Skill Set... Something You'll Want To Read

I just downloaded a free report: "Sales Tips from Other Industries" from Photoshelter... http://bit.ly/SALESTIPS

What Time Is It When An Elephant Sits On Your Fence?

On one of the photography forums I participate in, one of my correspondents wrote: "Is it better to charge hourly for commercial shoots or is that up to the photographer?"

The answer is:

Hourly? Plumbers charge hourly. It's better to charge by how the image is going to be used, the criteria being:

1) Print or Electronic Use;
2) Advertising, Corporate or Editorial Use;
3) Prominence;
4) Duration of Term (One-time, 6 months, 1 year, etc.);
5) Number of Insertions (advertising), size of Press Run (if use is print other than advertising);
6) Territory (local, regional, national, international);
7) Exclusivity.

Other factors can include degree of difficulty or the amount of time involved, proprietary techniques (if any), etc.

...and it is always up to the photographer because:

when you get a haircut, the terms & pricing are decided by the barber;
when you get your car repaired,, the terms & pricing are decided by the mechanic;
when you're represented in court, the terms & pricing are decided by the attorney;
when you eat a meal, the terms & pricing are decided by the restaurant;
when you rent a car, the terms & pricing are decided by Hertz (Avis, etc);
when you see a movie, the terms & pricing are decided by the theater;
when your suit is cleaned, the terms & pricing are decided by the dry cleaner;
when you use a credit card, the terms & pricing are decided by the lender;
when you ride the subway, the terms & pricing are decided by the transit authority;
when you cross a bridge (or use a tunnel), the terms & pricing are decided by the port authority;
when you watch television, the terms & pricing are decided by your cable or satellite provider;
when you drink a lemonade, the terms & pricing are decided by a six year-old; so
when you buy photography, the terms & pricing are decided by THE PHOTOGRAPHER!

Corporate Motto

Excerpt from a private note to my ex-partner's step-daughter...

"I guess that's possible but our real corporate motto was "Learning To Cope" which was a message we found spray-painted on the door to the freight elevator in the building where we had our studio. We built this great photo studio on the 4th floor of a decrepit industrial building in TriBeCa (NYC) and we completely refurbished the place so it was a high-tech palace. The only thing we didn't touch was the door to the freight elevator, where we left the spray-painted legend as-is, it just kinda fit our mood at the time."

Contemplating "The Latest Thing" ...And A Solution

Re: Restrictions on using a tripod in Chicago, a correspondent wrote:

"In light of the latest news, you may need to worry not just about a tripod but about having two armed bodyguards."

Armed bodyguards are a budget-buster. If worse comes to worse, you grab the tripod tightly by the bottom of the legs (with both hands) and swing it swiftly, counter-clockwise, in a wide arc at the flashmob. The weight of the camera and lens at the outward edge packs a wallop they will not soon forget. Ten pounds of glass and steel really smarts when it whacks you in the face. The cops are the least of your problems.

Plan B: Street shooters can accomplish the same by holding a camera strap at mid-point, and you can swing harder and faster that way, one-handed too, like a bolo. Damn, I miss my Nikon F!

(I'll be testing Plan B at the Old Town Art Fair this afternoon and the Chicago Blues Festival later this evening. If you hear anything about fifteen bloodied teen-agers and a jailed photographer..... oh, and if you find a lens cap, please mail it back to me.)

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Both above: Canon EOS-5D Mark II, 28~105/3.5~4.5 Canon EF Ultrasonic lens, ISO 100
Old Town Art Fair, Chicago 2010, hand-held and camera still intact