january 2007 - Professional Photographer Magazine

painted, very funky looking portraits.” Each
of these unique images forces you to assess it
on its own merits rather than its pedigree.
That in itself inspires Heisler, especially in
the current photographic climate, where
classic values are often discarded in the face
of changing trends.
On the business side of the digital movement,
Heisler joins fellow pros in expressing
concern. Particularly for commercial and
editorial photographers, the profession has
become far more costly with no corresponding
increase in pay rates. There are more photographers,
and readily available, cheap images
are flooding the market. These are the
concerns that keep professional photographers
up at night. Even Gregory Heisler.
Every coin has a flip-side, though. The
demand for imagery is also greater than
ever before. “People are using and viewing
images in more ways, and in different types
of contexts,” says Heisler. “That is certainly
encouraging.”
The trick is producing work that keeps
you in demand, not an easy task in this everfickle
market. “You’ve been selling yourself
on a set of subtle distinctions,” Heisler says,
“and suddenly those distinctions don’t matter
because your clients no longer recognize or
value them. Ultimately, though, the best
price protection someone can have is being
unique. We all start out with a good chance
at being unique, but then some photographers
try to keep up with the market by following the
trends. When people follow trends and their
style becomes less definable, it fuels their doom.”
In Heisler’s estimation, more than ever,
professional photography is a balancing act.
On one side you have the drive to create a
unique vision, on the other you have the
need to produce marketable work. “I used to
think that if I simply concentrated on making
good images, the business would take care
of itself,” says Heisler. “For years it worked
that way, but I’m not so sure that’s the case