How Can You Compete With This?

I was at my son's soccer game a couple of weeks ago and a guy came up and started talking to me.  Turns out he was a professional photographer and he assumed I was because I was carrying my Canon 1D Mark III with  70-200mm lens.  We got got to rambling about cameras and photogaphy like photog addicts do.  This guy tells me he works for a local photography company that specializes in school and sport photography, a mass production type of setup.  He told me he worked on his own for years but decided it was impossible to compete with the Walmarts of the world... 

Then this add showed up in my mail box today.

This all got me to thinking... why would anyone in their right mind want to be a professional photographer and compete with this?  Look at what you get for $9.95!  That's insane. 

The way I figure it, the bottom line is this, if you want to make it as a professional photographer and not make a living mass producing  photos in the corner of a strip mall you are going to have to set yourself apart... and in a big, big way.  That will take work!  Funny thing, though, the same holds true for just about any profession.

I came across the website of a guy in Louisiana named Kevin Beasley who is doing just that.  I actually saw his site recommended on David Ziser's blog Digital Pro Talk, which I have listed as one of my "Top 10."  David is another awesome photographer making a decent living specializing in wedding photography.

Problem is... Kevin Beasley's stuff is so good that I am going to have to add him as one of my Top 10 picks.  I only pick 10 (hence the name) so I am going to have to give somebody the boot!  But don't just trust me.  Check Mr. Beasley's stuff out for yourself at http://www.kevinbeasley.com/site2/index2.php

That's all I've got for today.  I have to go decide who's getting axed from my Top 10!  Hmmm, I'm gonna have to think about this.

Keep shooting!

Ryan