stephen schaub

Stock or Schlock…The Death March of an Industry

by EveNSteve

By Stephen M. Schaub

Stock photography…seemed like a good idea some years ago. Turn those old jobs and personal works into revenue again and again or take the plunge and just shoot and shoot, amass a huge catalog of images and sell away.

Great, right? NO!

Stock photography has become the muzak of the visual industry. Sure, it fits tight budgets where good imagery is needed (and there is some good stock photography available) but all of this stock imagery used to be actual jobs photographers got hired to shoot…now it is just a click on any stock agency screen…no photographer to hire, just enter your credit card and done. Add into the mix the incredible shrinking day rate for working photographers and stock is a spike through the heart. How can you pay your bills, feed your family and expect to compete with the bargain rates stock imagery sells for?… you can’t. You may disagree with me but- you’re wrong. Want great work, need great imagery- HIRE a photographer!

The Photo Industrial Complex has also screwed photographers (yes again) in this area of day rate and making a living as well. Ever notice how after convincing us to lighten our wallet for the next studio upgrade or latest software gizmo that they then come out with a slimmed down and affordably priced version of the product you just bought…and then proceed to sell it to: your client. Ask any wedding photographer or table-top photographer and they will tell you that digital and small product photography set-ups have killed a large segment of their revenue.

In the the end it is the photographers themselves that are the worst whores and imbeciles because we allowed this to happen in the first place…why? Greed, laziness take your pick…maybe lack of business vision. Yes, stock photography does have it’s place, as do do-it-yourself setups, but nothing can or ever will replace the creative eye of the professional photographer. Amen.

Film is Not Dead…No Kidding!

by EveNSteve

By Stephen M. Schaub

Film is not dead…yeah we know. Today I received a catalog from KEH proclaiming that Film Is Not Dead on the cover. Additionally, I also got a copy of an interesting study recently done by Kodak- to summarize:

9,000 professional photographers in the US were surveyed and over 75% said that they will continue to use film even as they embrace digital technology.

68% preferred the results from film to digital
48% find that medium and large format films capture superior quality
48% like the traditional photographic look
45% find film has better highlights and shadows
42% like film’s wide exposure latitude compared with digital
38% like film’s archival storage

The article goes on to state that Black and White in film is a big reason most photographers are still keeping film around (90%).

So what does all this mean?

In a nut shell…do both. Shoot film! Shoot digital! Do what you want and let the advertising hype just pass you by. I also received a copy of PDN today (current issue)…not surprising that almost every ad and new product review is about digital…how is that for reflecting what photographers are interested in (see above survey as a reminder).

We maintain that a good film scan is near impossible to beat in terms of quality and cost. Digital capture does have a place but… for now the Photographers have spoken.

Film is Not Dead…No Kidding!

by EveNSteve

By Stephen M. Schaub

Film is not dead…yeah we know. Today I received a catalog from KEH proclaiming that Film Is Not Dead on the cover. Additionally, I also got a copy of an interesting study recently done by Kodak- to summarize:

9,000 professional photographers in the US were surveyed and over 75% said that they will continue to use film even as they embrace digital technology.

68% preferred the results from film to digital
48% find that medium and large format films capture superior quality
48% like the traditional photographic look
45% find film has better highlights and shadows
42% like film’s wide exposure latitude compared with digital
38% like film’s archival storage

The article goes on to state that Black and White in film is a big reason most photographers are still keeping film around (90%).

So what does all this mean?

In a nut shell…do both. Shoot film! Shoot digital! Do what you want and let the advertising hype just pass you by. I also received a copy of PDN today (current issue)…not surprising that almost every ad and new product review is about digital…how is that for reflecting what photographers are interested in (see above survey as a reminder).

We maintain that a good film scan is near impossible to beat in terms of quality and cost. Digital capture does have a place but… for now the Photographers have spoken.

The Figital Revolution – THE BOOK!

by EveNSteve


After months of writing, editing, editing and more editing we are PROUD to announce the official release of The Figital Revolution Book- A Maverick Manifesto for the 21st Century Photographer. To order your copy today just click on the LuLu buy book link on the right column of this web site. In the coming weeks this no-holds barred look at the photo-world today will also be available from other online book sellers but why wait? Order your copy today! The Revolution has begun…

It’s the Print That Matters

by EveNSteve

By Stephen M. Schaub

Morning Quickie…

I heard over and over needless concern from fine art photographers about which media to print on and which media is accepted by the industry and which is not. This disturbs me as we are talking about a work of ART and not something which can easily or should necessarly even fit into a neat category or process. If your work is printed on canvas, hand-made paper or Saran Wrap who cares as long as it is the correct media for your work. Collectors buy work based on what they love. Archival is nice but way overemphasized by photographers- brilliant color and deep blacks can be great but it depends on the work. If archival was king Pollock wouldn’t have sold a thing.

In the end it is your work, not a gallery’s or publisher’s or anyone else’s- it is up to you to decide how it is printed and displayed…let the Photo Industrial Complex and the ART world control this part of our medium and I think I’ll take up lawn mowing for a living.

Where Have All the Point and Shoots Gone!

by EveNSteve

OK- so where HAVE all the professional point and shoots gone? To the grave yard or Ebay as the Photo Industrial Complex has realized that there is alot more money selling crappy little digital point and shoots with upgrades every month rather than making quality ones like:

Olympus XA
Nikon 28Ti and 35Ti
Leica CM
Leica Minilux
Konica Hexar
Contax T2, T3
Rollei S, SE

Now we get tons of plastic with resolution that is subpar and noise (digital grain) oozing out of every crack and crevice. Having a quality point and shoot in your bag in my opinion is a must but now days it is getting harder and harder to find one. Ever seen a great drum scan from a negative made by one of the above listed cameras? Compare it with the new digitals and you may find yourself singing along with the Figital Revolution…

It’s About More Than Pixels Guys!

by EveNSteve

I’ve got a bone to pick…(who me?) I am getting really tired of reading “reviews” about how much better the release of new “X” digital camera or capture back is than film. Recently I’ve been noticing that many of these “experts” are making claims that 4″x5″ film has now been beat or surpassed.

Excuse me, but- what? Do I really need to say it? It’s about more than pixels, guys!

This is, we should all be aware, an argument designed first and foremost to part you from your pocket book. As in: spend, spend, spend!

Consider this… in order to get a capture device that will equal high-end film scans from, say, a medium or large format camera, you are spending $30,000+ dollars on bleeding edge technology (whoops- is it the technology that’s bleeding… or is that us?). Furthermore, remember its life-span is about equal to that of an ant when compared with the legacy of film-based cameras. Realistically, unless you have clients willing to spend tons of money for your services (great for you) or you are just really rich there is NO WAY to get back your financial investment in this type of system before the camera industry trumps your purchase and convinces you that, once again, it’s time to upgrade, upgrade, upgrade! I’ve been down this road enough to know that it is very difficult indeed. These days, I personally prefer the upgrade expense of a new roll of film or sheet of film, it just seems a bit more sustainable. Call me crazy, but I’d rather spend my money on technology that is immediately meaningful such as a better monitor or of course more RAM.

Not to mention, it really is about more than pixels… seriously! There is an inherent “look” to everything: a great film scan, a great digital capture, and to the finished prints from both types of files…you have to choose which you like. That’s right! Despite what you’ve heard, each one is okay. Ultimately, the choice is up to YOU. I will confess here and now that the very high end digital capture systems do in many ways equal great film scans in terms of resolution (or get darn close) but it is different look, kind of like the difference between vanilla and French vanilla ice cream- you know, similar, but different. Bleeding edge digital capture has it’s definitive place on high-end advertising shoots and for situations where you need really fast turn-arounds, but that is a small section of the overall photography market.

Another technique of these “expert” reviewers is to compare something like ISO 100 film with 100 ISO on a digital back… we are lead to conclude that at the best of the best all things are equal or better for digital. I guess these experts want you to forget that most pro film lines are available in ISO’s like 64, 50, 32, 25 and even 15…stack that side by side with a digital capture. Hey- film has this option (or in digital terms “upgrade”). It’s interesting that when there are positives on the digital side reviewers point it out at every opportunity but when the shoe is on the other foot? Silence. The fact is that a low ISO hi-res film scan is impossible to beat with the current digital technology. But why point that out? After all, we have to move those new digital cameras somehow to make room for the next “technological breakthrough,” which at the current pace should be sometime around next Wednesday.

So, the choice is yours… but whatever you do, don’t buy into the BS “reviews” who fail to realize that different is good! Choice is good! Right now we need reviews more about working with a system day in and day out, the durability of the system long term… and YES have an honest, open discussion about how to make your personal choice and investment work. For if we can’t, photographers will just keep on bleeding at the local camera store until there is nothing left to bleed.