Diminishing Market

[Donal Philby <donalphilby@earthlink.net>]

LUGnuts (the term I think describes most of us),

Just got off phone with assistant to wildlife photographer Frans Lanting 
and thought I would pass along some observations.  

She had called about Frantz speaking in SD to Natural History group and 
wanting ASMP backing as well.

He is the photographer of a book called Okavango (which is a must see).  
Mostly shot with mechanical Nikons and Vivitar 283s.  But he thinks like 
a corporate or advertising shooter in that he "conceives" the picture in 
his imagination and then finds ways to get it on film.

For the book he spent a year and a half in the Okavango area in Africa.  
The entire project was sponsored by Nat. Geographic for magazine story, 
but the book is not NGS published.

She said that the market has changed so quickly since 1989-90 when he 
shot the book, that she didn't think he would be able to do such a 
project today.  And the book itself was not a serious source of income 
for him.  

So the jobs are getting smaller (shorter) with less depth.  Stock is 
doing well, but even Frans is turning to speaking engagements with 
lucrative honorariums to supplement income.

None of this is news, of course, but a confirmation of the ill health of 
the industry from one of the shinning stars.

He is a sponsored Nikon shooter, so I hope I won't be shot with flame 
thrower for getting off topic (I'll try to keep my Tilley hat on for 
protection).  I post this here because most of us are interested in the 
publishing world.  

Donal Philby
San Diego