Nothing is free, including the free health care people THINK they receive. Frankly PROFIT has driven more medical advances and saved more lives than any single word in any language ever spoken. Nothing wrong with that at all. Insurance companies are like any other company. They offer a product that a consumer finds of value. It is not evil. It is simply a way of spreading the risks. When the risks of drastic loss, even though it might be a small risk, is spread over many and shared by many. Yes you might pay premiums for something you never need, but if you are the one that happens to have the heart attack it makes sense. It is simply a matter of self reliance. When you stop and realize what doctors have to go through before they ever get their first pay check, most are way underpaid.
Now as far as a rights grab, that was an accurate representation of that contest. If you want to give away those rights, now you do so with full knowledge. Absolutely nothing wrong with a photographer wanting to make a profit and those kinds of contests make that much harder for the working pro. It's a growing sense of entitlement of images and other IP that has been made worse of late. I would never choose to participate, but it is personal choice.
Now there are many types of value, and I don't think money is the only way of keeping score. If you are talking commercial value, it is the ONLY way of keeping score. Yet I have a photo of my great grandmother that died before I was born that would have little to no commercial value, but its of great value to me personally.
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: The Nature Conservancy's Digital Photography Contest
From: herschel <herschel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, August 12, 2009 7:24 am
To: List for Photo/Imaging Educators - Professionals - Students
<photoforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
So true and so sad.
although there are values other than money, more important than money.
That isn't the way consumer society is built. Your pictures are worth
what people will pay... as long as you NEED to sell them to eat.
Capitalism prays TO the Capital (As in large wads of money) and preys ON
the consumer.
Insurance is the fear-driven idea that you can pay a small amount of
money to a large company (Making billions in profit) so that you can
have the same rights as wealthy people when there's trouble. God spare us.
When you're camera bag falls off your shoulder into the river -
When you fall off the ladder trying to get a high angle shot - wealthy
people buy new gear, get the best medical care. Consumers risk getting
shafted by insurance companies.
Wealthy people make great photographers. They can take the risks. They
can buy Hasselblads with a slew of lenses. They can shoot on 11x14 and
take a month to be where the images are. They don't have to make daily
bread.
Most people struggle to pay off a decent DSLR and the "Decent" galleries
(Who are selling mostly to wealthy patrons of the arts) are not too
interested in "Those types" of images. So it's internet galleries or
underground galleries and coffee shops.
Selling prints for sub $50
But, ya know what? That's art. It always was. And it's why we have to
work for ourselves. For the values in our hearts. Eating regular meals
has never been the "Way" of art.
the formula for success is as old as the hills.
1. Drink and smoke
2. Assemble a good body of work
3. Drink
4. Bequeath the work to someone who cares
5. Drink and smoke
6. See 5
7. Write letters (Paper and pen please) to friends and lovers.
8. Die in some tragic way
9. Wait 20 years
Emily L. Ferguson wrote:
> If raising children is so valuable why don't the parents who stay home
> and don't work in order to raise them receive the benefits of working?
>
> Y'know, it's really great that so many people here affirm the emotional
> value of their imagery and other creative work. And it might be just
> wonderful if they could get insurance against the loss of that work on
> the basis of its emotional value to them.
>
> But by every measure used in our culture, the only value that counts is
> money.
>
> If you give your work away you peg its value at the price you gave it
> away for. If you refuse to acknowledge that equation, I hope you never
> need a car, a roof over your head, health care, clothing, heat, a
> computer, food, education - need I go on?
