Venting my spleen

I can’t listen to band photographers griping about current state of affairs without saying my piece.

Photo credit: Josefina Takes a Picture by carlosluis

Recently I’ve been reading a spate of emails from professional band photographers complaining that “amateurs with point-and-shoots” are being allowed into the pits, and that record companies, bands and management firms are expecting images for free.

As much as I love shooting live bands more than anything, it’s pretty obvious that this is not a career path capable of paying the mortgage. So, I do it for fun and the occasional remuneration. My genuine photography income comes from bread and butter stuff like portraiture and corporate events. Those things need photographers that know what they are doing. Amateurs cannot yet service that demand. They can service the need for live band images.

My annoyance at these photographers who can’t see the forest for the trees led me to respond as such. I thought I’d share.

Business is simple.
It’s nothing more than supply and demand, my friends.

With time, technology and culture, career opportunities become popular then disappear again.
There’s no point griping about it – it’s all part of the technological revolution. Put yourself in the shoes of your “customer”. Do you really think you would pay, day in and day out, for something you can get at publishable quality, for free?

You can complain all you like about the “professionals” being pushed out of the “industry”, but the quality of photos coming from amateurs can be excellent, and there is plenty of supply. So the real question is, is there really still a genuine demand for professional band photographers?

I’m speaking as a photographer myself, but I’m savvy enough to know where photographic business opportunities are, and not needlessly complain about facts of life. If you want to shoot bands for a living, be aware that the demand for such is almost non-existent. You might want to be the next President of the USA, but they only need one, and there are millions who will give you advice on how to run the country for free. Be my guest to keep having a go though. I do – for personal enjoyment. My mortgage is paid by other means that make better financial sense.