----- Original Message ----- From: "Bruce Dayton" Subject: Re[2]: Cheap bastards? -was: Down off my "high-horse"... with a thump.
> > One real issue/problem is that the general percieved value of a > photograph has steadily declined as the ability to make/create one has > increased. Many years ago, the automation available for someone who > hasn't gained the knowledge of photography was pretty poor. But with > good P&S cameras and mini labs, the ability for anyone to create a > passable snapshot has made them feel that the value of the item > (photo) isn't very high. After all, all I did was press a button. I > really didn't have to know anything or learn anything. This is precisely why photography in general, and wedding photography in particular, has become somewhat undervalued to many people (like the ones who are shopping for a photographer). I really noticed a rapid change in customer attitude when the auto everything SLR cameras came onto the market. Auto focus SLR's changed everything, because you didn't need to know anything about photography to be a photographer. On the heels of the AF revolution came the "PJ" style of wedding photography, which to me requires as much skill as squishing a wounded bug. Suddenly, to be a professional photographer, you didn't need to know what you were doing. All you needed was a thousand dollars for a camera, lens and flash, and the store would happily take Visa or Mastercard. A lot of people became instant professionals, and cashed in big in the wedding market. I got out of the wedding game quite soon after that, I didn't need the grief of being undercut by some weekend warrier who was doing weddings to fill in a few hours on a Saturday afternoon to pay for his beer while he watched Sunday afternoon football. Occassionally, someone talks me into shooting another one. Less often now, as I have said no often enough that I don't get bothered much anymore. This suits me fine. I shot a wedding for a friend a few years ago. The church was some United church. Basically, a social club with delusions of religionhood. Friggin twits wouldn't let me shoot at all during the service, and actually put a staffer on me to make sure I didn't break their rules. Why is it the Catholics, who have been around for a couple of thousand years, will allow me to shoot from the alter, as long as I don't make a spectacle, but some wannabe cult that was born last week makes my life miserable? Go figure. I don't get it. William Robb
