Reply To: So… Craigslist…

[JimC]

Okay, to set up with a little background, I am NOT a pro tog. Never been one. I was however a video producer. I learned video the same way a lot of pro togs learned photo. I worked with masters, learned all I could, recorded anything that moved, read every book, and watched any “motion picture” I could find with the perspective of “what did they do that I like?” when I watched. After 15 years doing it, I was pretty good. No Spielberg, that’s for sure, but my clients included several fortune 500 companies and even a fortune 100 company, so I must have been doing something right.

That said, Craigslist isn’t awful, but I don’t know if it should be anyone’s primary marketing stream. It’s not a bad site. I cruise it all the time looking for parts for my car, garage sales, and photography gear. The thing is, the services section is really hit and miss. In my industry, the vast majority of “videographers” (I never liked that term) shoot weddings. A good friend of mine was a full time wedding videographer. He advertised on CL, and what he saw was that the CL types were often the biggest penny pinchers and the least appreciative of his skill (which was pretty impressive). Ultimately, his opinion was that it’s good to advertise everywhere, but there were many better places to find clients.

I guess what I’m getting at is that no pro photographer out there should be building 100% of their business from CL, so someone offering free portraiture shouldn’t seriously cripple anyone’s business. As far as whether it will lower the bar for everyone else; it’s craigslist. There’s a reason most fauxtogs are found there. Free advertising with no content control. Anyone who can manage to punch keys on a keyboard can post an ad. You will find in your local photography section the following ratio:

1 Actual quality pro who knows what he’s doing but keeps advertising on CL because he believes in marketing everywhere
4 people who tell you they are a pro but really just get lucky sometimes, and have lots of supportive friends who tell them their work is great
30 full force fauxtographers, claiming to be pros while shooting on inferior cameras, using inferior glass, and possessing inferior technique. Their friends are all too afraid to tell them what they really think of all their pretty pictures.
MAYBE, just maybe, one student, looking for free subjects to shoot.

At least, that’s what the demographics look like in all the cities I’ve ever gone to. I honestly don’t think you’d do too much damage to any pros. Besides, you’re not charging, which is clearly distinguishing you as non-pro, so you’re not even trying to play on the same battlefield with the pros in that sense.

I say go for it, but I’d stress caution in choosing locations to meet people. There are a lot of creepers out there. A recent double homicide was committed in my town, and while no culprit has yet been named, it was brought up that this couple had people from craigslist coming to their home to buy stuff all the time. Meet clients in public places, like parks. If they want an indoor studio shot, meet at their place, let people know where you’re going, and take a couple “assistants” with you. Most people have a camera on their phone. Have the client take a self shot, so you “know what you have to work with”. This way you can politely inform the heavily tattooed 6’11” 345lb. guy who’s pure muscle and looks like he recently escaped from prison that your calendar is actually full and you’ll need to get back to him.

In closing, I’ll share a belief that is likely to get me shot here, and not in the portraiture sense. I actually don’t have a problem with people who are established enough to take a photo (or video, or whatever) that doesn’t totally suck asking for a small fee for their services. I think if you’re honest about your work, show them a portfolio that demonstrates what you are consistently capable of doing (meaning, don’t put those amazing “I got lucky” perfect shots in there – keep it to what you know you can reproduce all day every day), then if they see that and understand that you are not a pro, and agree to pay you anyway, that’s totally acceptable. You’re being upfront about what they will get and not pretending to be something that you’re not, two things fauxtogs don’t do. Just because your time isn’t worth $100 an hour yet doesn’t mean it’s not worth $20 for an entire afternoon, either. Every time you take your camera out, you’re putting wear and tear on it. The batteries are being used, the memory card is getting one step closer to death, the  gas gauge on your car goes down a little. When I go to McDonalds and pay .69 for a burger, I don’t expect the same quality as the $10 burger at the premium burger restaurant down the road. I expect a floppy patty, rehydrated onions that taste like crap, and a smooshed bun that feels like it was dipped in grease. But just because it’s a crappy, wholly unfulfilling burger is not justification for me to insist it should be free. They probably put about .69 worth of effort into it, so it’s a fair price. I’m not saying don’t be willing to work for free, or that it’s not a bad idea to do so from time to time. If you can find a pro that will let you run as a second shooter for free, it’s totally worth the experience! But again, if someone is willing to pay you a few bucks, take it as long as it’s fair. Shooting for free costs you money in the long run.