Today’s Post by Joe Farace
At the end of each chapter in my now DOA book, A Life in Photography, there was a section I called “What Have We Learned Today.” The ending of one particular chapter goes something like this…
A Photomethods magazine reader once e-mailed me: “How can I make my clients love me?” My answer to them was a corollary to one of Farace’s Laws: All you need to do is cut your rates in half. The clients will love you but you will go out of business and they will love you as they search for another photographer to do the work you used to perform. Because, like it or not, the work is going to get done, the only question that remains is by whom?
How I Made this Photograph: I tried to find a Mark III Spitfire to photograph but had to settle for this rusty Datsun, but then again I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Datsun automobiles. Modern Nissan’s? Not so much. Before Nissan cars bore their maker’s names they were called “Datsun” and this 1600 or 2000 has seen better days. It was photographed with a Canon EOS 1D Mark III and a 16-35mm f/2.8 L zoom lens. Exposure in Program mode was 1/400 at f/10 and ISO 200.
What has this got to do with what this post is really all about.
Simply, we all have to make a living and at this stage of my life, this blog is all that I have going for me. I do have a few sponsors for the blog—no personal sponsors as many bloggers and YouTubers—but they don’t cover the expenses involved in producing this blog on a daily basis.
It appears that this Farace’s Law is much more universal than I originally thought. In a recent post I asked readers for feedback about an idea I had to make the blog self-sustaining by offering VIP memberships that would supplement but not change free access to all of the posts. The response from readers was interesting, to say the least. Here are some of the comments I received:
“The only worry I have over this is similar to what happened with Shutterbug and several other subscriptions I’ve had. How would I stop paying you if you dropped dead?”
“Since you’re probably about the same age as me, if you get dementia and start writing drivel in your blog, I probably will have it also and not notice.”
“Luminous Landscape already did it. Derrick Story is doing it. Seems like Joe Farace should too.”
“No!”
Instead of VIP memberships I created a Patreon account. If you enjoyed any of my recent posts and you can afford it, I’d like you to think about supporting this blog. You can help by making a contribution via Patreon, where memberships start at just $1.25 a month and believe me that will go a long way to keeping the blog afloat. There are additional levels of support at $2.50 and $5.00, both of which include special benefits such access to uncensored Password Protected posts. There is also an option on the Supporters page to make a one-time contribution if that better fits your budget. If you are able to use any of these options, I want to thank you for your support.
I don’t like to publish these kinds of posts; I prefer to offer more photographic content. No matter what happens, my plans are to be here for the long haul and to keep at it going until… If you like what I do and value my opinions and images, you’ll find new content here every Sunday through Saturday, every week throughout the year.
If you have any comments, suggestions or questions, just click Contact and send me an e-mail. I’m looking forward to us continuing this journey together