THE CHANGING WORLD
OF COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY-II

A survey for Commercial Photographers and Digital Artists



A. General Information

1Highest level of education:
  High school  [ 7.7% ] College  [ 78% ]
      Advanced degree  [ 14% ]
2 Is your degree in photography?
  Yes  [ 67% ]     
3 Average number of years in the business of photography
    [ 20 ] 

The largest cluster is between 23 to 27 years.

 
4  Are you Self employed?  [ 94% ]  Employed in-house by a company?   [ 5% ]
5  What is your primary field of photography ? Choose the closest match. 
  Editorial  [ 25% ]  General Commercial / Advertising  [ 60% ] 
  Architecture  [ 6% ]     
6 What is your secondary field of photography ?
  

This seems to have been a confusing question so I had to go to the open ended questions to see What people were doing.  The vast majority listed Stock Photography and Portrait/Weddings as Their second (and growing) source of business.
7 Who is your clientele?
  Ad agencies  [ 65% ]  Designers  [ 62% ] 
  Direct to industry  [ 73% ]  Private individuals  [ 36% ] 
  Publications  [ 62% ]  You work In-house and not self-employed   [ 3% ] 
8 Are your clients: 
  National  [ 77% ]  International  [ 35% ] 
  Regional  [ 80% ]     
9 Do you have studio space? 
  yes  [ 65% ]     
   If yes, do you: 
  Own  [ 26% ]  Rent full time  [ 35% ] 
  Rent per assignment  [ 7% ]     

I know it doesn't add up!





B.Computing

1Do you own a computer? 
yes  [ 98% ]     
2In business do you use it for:  
Bookkeeping   [ 81% ]  Word Processing  [ 89% ] 
Digital Imaging  [ 93% ]  Email  [ 96% ] 
Web Access  [ 95% ]     
3How many years ago did you begin using a computer for business?  
1 - 5 years  { 14% ]  5 or more  [ 80% ] 
4Computer platform 
Windows  [ 37% ]  MAC  [ 79% ] 
5How did you gain your computer skills? 
Self Taught  [ 93% ]  School or Workshop  [ 7% ]
6Do you do any digital image manipulation in house for clients?
Yes  [ 81% ]    
  If yes: 
For finished art and layout  [ 71% ] For layout purposes only  [ 6% ]
7 What percentage of your work is shot digitally?   46% of respondents answered [ 50% ]
8When you shoot film, what percentage is scanned? 
10% of respondents answered  [5-10%] 10% answered  [ 50% ]
31% answered  [ 100% ]
9In what format is your portfolio?
  Check all that apply.
  Photo prints  [ 43% ] Digital prints  [ 69% ]
Chromes  [ 43% ] Tear sheets  [ 45% ]
CDs or other discs  [ 24% ] Website  [ 63% ]



C.Support Staff

1Do you hire photo assistants?
   Yes  [81%] If yes: Part Time or freelance  [82%] 
2What specific skills do you expect from an assistant?
  Lighting on location  [54%] Basic computer knowledge  [47%]
  Lighting and general studio skills  [60%] Digital image processing  [25%]
  "People skills"  [75%] Large format camera operation  [25%]
  Digital capture  [20%] Digital image manipulation  [20%]
  Business skills  [15%] Digital output  [15%]
  Appearance and dress  [67%] Basic attitude  [83% ]
3Do you have an Agent or Rep? [21%]



D.Business Operations and Relationships

Over the past five years, how have the following changed: More Less Same
1 Are your relationships with your clients more or less formal and structured?  [13%] [27%] [58%]
2 Are you doing more or less bidding to get jobs ? [31%] [19%] [48%]
3 Are your jobs requiring more or fewer written contractual agreements? [31%] [10%] [56%]
4 Are you shooting more or fewer job assignments per year? [24%] [55%] [16%]
5 Do you figure your prices based on:  ( Check all that apply )
Time (day rate, etc.) [73%] Type of assignment [70%] Usage [76%]
6Do you consider image usage into your estimate of fees:
Always  [58%] Never  [5%] Sometimes  [36%]
7How do you feel clients understand copyright considerations?:
Better than before  [35%] Less than before  [15%] No change  [34%] 


This may seem personal, but the information can be very valuable to all concerned with the practice of photography.
8Have your fees on a unit basis gone up or down?
  (based on number of images or number of working days)
Up  [50%] Down  [18%] Stayed the same  [30%] 
9Has your effective take home salary gone up or down?
Up  [37%] Down  [41%] Stayed the same  [20%] 
10Are you having to increase your level of work to maintain your income level?
Yes  [61%] No  [39%]    
11Are you being asked to do assignments that are different from the type of assignment you used to do?
Yes  [29%] No  [38%] Somewhat  [28%] 
12Are you being asked to do fewer of the types of assignments you used to do?
Yes  [44%]  No  [48%]  Somewhat  [8%] 







    Are you currently planning on remaining in commercial photography as a shooter? Yes  [94%] 
    If you answered Yes:
  A.  Do you believe you can continue to do the kind of work you currently do?  Yes  [91%] 
  B.  Will you have to relocate?  No  [93%] 
  C.  Will you have to restructure your business?  Yes  [62%] 
  D.  Will you have to retrain to include new technologies or techniques?  Yes  [86%] 


F:The open ended questions are covered in the summary


Project Overview |  Summary |  1997 - 2003 Comparison |  Menu Page |  Home

The information contained on the web site is available for use in other publications or venues.  Credit to Professor Howard LeVant of the Rochester Institute of Technology would be appreciated.


Send Email to Professor LeVant