> > On 5 Nov 2004, at 15:01, andrew mcarthur wrote: >> Sharing knowledge does not lose clients! >> > It can! It's happened a lot to me but that's because I have been > teaching photography and imaging for 14 years P/T at the University of > Wales. I have three students who are now professional photographers in > my area, even though they said they had no plans to set up here! I have > pulled out of most teaching apart from two advanced courses now for > exactly this reason.
>Now his images may or may not be as good as mine, they may or may not > be as good technically, but at the end of the day he is still selling > his images to customers that would otherwise at least consider > purchasing from my gallery yet he is a complete amateur. > > Making sweeping comments is not particularly helpful. Successful > photographers in big cities are never going to face the same sorts of > amateur competition as those of us in the country. Few serious clients > would entertain the idea of employing Joe from the local camera club > for a major campaign, but they do round here, this is NOT myth, this is > reality. Helping Joe Bloggs with expert advice to convince his employer > that he's just as good is (around here) economic suicide. You are > obviously not living in a regionally assisted, work desperate area like > ours, thank your lucky stars! :-) Dear Glyn As you say his work is not as good as yours. It's not your tricks and secrets that make you better. It's you. We all live in a competitive market. If I am unable to keep my clients by giving them what they want I won't work. Someone else will. New photographers set up round here all the time. Designers buy good digital cameras and shoot stuff themselves. A couple of years back that would have been commissioned photography. The competition grows and changes. You, I suspect, live amongst stunning landscape. Whereas I live amongst fields of sprouts, in flat Bedfordshire. No assistance here! Best wishes Andrew =============================================================== GO TO http://www.prodig.org for ~ GUIDELINES ~ un/SUBSCRIBING ~ ITEMS for SALE
