Re: [Leica] RE: Street Photography debate

[chefurka@sympatico.ca (Paul Chefurka)]

On Mon, 01 Nov 1999 09:58:26 -0800, Mark Rabiner
<mrabiner@concentric.net> wrote:

>An interesting way to get around this, the quest to get published is to do it
>the easy way. Get a card and a space in the yellow pages and be a cheap
>commercial photographer. Assuming you have a clue what you are doing I guarantee
>you'll see your pictures everywhere, I speak from experience. OF course most
>people starting off start off cheap and that is not perhaps on the long run
>good. Once your known as someone to do the dirty work making the switch to
>"heavy hitter" requires some slight of hand PR.

Speaking as someone who tried this exact approach circa 1973 and
failed to make that leap, the thought of advising anyone else to try
it this way gives me the willies.  There are a lot of alligators in
that particular swamp - I met the Big B's - Burnout, Breakdown and
Bankruptcy trying to do it.

Web publishing is a very good way to get your work seen by a wider
audience, but I'd never advise anyone to go into business as a
commercial photographer to achieve that aim.  There's no money in the
bottom end of the business, you end up taking zillions of pictures you
don't want to and would never take on your own, you have to invest
significant money in equipment you'd never otherwise own just to get
the jobs...  Ack.

Now, if you have a day job that pays the bills, and can afford to torn
down assignments then you avoid some of this, but OTOH turning down
assignments is not the way to build the reputation you need to get the
jobs you wouldn't turn down.

My advice would be if you want an audience for your images, go the Web
route, and in the case of photo clubs enter the comps and accept that
you'll rarely win anything.  If you want to be a commercial
photographer, do it right.  Get some training - especially business
management - invest a serious amount of money in your startup and then
network like hell for the first few years.  Have enough money in your
hip pocket that if it doesn't work you can bail without too much
damage.  To do anything else, IMO, is to court disaster.

And to keep it a bit on topic, yes I used Leicas for some of my news
and editorial work.  It didn't help :-/

Paul Chefurka