The War On Moms With Cameras
Post Excerpt:
A commentary on how professional photographers are getting too wrapped up in the war on moms with cameras – instead, try competing on factors other than price and how good a camera they use.
Someone asked me the other day how I was doing in the war against moms with cameras, a subject that seems to crop up fairly frequently these days. By “moms with cameras” the scope of this post includes just about anyone with a camera who thinks they can be a professional photographer on a casual basis and without any real photographic or business training. They really don’t have to be a mom, it’s simply a convenient phrase.
If that sounds at all disparaging, it isn’t meant to be, and the purpose of this post is not to bash moms with cameras; in fact, many of them are talented photographers with a potential future in the business. Most of us started out this way ourselves, so I’m not going to knock them for what they do; far from it.
Don’t Jump Into A Fight You Can’t Win
My official answer to the question is, “That particular war is being fought in a different world to the one I live and work in, so I don’t get directly involved, and neither should other truly professional photographers.’
Not A New Problem
The truth is that this is not a new phenomenon – professionals have been working alongside talented and enthusiastic amateurs for many years. The difference these days is that there are so many more of them than there used to be, mainly because of the perceived ease of entry into the field.
I do believe the solution remains the same though: professionals should not attempt to compete with “moms with cameras” on price or by the “my camera is better than yours” mentality. Let’s face it, some of these “moms” have some great cameras – it’s what they do with them that really matters. If you think that having a great camera makes all the difference, then I urge you to rethink your job as a photographer.
Which Market Are You In?
Unfortunately, many working professional photographers see the lower prices being charged by their amateur counterparts and assume that they have to compete on that level alone, or else they will lose business. But the fact is that the “moms with cameras” group is really competing with the likes of Sears, JC Penney, Walmart and a host of other Main Street high-volume portrait studios. If you want to jump into that fray, then be my guest, but I can guarantee it won’t be pretty or fun.
To put things into perspective a little, let’s take a quick look at how real the threat is, rather than how we might perceive it; in other words, what factors can we compete on, if not price or camera specs? Each element in the table below is graded from 1 – 5 (1 being the poorest) of how a prospective client might see the value of each particular item. (Disclaimer: This is my own subjective attempt at being objective, so I’ve tried to include some latitude)
| Factor | Pro. Photographer | Enthusiastic Amateur | ||
| Guarantee | 4 – 5 | 1 – 2 | ||
| Availability | 4 – 5 | 3 | ||
| Handling subjects | 4 | 2 – 3 | ||
| Technical quality | 4 – 5 | 2 – 4 | ||
| Artistic quality | 4 – 5 | 2 – 4 | ||
| Overall Experience | 3 – 5 | 1 – 3 | ||
| Professional training | 4 – 5 | 1 – 3 | ||
| Professional affiliations | PPA, WPPI, RPS, BIPP | Usually none | ||
| Production times | 5 | 3 | ||
| Liability insurance | 5 | 2 | ||
| Business commitment | 4 – 5 | 1 – 3 | ||
| Client relationship mgt. | 3 – 5 | 1 – 3 | ||
| Using a “Good” camera | 4 | 4 | ||
| Price as the main factor | 1 – 3 | 4 – 5 |
There are no doubt a lot of other factors that we can include that I haven’t thought of, and then there are your specific unique factors that serve to distinguish your specific business from the competition. However, I think you’ll agree that we have a lot of weapons that we can bring to bear in this fight to increase our chances of winning.
Be A Better Communicator
At the end of the day, I believe it all comes down to how you market to your prospects, how effectively you can communicate the benefits of working with you, and how much of an emotional connection you can forge with your clients.
I really can’t overstate this enough – it is not your clients’ responsibility to know how much better it is to work with you.
One thing is certain. Moms with cameras are not going to go away, nor should they. There is definitely a place for them in the market, just as there is for the professional photographer who caters to those who truly value what we do, and don’t consider price as their dominant buying motive.
I encourage comments and discussion, as always, and please pass this on to anyone you think might enjoy reading or have something to contribute to the discussion.
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Right on! I remember years ago, when digital photography and personal computers were only a dream in the fertile imaginations of a few, that professional photographers began crying the blues when Canon introduced one of the first universally accepted Auto Exposure systems effectively leveling the playing field between the amateur and pro. I encourage you not to be overly concerned about the current class of new creative talent. Just stay focused on your ability to market to and make your client’s very happy and satisfied recipients of high quality photographic services.
Thanks, Michael, a great comment and I couldn’t agree more with your encouragement for other photographers out there.