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Exposure - only photographer requests

Chris -

This is another step in the long road that started when stock photography in general was seen as a way for agencies and magazines to get photography for less money than hiring a photographer for each photo shoot. Please don't get me wrong, I am a stock shooter, but stock, some would say, "cannibalized" assignment photography starting in the eighties, and in the ninieties, royalty free photos came along and "cannibalized" stock photography. Then the web became so much a part of everyone's life and finding photos is as easy as a mouseclick. With the devaluation of professional photography that has gone on over the last twenty or more years, coupled with the ease of finding so much appropriate, reasonably good imagery on line, it's no wonder people think that they should be able to get it for nothing.

As an aside, have you noiticed the trends in commercial photography towards all kinds of difficult effects, lots of digital manipulation, lots of colored lighting, etc? This is why, to keep the barbarians at the gate, er, I mean the amateurs out of the market.

The only and the best thing you can do is resist. The simple answer to these folks is, that they came to you because they found something of value to them. If they didn't see value in the images why request their use? Since it has value, then they must pay. If they walk away, you sleep well. If they offer a photo credit, ask them to call your mortgage holder or your grocer to see if their credit will be accepted as your next payment.

There will always be people trying to get something for nothing. There are more of them these days due to the historical trend of this industry. That doesn't mean you have to work with them. If you nave a business then you have a target market. Go for them & let the bottom feeders go pick off someone else's bones.

Rich Pomerantz

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