Pro-Imaging

Technical advice this week ranged from the best hard drives for a Mac Pro, network coverage on Orange phones, Windows XP upgrades and more advice on lighting for offices and workstations.

One member asked a question - the best Photoshop technique for fading and blending edges on a collage he was creating - and had the answer by the time he returned from making a cup of coffee!

The biggest discussion was about what to do with 'wannabees' - individuals who have just bought a shiny new digital camera and now want to be a professional photographer and who ring and ask advice. Since they're going to undercut our professional services, how should we respond? Most members suggested complete honesty, telling these people exactly how tough it is to survive financially  as a professional photographer, and exactly how un-glamourous and hard work it is.

One member has been looking into the possibility of hiring gallery space for print sales, and another wanted to know whether he should charge for prints for personal use, having already been paid to shoot them commercially.

While the fight against unfair competition rules continues (one city in Canada is blatantly building a free image library for its tourism department) there is good news. One member of PI who runs his own gallery in the south of the UK has announced a landscape competition which immediately joined the 'Rights On' list for it's fair treatment of competitors and their entries.

Compiled by Simon Grosset