In the world of business (especially businesses that you hire for services) they say that there is two of three things you get from different companies. Price. Quantity. Quality. Every company will only offer you two, you can't get all three. The question is, what will you choose?
If you pick price and quantity, you'll get a lot of something, for a low price. However, it's quality will be pretty low.
If you pick price and quality, you get something very nice, for a low price. Therefore, you won't be able to get much of it.
Finally, if you pick quantity and quality (my favorite combo) you get a lot of something that is very nice. You'll have to dish out a lot of money for it, but that's just how things are.
Now if I were looking for something, I'd never pick price, especially if I was hiring an artist, architect, or photographer. Why? Because what they do is a skill which deserves proper pay for the amazing work they do. Anyone who doesn't charge a lot will have very low quality work. You pay for what you get. This seems to be a problem in the state I live in, cause no one wants to pay people for what they're worth. And not just that. There's tons of amateurs (mainly photographers) in the area that think they can make a quick buck by snapping a few photos. It's not like that. It takes skill and passion do perform a work of art, not just a desire of money. And because of all the amateurs, they steal customers from the real artists making life hard for them.
So, next time you're shopping for something, keep this post in mind, and pay those who actually deserve your pay.
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31 comments:
nice, i'll totally keep that in mind.
and not photographers, where i live the most thing i get mad at, is makeup artist, makeup IS art.
and it deserves more attention. (like it's not getting it =))
I wouldn't say that the amateurs ruin it for everyone. Everyone was an amateur at one point. And if your passion is for photography, or makeup, or whatever it may be, then you're probably not doing it for the money. (Or it wouldn't be your priority at least.)
And keep in mind, as far as economics go, it's the customer that decides what's best.
Ok, you obviously haven't seen all the work out there. My dad's a 2nd generation pro. photographer whose been doing what he does since he was my age. The start ups out there take a digital camera, and think they can take pro. pictures. No! I've seen them get to their shoot, and not even know what to do with the model or camera. And I've seen the results. They're lousy. And they're everywhere here in Happy Valley, with their cheap prices because they suck so bad.
Then there's all the mormons here in happy valley who don't want to pay a pro what he's worth and results to the cheap alternative! And once they've had their shoot, they regret it. I don't know how many times I've heard that from people who liked my dad's work, but went with an amateur because his prices were cheap, or because he was uncle Bob, or because it was a college room mate who wanted to do it so they could build up their portfolio.
And because of all of this, my dad's colleagues go out of business, or move out of the state because the economy in Utah sucks! Even my family is having a hard time getting by. People are cheap here and with all the start ups running around it makes it hard to get people to go with our business. They like our work, but are too cheap to pay for. So they go with the start up and regret it cause the work's so bad. You pay for what you get.
I'm sorry if I got too into it Jack, but my family's been in this industry long enough to tell the difference between passion and money.
I understand your passion about it, and it is unfair that poor workmanship will do better than professional art, but economically it's sound.
That doesn't make it fair though.
I'm not really sure if it's ecconomically sound cause, like I said, there's no ecconomy in Utah. You're better off anywhere else to make a living.
wow jack likes to argue everywhere doesn't he.
Blake, as I said before, you're making deliberately inflammatory remarks for the purpose of antagonizing me.
I don't recommend it.
Can anyone say elitism?
That was random Christian. And I don't think I can say it. What does it mean?
Your response was quick.
Look it up.
Oh, I didn't noticed. I just hopped on my blog and BAM! Your comment was there. I don't really bother with time.
I get it now. But still, if you work hard to get better at something, don't you deserve the extra reward?
This isn't about elitism, Christian. This is about quality. Taking pride in good work and saying a work of art is superior to shoddy haphazard workmanship is not elitism.
Yeah, what Jack said.
What I was concerned about was Alex's mention of his dad as a '2nd generation pro', implying that 'professionals' are inherently better than 'amateurs' because of the way the were born and into what background. A caste system, almost.
No, not like that. My grandfather taught him and put the camera in his hands at a young age. It's more like passing on the career. If you'd like to see the quality of the work yourself, I'd be happy to give you the url address.
Guess what? The deffinition of a professional is that you get paid for what you do . . . that doesn't mean that you have to be good . . . you can be the worst photographer in the world and once someone pays you to take their picture, BAM you're a professional. . . not that your dad is a bad photographer but you can be a begginer and a professional at the same time. I think a better word to use is "expert" so people don't get the wrong idea. But Alex- I've seriously never thought of this whole price, quantity and quality thing before, but now that I think about it, you're right. Thanks for making me think.
Not really in photography society. To be recongnized as photographer either A. your works professional and everyone says it is, or B. There's a photography angency called PPA (Professional Photographers of America) that'll recognize you as a pro but recently, they can't be trusted cause now they're only in it for the money and not pro work. This is feeding the fire for the epidemic in Utah.
holey crap, i would comment but i think i would get burned for it
just saying. if you're taking it in the litteral sense then that's really what it means.
hey anonymous- get used to it with this class- it's like dog eat dog . . . you just have to learn how to burn a hotter flame then the one that burned you.
It's ok annoymous. Celie's being rude right now. This is like a big discussion so all ideas and comments are welcomed, and if you'd like, I can keep myself from arguing with your point.
I'm not being rude. I'm just stating facts.
Celie, I'm interested in what this person has to say. I'm waiting Annoyomous
I wasn't telling him to not say anything. In fact I was encouraging him.
You scared him with the dog eat dog comment. now he left and I'm never going to know what he had to say. I'm not speaking to you again.
ha ha i didn't scare him or her . . . i bet they're just not as obsessed with blogs as we are and haven't even read our responses yet.
People, I think it's worth pointing out that the best application for this wouldn't be as a two person chat room, rather as a forum for opinions. I've already stated mine, so you know where I lie on the issue.
thanks mr. president. :I
It's true that, in a general way, poor quality has a way of driving out better quality--if it is cheaper. Yes, customers decide what they want, but that doesn't change the result.
In recent years people have quit making encyclopedias and dictionaries, for the most part, because people can get them "free" online and won't pay for the expertise needed to produce them. The last full edition of Webster's International Dictionary (Merriam-Webster) was produced over 40 years ago. How could the company pay for the original research needed for a current version when "free" access has taken over?
First-rate pianos made in America can cost over $100,000 new, because the market is full of not so good pianos made in China for not much money, and American manufacturers can't compete on price.
There are very few first-rate photographers in business anymore, because anyone with a digital camera thinks they're Ansel Adams and it's become impossible for many to make a living delivering first-rate results.
Just a thought,
DW
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