
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Fontana | CA | USA | Posted: 2:10 PM on 11.17.10 |
| ->> Brian, those of us looking for credential holders might actually need them as we are working so much we need a well made product that does not tear so easily. |
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Brian Tietz, Photographer
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Fort Myers | FL | USA | Posted: 3:25 PM on 11.17.10 |
| ->> Lopez, I really hope you knocked on wood after writing that. Whats the day rate for Calsport these days? |
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Bradly J. Boner, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Jackson | WY | USA | Posted: 7:34 PM on 11.17.10 |
->> Mark L. - Totally agree. The emphasis should be on the youngsters still in school, or considering a degree in photojournalism. Personally, I think it's borderline criminal for photo-j schools to keep churning out young, starry-eyed photographers year after year.
Our emphasis, quite frankly, should be on informing students to either get a second major in a field will actually employ them or just minor in photojournalism and major in something else. That way, they have a fall-back plan from the get-go.
But again, this blog post was "An open letter to newspaper photographers." Not only did it chafe me at the outset by using one of my personal title pet peeves (for me, "An open letter to ______" is right up there with "Anatomy of a ______") but it stated what most have known for years. And if those who don't get it haven't by now, then I seriously don't think one more blog post is going to hammer it home. Those people still will be absolutely shocked when they lose their jobs. |
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Patrick Fallon, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Columbia | MO | USA | Posted: 11:17 PM on 11.17.10 |
->> Not a blog post, but an article about how the funding of journalism has changed, and much more, from the perspective of one journalist:
http://www.easyreadernews.com/2010/11/news/terrorism-memory
"At one point after the 9-11 stories had appeared, Terry spoke before a group of businessmen. They were curious about how the reporting was financed. The expense of his reporting alone, Terry estimated, was at least $400,000.
“How does that cost out?” one man asked.
The answer, of course, is that it didn’t. Newspapers formerly spent huge amounts of resources on stories that might never be fleshed out, and even when they did –as this one did – they didn’t pay for themselves though additional sales." |
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Michael Proebsting, Photographer
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Barrington | IL | USA | Posted: 2:31 AM on 11.18.10 |
->> Hey Tietz,
It's huge-same as US Presswire. |
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Louis Lopez, Photographer
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Fontana | CA | USA | Posted: 3:11 AM on 11.18.10 |
->> Tietz,
All my income is from photography, for over 15 years all from freelance photography, My client list is long and loyal.
Sports images is just one part of that. I am very well known in Southern California by both freelance and staff photographers that can attest that I am not some "weekend warrior". You have to know what your doing and how to cover an event or it's all spec shooting.
Cal Sport distributes my sports images, they don't undercut on pricing and get the current top rate for my images and my images sell very well, They have been honest, direct and upfront from the first day I started working with them. You will not find a more honest group of people in this business.
My ability to run a succesful photo business and my image sales speak for themselves.
Knock on wood? I make my own luck. |
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Michael Fischer, Photographer
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Spencer | Ia | USA | Posted: 7:40 AM on 11.18.10 |
->> Clark, thanks for the shout out.
Personally, I don't think you can say what Chip said too often. As Mark points out, there's a whole new group of fresh, young faces (or not so young) who look at the surface of the photography business and think : "take a picture - collect the money" and think "I can do that".
I have a saying: Easy isn't simple and simple isn't easy. Making a living in photography looks simple.It looks easy. In my other business, consumers end up thinking the same thing .. how hard could it be?
People - NONE of it is easy anymore. NONE of it. It requires knowledge and effort - it requires SMARTS and REAL WORK. It requires a dash of COURAGE as well. Too much of the market, whether other businesses or consumers, thinks you should work for free. Part of this is the economy, but part of this is a disturbing trend of not valuing the work that others do to make a living. If I had time to research this trend, I would, but it's out there.
How do you deal with this?
Chip, Brian, Eric, Michael, Steven - so many of you GET IT. It's about embracing change - it's about finding clients who value what you do and are willing to pay you for your efforts. Those clients need to be taken care of and deserve your best. But there is no finish line. You can't be complacent if you want to survive and thrive.
In both of my businesses, I am showing strong increases this year. It's hard. It is taking every bit of knowledge and experience I have. But the business is there. You just have to WORK to find it.
It's work that's the difference. Whether it is the GWC, the fresh young face, or someone who just thinks how easy it would be to make a living with a camera, a good business plan, using resources properly, and WORKING hard - will, more often than not, lead to success. In that respect, it's not any different than it's ever been.
M |
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G.J. McCarthy, Photographer
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Dallas | TX | US | Posted: 10:06 AM on 11.18.10 |
->> Hey Bert:
I say forget about workshops, Luaus and the like -- you're next big thing should be WrestleMania: SportShooter edition.
I mean, after several years, it's clear that reasonable, mature discourse accomplishes little on this site. Maybe we'd be better off solving our differences of opinion with flying folding chairs and Half-Nelsons.
Just a thought.
- g - |
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Chuck Liddy, Photographer
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Durham | NC | USA | Posted: 10:29 AM on 11.18.10 |
| ->> I have the "top ring rope, flying kamakazie bionic elbow of death" move down pat. LETTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT""SSSSSS RUUMMMMMMMBBBBBLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLE! |
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John Germ, Photographer
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Wadsworth | Oh | USA | Posted: 10:48 AM on 11.18.10 |
| ->> G.J. - as long as the participants are charging the WWE going rate for being a Wrestlemania participant. I'm sure wrestler's don't want GWCs (Guys With Chairs) ruining their industry. |
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Eric Canha, Photographer
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Brockton | MA | United States | Posted: 10:51 AM on 11.18.10 |
->> ...... it's clear that reasonable, mature discourse accomplishes little .........
Yup that's why countries build armies. |
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Jim Colburn, Photo Editor, Photographer
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McAllen | TX | USA | Posted: 1:30 PM on 11.18.10 |
| ->> I cannot cope with all this agreement... |
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Richard Walker, Photographer
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Seattle | WA | USA | Posted: 3:48 PM on 11.18.10 |
->> Hey G.J.,
You might be on to something, actually. Minus the chairs and drama...
Perhaps a SS Business Luau? Lighting, sports, and all that jazz is nice. Even if one can shoot their way out of a paper bag, can they sell the results?
Oh, and what about those silly copyright thingys we keep hearing about.
This photo business stuff is deep and nebulous. After bailing from newspapers, I'm living Litherland's blog post. And any help I can get from those who've "been there." would be greatly appreciated.
I don't need to be told that this is "difficult." I know that. I want to find out what works, and what doesn't, why, and what I can do to improve my business. That is valuable seminar fodder.
Anyway, now that I live in Seattle, I could use a luau. |
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Patrick Fallon, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Columbia | MO | USA | Posted: 4:12 PM on 11.18.10 |
->> Richard.
ASMP Offers some great seminars and training on biz skills and copyright. Why reinvent the wheel? Check em out. |
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Patrick Fallon, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Columbia | MO | USA | Posted: 5:07 PM on 11.18.10 |
->> Richard,
ASMP Seattle is also having some events coming up, sounds like its right up your alley.
http://www.asmpseattle.org/events/ |
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Richard Walker, Photographer
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Seattle | WA | USA | Posted: 5:48 PM on 11.18.10 |
->> Thanks for the info Patrick, I'm in ASMP already, so I'm down with that.
This was more of a luau hope. They are pretty fun. Bert and the gang know how to throw a party (and seminar...). |
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Robert Hanashiro, Photographer
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Los Angeles | CA | | Posted: 1:25 PM on 11.19.10 |
->> I have given some thought to holding something like this and even restarting the Workshop & Luau.
But without major sponsor funding, the costs would be prohibitive for me to even think about doing. Flying in editors, agents, savy Internet types and top photographers that could speak to this and educated us all is a great idea. But expensive.
ASMP sounds like they are more established in this area for hosting something like this. |
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Dave Einsel, Photographer, Photo Editor
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G.J. McCarthy, Photographer
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Dallas | TX | US | Posted: 4:17 PM on 11.19.10 |
| ->> Rich, when did you move to the mainland?? |
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