Potential clients taken matters in their own hands

Growingshort wrote in post #14669646
You say you contacted the media departments... Meaning they already have people specializing in media... Meaning they probably don't have a "need" for a 3rd party. You say the companies are very successful in Australia, so why are you frustrated about this? They must be doing something right with what they have in their staff. This is probably a common trend among "successful" companies.

I think the biggest factor is todays generation. Look at T.V. ads, website designs, and just what younger people wear nowadays in general. There's an "endless summer" mentality. The traditional looks just aren't AS popular...They're popular, they're just not as dominant anymore. Companies don't want your personal philosophy, they want to appeal to their target audience. Sure, your bio on your website will get you hired, but only if it matches what the company is looking for. You have to evolve your business as generations change.

This is why I think people are having issues getting work. I have friends in their 20's getting published in magazines, because the photos they take are what teenagers/college students/young people all over the world are what they want their lives to look like. Counterculture is THE culture.

As a photographer, it's key to have a vision, or a philosophy. However, in order to survive, you NEED to learn new ways to express that vision.

But yeah, that's why I think "professional photographers" are having issues getting work. Get with the times.

Wow. Hit the nail right in the head with that one. You're absolutely right.

What about starting at the bottom and working up. You mentioned working pro's and the Big guys like MLB, ESPN. Why not try to market locally and build a steady income if that is the goal of your photography. Most working pro's didnt come out of the womb pick up a camera, cold call ESPN and start working. They earned it. Maybe that is the disconnect in your business. You haven't earned your clients business. I would be happy to have clients clamoring over my work, but only if I had earned it. Nothing so far in this world is worth a damn if you haven't paid your dues. Like others have stated, if your going to judge by gear, maybe your not the professional that you should be. If the customer doesn't want to pay for outsourcing, it's still their choice. If you can provide a marketing strategy that moves more widgets, or increases bottom dollar they will pay. Though they will only do these things for a pro, not someone who calls around and gets chapped every time it doesn't go his/her way. Maybe more focus should be having customers, and less on who your customers are.

JacobPhoto wrote in post #14665890
Allow me to direct you to the thread about the photos that emerged from the Olympic "Press Summit":
https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1202134

Images are here:
http://www.cbsnews.com …62-10012296.html?tag=page

Mind you, all images were taken by members of the press who are working as professional photographers.

Some people just don't understand the importance of a high quality image.

In fairness, those are images from one PJ who isn't known for portrait work at a "cattle call" photo shoot.

There are other galleries out there showcasing excellent portraits from this same media event.

IMO, this whole thing totally makes the case for specialization and being the absolute (or at least one of the...) best at a particular type of photography.

tomj wrote in post #14665654
I'm in the printing business, and I see this all the time with my customers, just as I see them doing their own graphic design. Everyone seems to have the tools, but not always the skill or aesthetic sense, that the pros have. They produce work that looks great to them, but certainly not to a professional. I think its resulted in a "dumbing down" of what's acceptable in the graphics arts world.

Let's take that one step further. It's just the dumbing down of society in general. Period.

jenirose3 wrote in post #14679041
Let's take that one step further. It's just the dumbing down of society in general. Period.

why do we continue to insult people for wanting do things for themselves? i just dont get the arrogance here (not from everyone, but its really becoming a trend on a lot of boards and threads)

do contractors look down upon people that paint their own walls?

do plumbers look down upon people that can fix a leaking pipe?

do mechanics look down upon people that change their own oil?

so why do photographers think they are all high and mighty and a GWC cant take a good picture?

I'm talking in a more general aspect. For example, at school...the kids aren't wrong anymore they are just expressing their opinion, children are aloud to test and retest until they get the grade they want, etc. I have a big long tirade post but I am not going to bother to type it out. I could go on and on about the photography industry but I think this is a general theme in our society today.

jenirose3 wrote in post #14679454
I'm talking in a more general aspect. For example, at school...the kids aren't wrong anymore they are just expressing their opinion, children are aloud to test and retest until they get the grade they want, etc. I have a big long tirade post but I am not going to bother to type it out. I could go on and on about the photography industry but I think this is a general theme in our society today.

Damned if I can figure out what any of that has to do with what we're discussing, which is people doing things for themselves and taking responsibility for the results, good, bad, or mediocre.

lensfreak wrote in post #14665552
Hi,

Was cold calling this week for work. I telephoned several business and large organizations including emergency services etc. Out of 30 potential clients, ALL of them mentioned that their employees take photos for them and they have no need for professional photographers. I asked when they said their employees, did they refer to employees with a reliable sense of photography knowledge and post processing? The answers were , "no sometimes anyone in our office goes out and take the shots we need" I won't mention the names of these business's or organizations, but they are large and well known here in Australia. Pretty soon people will be performing surgeries in their own homes and new home builders will draw, lay bricks, put up frames and build their own houses. Has the world suddenly turned into a world where everyone thinks they can literally do anything without the assistance of a qualified person?


Thoughts?

Nobody likes telemarketers, let alone douchey ones. No matter what service I'm being called about, I tell them I'm already covered and hang up.

My company has a full time salaried photographer on staff and we still sometimes use photos from our joe-blow P&S's.

lensfreak wrote in post #14665787
I am not talking about mundane pissy jobs like your referring to

Photography is a mundane pissy job to a lot of people. Heck sometimes even I feel like it's a mundane pissy job.

mike_311 wrote in post #14679122
why do we continue to insult people for wanting do things for themselves? i just dont get the arrogance here (not from everyone, but its really becoming a trend on a lot of boards and threads)

do contractors look down upon people that paint their own walls?

do plumbers look down upon people that can fix a leaking pipe?

do mechanics look down upon people that change their own oil?

so why do photographers think they are all high and mighty and a GWC cant take a good picture?

This. I loved the dumb reference to surgery made by the OP....Jesus.

Photography as any other profession can be done by any one. not as professional but if the person likes the out come then is ok.
Im a professional Auto tech and see many people doing their own repairs to their Bmw's and Mercedes Benz. it hurts my economy but I can't force anyone to do the work with me.
I'm a photographer as a side job, Im slowly building my clients . but is coming along
I see many people using P&S cameras when Im doing a shoot. it don't bother me, I know I can deliver a better picture and i prefer word of mouth for now to get my name out there.


So don't let that upset you is just humans being humans.

Time to take your business in a new direction or find a new career option. People don't owe you anything. If you are having issues feeding your family consider picking a regular job and scaling back the photography business until it picks back up. The economy is hurting still families and businesses are having to make choices to cut expenses. The good thing is that if you can survive in this down economy you have a strong business and are set. Hopefully the economy starts recovering around the world.

Have you considered offering some probono work to a couple of these big companies? Maybe if you could wow them they will consider you for done work. I don't know the solution as I'm not a business owner, I do know that everyone is hurting financially right now. Cold calls are not the way to go in my opinion. I will tell a cold caller anything to get them off the phone!

The subject of this thread is why I got out of the wedding/event business.