Posted on by Leslie

Not Your Competition

I friend sent me this email this morning (his tongue in his cheek, of course):

See, not only do you not need ‘fancy’ photography, you don’t even need competent photography for a good corporate website. http://www.grizzly.com/inside_grizzly.aspx

Oh, and it’s okay to have your kids draw your logo, too.

I’m sharing it with you because I think it’s hilarious. Also, I’m sharing it as a lesson because some of you will have a natural tendency to get pissed and complain that this is what you are competing with.

That’s wrong thinking and wasted effort. Businesses like this who shoot for themselves or get the cheapest “camera with a heartbeat” out there are NOT your competition. They are not worth your time, effort, or thought. Forget about them except to laugh about how bad their websites are. Let them go. Don’t chase the bottom.

Instead, find the right targets for your work. Keep a file of ads, editorial, whatever you see that feels like a fit for your vision–and go after those targets. Aspire to work with clients who have the same aesthetic as you do rather than trying to get someone who thinks Thomas Kinkade is high art to appreciate your creativity. You don’t have the time to change them and why bother when they are still not likely to value (financially) your work?

Don’t waste the energy on trying to make the proverbial silk purse from a sow’s ear.

_______

UPDATE

Two things…

1. I got an anonymous comment (and you know I don’t approve anonymous comments) that was actually from an “imaging company” (I checked the IP address). The author asked what I thought was wrong with the images and called them “not stellar” but “competent.” So, I’ll tell what I think is wrong with them: the lighting, the exposure, the contrast, the color temperature, the styling, the framing, the wardrobe… pretty much everything. I’m hard-pressed to find “right” in many of the pictures. If this is competent, I’d hate to see what incompetent is.

Grizzly clearly has enough business to warrant much better! If they are this successful with horrible design and laughable images, imaging how successful they might be with the good stuff!

2. Otto Hyde is an old friend who was pulling my leg.

7 Replies to “Not Your Competition”

  1. I ma very offended at you making fun of my work for Grizzly manufacturing. We worked very hard to catch the right mood and lighting to reflect our professionalism. Instead of using one of their three in-house photographers, whose cameras cost almost $10,000 dollars, they hired me and I was able to get the whole job done for $500. I am proud of being the lowest bidder in my market and, while I may still live in a trailer home, I am busy enough that I may soon be able to quit my job as a third shift warehouse worker for the very same company profiled here.

  4. Me again.

    I’m doing my quarterly follow-up contacts with people who’d previously expressed some level of interest in using my services. Here’s a doozy of a response to an e-mail I sent yesterday:

    Apparently, this guy has decided to build his company website using some sort of open source software. Well, all-righty. Sometimes, if you sit with that software long enough, you might figure out how to build your company website. But the job would probably go faster and turn out better if you hired outside help. Y’know, like me.

    The real kicker came in the following paragraph. He asked me to please send him my work so he could use it in the process of building his site. No mention of payment or anything like that, mind you.

    I didn’t dignify his request with a reply.

    And, trust me, that guy got taken out of my contact manager in a New York Nanosecond. He’ll never hear from me again.

  5. Otto, don’t get all big and bad over your great work. I am gonna take this gig from you.

    I have proposed to Grizzly a budget for next years work of $167 ($150 shoot fee and $17 for lunch, I’m a big guy) and will shoot it with my old 2G iPhone. Awaiting their return call, but damn sure I am gonna take this high-level client from you. $500 is an outrageous price for a business who is so strapped for cash.

    According to major media corporations and some illusry, illustyeo, ilutsuyr… famous University professor, we should simply be honored to have our work used. I agree with that of course, but I have been married 7 times and am a little behind on alimony, so I really need the $150. You know how it is.

    This is what is wrong with us perfeshunul photogreephers. We tend to get all greedy and stuff and cannot simply help out the small multi-national corporations when they really need our help. When we need some help, I am quite sure they will be right there at the ready with whatever we need.

    I am sorry for taking this job from you, but your selfishness and greed did you in, my friend.

    BTW… could you tell me how you got that cool orange look to that one shot? I am a little confused by that awesome effect.

    Your buddy,
    don

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