Sunday, August 21, 2011

Why pay for photography when you can just right-click

As I write this reboot of the blog where I started trying to gain some traction back in 2008 as a serious hobbyist, the question that titles it seems all too menacing. I confess to substantial frustration at my inability to generate even a modest income to help pay for the repairs on a car that needs a total overhaul after 3 years without being roadworthy, or cover the property taxes that will soon force the sale of a property that's been in my family for 40 years. I've even gone so far as giving my time and talents to my local minor league hockey team in hopes that their owner might see some benefit from having a photographer on hand for everything. All I've learned from that experience is that if I'm not willing to do it for free, someone with less skill who's where I was 3 years ago will.

In a sense, I stopped caring about selling my photography this summer. I still want to make it happen, but a few months ago, a fellow photographer here in Southern Maine was hit with one of those hairpin turns in life. His name is Scott, and while he was on a family vacation, he got sick and was admitted to a hospital in Florida. He found out that he had Cirrhosis of the Liver. That vacation cost an extra $14,000 in medical expenses. The hospital started calling on the bills and about a month ago said that if he could come up with ten, they'd forgive the other 4. I sent him a message asking him why he didn't offer some of his photography for sale. He ended up selling a greeting card pack with a shot of Screw Auger Falls he had taken. Between that and donations, he was able to meet the hospitals arrangement. I'm glad that sort of thing worked for somebody. Scott still has serious needs, has been in and out of the hospital and will not survive without a liver transplant.

The answer to the question I started this with is because for most people doing photography today, it's not about a big house, fast cars, etc. It's about getting out from under crushing debts caused by living paycheck to paycheck with health insurance that prevents catastrophic losses only ($2500 deductibles per year to make health insurance affordable should be a crime). It's about being able to keep their car in proper working order, before an engine block splits or a tire blows or the radiator stops working right. And it's about being able to cover the mortgage AND taxes rather than ask themselves who would take possession of the property the fastest. So the next time you see a picture you really like on a photographers website, consider buying a small print or download, or contacting the photographer by e-mail asking them what they would want for the picture. It may only be $5 to you, but if 1000 people did the same, that photographer might be able to eliminate ten other creditors phone calls. That would be the power of the American dream right there.
Enjoy the sunshine while you can, because when you need it, someone else might need it more.

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