I shot a book cover for a famous person.

Yes, the fact that he did get paid makes it a business transaction, but my "harping" was more on the point about his statement that being paid isn't what matters. It IS what matters in business. If being paid isn't what matters, then the thread is more about getting kudos and being a business transaction ie getting paid is merely a happy bonus. Posting in the business section should not be to get or give kudos, it should be to discuss business.

Here is how the forum owner describes the business section:

Note it doesn't say

Emphasis mine.

Anyway, I'm done now. No more harping.

cdifoto wrote in post #15174689
Yes, the fact that he did get paid makes it a business transaction, but my "harping" was more on the point about his statement that being paid isn't what matters. It IS what matters in business. If being paid isn't what matters, then the thread is more about getting kudos and being a business transaction ie getting paid is merely a happy bonus. Posting in the business section should not be to get or give kudos, it should be to discuss business.

Here is how the forum owner describes the business section:

Note it doesn't say

Emphasis mine.

Anyway, I'm done now. No more harping.

Good lord, let it go already!!!

The fact that money was exchanged for a service means this is all business. If he did this pro bono and came here to post the thread, then I can see the problem. So far with your posts CDI you havent contributed in a positive manner at all in this thread. Frankly your **** is just excessive at this point.

On the the main point here, congrats on the getting PAID and for getting the cover of a book. Its an exciting feeling seeing your own work in print. I can relate to you 100% on "its not about the money" this coming from a business owner just starting out

jjj5278 wrote in post #15176335
Good lord, let it go already!!!

I did say I was done harping.

Tony_Stark wrote in post #15176509
The fact that money was exchanged for a service means this is all business. If he did this pro bono and came here to post the thread, then I can see the problem. So far with your posts CDI you havent contributed in a positive manner at all in this thread. Frankly your **** is just excessive at this point.

On the the main point here, congrats on the getting PAID and for getting the cover of a book. Its an exciting feeling seeing your own work in print. I can relate to you 100% on "its not about the money" this coming from a business owner just starting out

Yes it wasn't supposed to go this far. I stand by my comments that business is about making money though. Money can be less important than establishing a name starting out but ultimately the point is to make money.

Congrats OP on making money. <- My positive contribution.

cdifoto wrote in post #15176753
I did say I was done harping.

Yes it wasn't supposed to go this far. I stand by my comments that business is about making money though. Money can be less important than establishing a name starting out but ultimately the point is to make money.

Congrats OP on making money. <- My positive contribution.

This is correct, I will not deny that. I feel what the OP is saying in its not about the money, even though he did make money. Honestly, if I could do what I do now for free I would (because I just love what I do), but frankly we all need to survive and "free" doesn't do squat for that. While the OP may not be in this business directly, he did not give away services for free and such its still a legitimate business move. You dont need a business license or bank account to do that.

I'd have to agree with cdifoto, to be honest.

Business section on here always struck me as a section that could do with being a bit more serious. As a professional (though living in Ireland, so nowhere near any of ye guys) i also see it as a bit counter productive to applaud someone who is taking work from professionals on a casual basis (the more this happens, the more the profession of being a photographer falls apart, in my honest opinion).


That's just my own thoughts though. I've been printed a fair bit, but it never interested me, to be honest. Getting paid was and is always my primary concern (except with certain charities or such, then I'll do a freebie, of course).

That said, fair play to the OP if s/he's happy with being printed. If the money wasn't important, I think it would have been nicer of you to recommend a working pro in your area instead though. He has a family to feed at the end of the week, afterall.

I'm glad someone gets my point about the section we're posting in.

Now, to defend the OP he did get paid so it's not as if he did shoot just for applause. He didn't really take food from anyone's mouth (he got a job fair & square). However, his attitude towards the money means his post is in the wrong place. He did, after all, tell us in the OP that he got published - not that he got paid. I had to ASK if he got paid. It's just semantics at this point since the answer was yes but the initial proposal was "omg omg omg I got published" and that doesn't mean squat in business (ie the business section) if there's no payment.

Okay, now I'm REALLY done harping. Honest.

cdifoto wrote in post #15176947
He didn't really take food from anyone's mouth (he got a job fair & square).

Well I obviously don't know the workings of the US/Canada/etc. but over here I'm constantly losing work to amateurs. Not because they're better than me, or because they're overall nicer people, etc. (I've seen some atrocious photos) but mostly because they work for prices that, if I were to work for, I'd be living on the streets.


I know that's a whole different argument, for another time, but it is something that I think shouldn't be glossed over.

That said, if the OP was more concerned with getting printed, and he did indeed get printed, then I am delighted for him. It's good to see people achieving things and being happy in themselves. I'm no begrudger.

And I'd still agree with your original points cdifoto.

Some of you guys need to put a sock in it. Stop complaining about money, or what section this was posted in. Talk about raining on someone's parade. Not cool.

I think it's awesome (OP) that you got a book cover. It's a really big deal, and I agree that money isn't the most important thing. People should always do what they love for the love of it.

Congratulations on the book cover, and for a big name. That's really cool.

MikeFairbanks wrote in post #15180360
Some of you guys need to put a sock in it. Stop complaining about money, or what section this was posted in. Talk about raining on someone's parade. Not cool.

I think it's awesome (OP) that you got a book cover. It's a really big deal, and I agree that money isn't the most important thing. People should always do what they love for the love of it.

Congratulations on the book cover, and for a big name. That's really cool.

You....my good man.....are a breath of fresh air. I am grateful for the kind words.

Some of these other people posting here sound flat out envious.

One person tells me that I should have refused the offer from HarperCollins and recommended another local pro to shoot the job. That is just insane.

Tom K. wrote in post #15181096
One person tells me that I should have refused the offer from HarperCollins and recommended another local pro to shoot the job. That is just insane.

Yes that is insane.

This was Tom's original post. He didn't write anything that deserved you guys throwing mud at him or each other. You guys brought up the money, not him.

Dang, a simple congrats would have been adequate. Wish we could hit the restart button on this thread. The dude got a cover for a Ralph Nader book. That's huge. Nader is the one who wrenched the 2000 election (for better or worse...I'm not weighing in on that), but Nader is a big name.

The OP scored.

Tom K. wrote in post #15148890
I was fortunate enough to be contacted by Harpercollins publishing as they wanted me to shoot a photo for a book cover. It was the new book just recently released by Ralph Nader called "The Seventeen Solutions".

The person who designed the book cover saw my work on Flickr and emailed me. It's a rather long and interesting story but the end result was my photo being on the cover of a Ralph Nader book.

It is really quite a thrill for me. I just end wanted to share my good fortune with forum members here on POTN.

You can see the book here.

http://www.barnesandno​ble.com …ns-ralph-nader/1111502499