You are on the assumption that a newbie's work is definitely not good enough and that work quality is the sole deciding factor for clients, you are also assuming that the newbies are sharing the same the genre of work and the same pool of clients as the experienced pros have.
If it is only so simple as having good quality work. Having good work does not automatically equate to having more clients and earning more money. So many amateurs have good work here but no good business skills. There are other threads here providing insights of marketing and branding, legal and genre specific type of advices. But you coincidentally choose a thread about pricing and attack it.
So I don't know why you are so upset about. Like I said earlier, if you want to charge low and earn a bit only, by all means go do your thing and be happy about it. There are people like you who don't subscribe to the current advices but there are also others who does and benefited from it.
if u don't feel invaded by cheapos and hence the need to educate these cheapos how to charge higher and so level the playing field and is one who genuinely wants to help newbies when help is seeked from, why are u bothered with what i have said?
If u r the above, u r not a hypocrite..but if u r not, then well, u won't get it anyway.
if you read the thread carefully, one of these so called pros has already stated that pros should "correct the industry" by educating these cheapo invaders of the industry, without caring first what their background is and what capabalities they have and why they are charging so low.
All they bloody care about is that the invaders are eating into their market and they feel that they have a right to publicly denounce them or more dangerously, lecture them via classes through such forums the need to raise the price...all for what?
So that some of these cheapos would eventually be phased out because they can't challenge some of the pros who in fact have a slight edge over them in terms of experience and quality. That is the aim of these hypocritical pros. Brainwashed the newbie invaders, and then let them not know what hit them.
Now ask yourself, do u feel invaded? why would u wanna help a newbie raise his price via education? who r u really benefitting?
Everyone is afraid of being undercut, sure. But one must have dignity and integrity.
If you see Tom charging $500 a wedding and you charge$2000, why would you have a need to tell him that he has to charge higher? What motivates you to do that? Even if you know Tom, I find no other reasons besides a selfish one. Scared of being undercut, what else?
If you really wanna help Tom in anyway to further his career, buy him an overseas course, let him learn more and let him raise his own price. Introduce Tom to some of your clients, expose him and let him work his way on his own from there. Give him a head start whatever. But you wouldn't do that, would you, hypocritical lot? Instead of calling Tom an invader, what good are some of you so called pros? Everyday complaining about cheapos eating your market. Really
? you think you own the market? Every Dick I know who charges a fee with a camera owns the same part of the market as you ok? Please go and reflect your actions and inactions.
One has to find a way to overcome "invasion" of any sorts in whatever trades by changing one's practices instead of changing others'. By doing the latter, this pro industry is not only laughable, it's very pathetic. And if you think pathetic and laughable is fine, go ahead..
ANd for that dreadful soul who claims "pros should not stoop so low to answer to people like me..." Hello, i get your hint, but who you think you are? ANother Harry charging a fee for some shoots right? No need to sit so high up.
If you really wanna help the newbies, start a fund, send the best ones for understudy with the best, can u do it? help? u only care about your bloody market.
