On 07-11-2004 13:03, "Richard Kenward"  wrote:

> I am not sure exactly what the answer is, but I do believe that there is
> a need for a list where it is possible to discuss a far wider range of
> topics than is allowed on Prodig at present, and that membership should
> not be automatically open to anyone.

Thank you Richard for very eloquently putting into words what I have been
struggling to type into an email for the past 4 days!
I've had 4 attempts at it - binned every one as rubbish and not a valid
contribution to the discussion. (This post, of course, may be no different -
you decide :) )

It seems to me that, as others have commented, the 'knee-jerk' post - where
perhaps a full search through the archives, a google and RTFM have not been
exhausted - has caused friction amongst listees and created some of the
noise on the list. This, of course, is no different to the way practically
all other lists that I have seen operate; in fact ProDig fares rather better
in this respect than many others.., but there is obviously room for
improvement

> The market for just decent quality professional work is being
> seriously undermined, some would go as far as to say decimated,
> (Royalty free has not helped either)  and I predict that every working
> photographer will feel it very soon if they have not already

I agree...over the past three years I have lost work to both clients who
have adopted the 'it'll do' approach and started shooting pack-shots and
what used to be bread and butter work themselves, and to picture libraries
(both RF and RM). The problem is compounded with magazines like MacUser
running articles on "How To Take Good Product Shots With A Sub-�500 Digital
Camera"...'Fine' I say, 'that's great...anyone should be able to get the
best out of their kit', but it doesn't help when you try and replace that
lost turnover with the ever-shrinking pool of creative work that is
available.

> We have always had competition, that's not the real issue.  What we are
> seeing is the erosion of standards on a massive scale mostly at the
> altar of cost cutting and "good enough"

Exactly right!...and ironic that one of ProDig's raison d'etre is to RAISE
those standards.

Regards

Nick D
-- 
Nick Dunmur - photographer
+44(0)115 950 9685
prodig<at>nickdunmur.com



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