Through our Facebook page, we recently brought you the story of one professional photographer who has turned towards giving away the majority of his photos for free. If you haven’t caught the story, and are as surprised as we were when first hearing about it, then it can be summarised as follows.
The Swiss photographer started his career working on the design side of things, often utilising the photos of others to develop his own work for clients. Sensing he hadn’t given back ‘his share’ of content towards a community which effectively helped him further his own career, he took interest in the concept of a community photo sharing website.
Defying his own expectations, the photographer’s portfolio soon took on an unprecedented following, with the likes of Apple
even using one of his photos. Numerous other users provided links to his website and in the process, supported the generation of new business. However, despite seeming like an admirable cause in sharing his work for the benefit of others, it raises the question, does this sort of activity devalue the photographer’s work, as well as the work of other photographers?
Regarding the first question, with the photographer benefitting from the publicity associated with giving away his photos for free, it’s difficult to say he is losing out from a financial perspective. Such actions are generating him new business, and by all accounts, this includes clients (some notable) who he prefers to work with face-to-face – rather than by selling his work through stock photo repositories. Beyond the monetary component, it’s fair to agree with the photographer that his work doesn’t necessarily lose emotional value if there is a demand in the community for its use, and a fulfilling sensation in providing his work to others free of charge.
Beyond this, in considering the wider implications for photography and other photographers, a clear line can be drawn to distinguish implications that couldn’t be more detrimental. In a similar manner to when one responds to a customer who asks for a discount, the decision can set a precedent for your work. And it should be clarified – this is a personal business decision that each photographer is free to make.
However, in doing so, a photographer is effectively telling their client(s) that their value proposition is somehow ‘superior’ to other photographers, diminishing the emphasis on quality. Within a competitive industry such as photography where there are an abundance of categories, this creates and supports the common misperception among clients that the work of photographers is ‘easy’, or of little financial value. In other words, a photographer sets false expectations by offering customers free photos that others might have been able to provide as part of their profession – again, a personal business decision, but one that dictates the livelihoods of other photographers.
Some might argue that other photographers could easily do the same. The difference though, is that other photographers aren’t necessarily afforded the publicity and exposure that one has with an established portfolio, nor do their own personal and financial circumstances always permit such practices. What then happens among the wider industry if the trend continues for more and more photographers to adopt this practice? How do new photographers make a start within the industry? Does the industry start to become less attractive for photographers?
With these, and many more, considerations to ponder, it’s apparent that while giving away work for free won’t necessarily devalue it, it’ll certainly devalue that of your peers and the wider industry.
