Competitions for image collections – the new future?

I almost fell off my chair today – while reading the newspaper (The Age), I noticed a little advertisement on the bottom of one of the pages pointing me towards the “Clique Photographers Association” – it reads like it is a membership club for amateur photographers where you can enter competitions to win prizes. Sounds innocent enough on the surface…

Why did I almost fall off my chair? Well, the site wants people to join the club, submit images that Clique and Fairfax Media can use without restriction (including editing), and they want you to PAY for the privilege ($50 yearly entry fee). I’m sorry, what? Is it just me or does that seem like a couple of very large media companies want amateurs to do their legwork for them, get them to pay for memberships as well, and the images can be used for anything?? Amazing, where do I sign up??

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Paid vs Trade

Ahhh, the photographers (and models) dilemma – who pays who, how much, and what is reasonable?? The topic of paid vs trade has been a long running “flame war” on various forums and in industry, particularly with the rapid growth in the number of people with reasonable gear who think being a great photographer is as simple as turning up and pushing the shutter button!

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Above and below the line

Interesting conversation with a commercial photographer this evening, we were having a general purpose discussion about “tyre kickers” – those studio enquiries where they want a quote, perhaps want to hire some gear, really aren’t clear on their project, and would be interested in hiring a quality shooter but we need to see the numbers first and take them to the boss… Like a half-hearted used car buyer, they’re kicking the tyres but aren’t really buying! Oh what is a commercial shooter to do, when they feel like they’re competing with termites who shoot for free/cheap, hollowing out the walls of their customer base right before their eyes but keep you busy generating quote after pointless quote…

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Tired, but it was soooo much fun

Finally I’m done – exhausted, but the last couple of months have been amazing!  Not only have I moved ShutterClass into its new home at Lightdrop Studios, but I’ve also just finished working on 3 different short film projects!!  Even better, I filled very different roles on each one:

  • Tropfest project – Director of Photography, responsible for all primary camera work as well as solving some of the more interesting lighting challenges 
  • Tropfest project – Gaffer, with quite a bit of 1st/2nd AC and Grip assistant work.  This was a great project, we even got to work on location in Melbourne CBD, closing down half a laneway to get the outdoor shots we needed
  • Footage for SFX project – I worked closely with a good friend who’s turned into an amazing SFX editor, and together we pulled together some very cool footage that he’s turned into a simply amazing little 3 minute short.

I wish I could say more about all of these projects, but they are being entered into competitions (Tropfest Australia for two of them) and I’m not permitted to say much.  Don’t worry though, as soon as they are announced to the world, I’ll be updating here!

I had the best time on all 3 projects, and I would work with all of them again in future without hesitation!  But in the meantime, I need to prepare for the Intro DSLR Filmmaking workshop that I’m hosting on Saturday, it’s booked out and should be a fun crowd.

New space, fun times

It took a little longer than expected, but it has definitely been worth the wait and we are SUPER EXCITED!!!  I’m pleased to announce that my studio business, ShutterClass, is joining the amazing team at Lightdrop Studios in Kensington.  After a lot of hunting for suitable locations, Lightdrop turned out to be perfect for a whole raft of reasons.  It’s not only a great place to shoot, but it’s perfectly suited to hosting workshops as well.  Also, I’ve been more involved in film projects lately, and this space is excellent for that as well!!

Check out the Lightdrop Studios space, and if you are keen to hire it for one of your projects, simply drop them a line – tell them I sent you, you’ll be sure to get a good deal!

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