Hi Steve, As always I respect your opinion but I must on a professional level disagree. Using Adams may not seem like a good idea at first but in a way you have made my exact point. Yes I understood that Adams gave away his art. But in the cold light of the 21 century that was as bad for business then and even worse now. If I have images that were even one fifth as wonderful as his, how could I hope to feed my family if I give them away? I am not sure if you use the camera as your sole source of income but I have. And there are literally millions more photographers now in our time as in his. He was trying to be kind, I undestand that. And I am also sure that his patrons were equally pleased. But he hated commercial work, we both know that. I really do feel that all art work now has to be looked upon with a commercial eye. Many more millions will be made using Adams images than he will ever know. Someone like Bill Gates will get the commercial value and none of the pleasure you insist = a free image. Whenever a valuable object is given away it makes it that much tougher for the next photographer to charge a living rate. Most teachers never will get this. That is why I used him as an example. Adams made a small fortune off of teaching. His skills were top notch and second to nobody, but I ask you what would do today to compete? Instead of a few hunderd photographers suppose he had to compete with 70,000. Some consumate pros, some very good rookies and even worse retired IBMer's who can afford the latest gear which does everything for you. Do you think he would survive, by giving away images? Any look into the phone book or on the web can come up with untold numbers of photographes. Labs have died, nobodys uses an enlarger anymore, Kodak has ceased production of it's staple B&W paper..... You want millions of people to have your work, and my heart hears you well and it likes that thought. But we live only an hour or so apart and I cannot afford to buy a home in San Jose because they are too expensive or even worse the price changes as I walk in the door. Adams did not have that type of issue to deal with. Do you own a home in Carmel? The average home in your community goes for 900-1mil there are several that cost tens of millions. So if you bought that property 50 years ago it is worth 100x what it was originally. A second mortgage could buy a mansion in two thirds of the US and a damn island in central america. So where are we? Kostas has two ways he can go. I say send a professional sample kit along with a personal invite. The gentleman is well to do. Your story from Adams has him trading images with other photographers, not giving away images for others to turn around and sell at Sothbys or some other auction house. It could easily go either way, but if the patron is a business man first he will have no respect for Kostas' business skills. He could end up getting all 5 paintings and cherish them even more knowing he got them for a song. Kostas meets and untimely end in the distance future and his children see the images come up for sale at 100x the value he placed on them. Each of you had better wake up and smell the coffee your work has value NOW. All of our art work has what others see as either no commercial value or see it as great potential value. even your beloved museums of which I am fantastically envious place a dollar value on your work. I wish I could say the Smithsonian had some of my image but the truth is they pay very little and take donations freely. I just met with some of their staff this year. They will willingly take my aircraft images and properly scan, and file them. After which they wuill make post cards and maybe a buck .50 <vbg> I would be proud to know that i had one of my images hang in that space. If you make a living with a camera and you want to eat, you can't give away your work to those that can afford to pay for it. Art teachers are great at showing students the fantastic world in which they live. But they don't make their money in its purest form competeing with others that create, they are paid to teach. Art schools, colleges and high schools, graduate talented photographers each spring. Each has his portfolio tucked under their arms and off they go. The next they know they get an image published in a news paper and....... collect $15 Respectfully, Les Baldwin
