DMSI, will you be the final piece of puzzle?

[Shannon]

If he's got the skills that pay the bills, then sure why not? Better than $300 photoshoot

I didn't mean to sound ignorant with my comment but I guess I did. I defer to you in photography, as you are an expert in that area

The problem these days is that 99% of "photographers" are really GWCs. The 1% who have the study and skill and experience and understanding to truly do great things, nobody is willing to pay anymore because of all the GWCs.

That's why I stopped doing professional photography work. Nobody was willing to pay me what my time, knowledge, understanding, skill and experience are worth. $300 for a 2 hour modeling portfolio shoot? As a wedding photographer, my lowest end package was $1,250. The "standard" packages most people wanted were $2,500 and $5,000 respectively. They wanted it for free... or, they wanted to spend $500 or less, if they were willing to pay at all. Once, I had a friend ask me to do their wedding and never bothered to deal with payment. I wanted to see what they thought my time and skill was worth. They paid me $200, for 9 hours of on-your-feet be-everywhere-at-once one-shot-one-kill no-second-chances photography and a week of post processing. $200 covered the wear and tear on my genuinely professional equipment, and my gas.

Another time, I had a "friend" beg me for months to photograph their wedding, and then when I relented, they told me they could only pay me $300. Several days before the wedding (by which time most real professionals have already started investing time and effort and money into preparing for the wedding photography) she called me up and said, "Never mind, I have a friend who will do it for free." There went my time and money - and that "friendship".

There's a lot more to it than just point and shoot when it comes to truly professional level photography. We may make it look easy, but it's not. It's a lot of time, effort, money and expensive-ass equipment and training that make it possible.

Now, cell phones are "good enough" for most people. Nobody cares. So let them have cell phone pictures and the likes. I have better things to do with my time.

That's the other side of the story.