-it's the shade of difference between art and technique, between research and development- when the bottom line is the dollar, the best technique- the best means to the end- wins; the ivory-tower idealists, the poets, the composers, the arts-for-art's-sake folks may well dream- and starve, like the aspiring grant-writers in basic science. Too bad for us, by enriching the pockets of the middleman, we sell out the soul of the art photographer. Humanity does not win.

I have been following OnRequest for some time and have always felt that OnRequest Images has treated its photographers very fairly. OnRequest is lead by David Norris who is himself a professional photographer and a very nice man. OnRequest has done many artist-friendly things to distinguish themselves including, offering use of studio space and equipment to its artist for use free of charge, and producing complex shoots for potential stock requests and sharing all revenue from these shoots 50/50. Don't forget that these same Photographer's organizations have a history of protesting new business models and many of them preached against the evils of Royalty-Free licensing a few years back. Today some of the most successful Photographer's I know (Ron Chapple, Jack Hollingsworth, Etc...) are those that embraced the royalty-Free business model early on. These photographer's understood that Royalty-Free licensing served the needs of customers in a way that Rights-Managed images simply could not. I think we will see that the Custom Stock Business model (although frightening at first) will prove to be a good thing for both photographers and photo-buyers.

-Brent-
www.abouttheimage.com

We all saw the disintigration of the typography business.... then we saw photography assignments disappear as stock became the photos of choice, (available same day, less expensive than attempting a shoot, and searchable by your office support staff -no artistic eye necessary.) now there are services like stock layouts to replace designers...
Guess what? Now that everyone has a computer, a digital camera and a color printer, I have been forced by clients to produce the worst looking print jobs in my entire career as a designer. It is depressing and discouraging. The clients (usually your typical office workers) are art directing the projects! Could you make this blue? can you put a tint of color behind this text?, use this photo- my six year old took it and I just love it! These are just a few of the many directions I take from clients on a daily basis. As a designer, I have been reduced to the hands that are able to run (afford) the specific software that printers request their customers use for print. I have walked into meetings with clients where the creative direction is expressed like this... "we called you in to tell you we would like you to make a bookcover with a flourescent green background and black type. We already met with our printer and they have given us a price, so get this to us as by tomorrow so we can get on press with it." Also, could you bring us your ink book so we can pick out the green? Do you think this is design or hand holding? I am so sick of my clients calling and asking me how to produce artwork for print and expecting me to give them the fastest solution over the phone when they can't open or place a file....where will this end? Obviously, I am ready to get out of this direct mail/publishing scene as directed by people that sit at desks and work on computers, and move forward to produce some long lasting art and regain my self respect and artistic sensibilities in a less client driven atmosphere.
If you can live with being someone else's hands...graphic design is the profession for you! Creativity is not something to be micro-managed in this way, it becomes unrewarding in any physical or mental sense. I don't see it getting better, but worse! I am told often that anyone can do what I do, with the right tools...Guess what? Now they can! and let them eat cake!