Marcus Watts wrote:
You're wrong. The less educated find the use of words from the english language not in their more limited vocabulary as pretentious or cheesy.
That does not limit them from creating their own, say using the word dope to mean cool.
Investment is however in the dictionary and has a meaning appropriate to the use we are talking about.
Excuse my directness here, but Marcus what is your annual household income? Apparently you are an expert on the upper class. What do you drive? Did you graduate college?
You say I am wrong. Tell us what makes you qualified to state this as fact.
And I'd be interested to know what high-end client means to you.
jneilosu wrote:
The post started in the context of websites, but a few of the things the op said made it seem like he/she just genuinely doesn't view photography as an investment, which is a whole different story.
This is sort of what I'm getting at. Granted, I do believe that a lot of photographers are using the term "investment" as a pure marketing ploy. However, I also think that there are photographers out there that truly believe that they are investing a part of their souls as much as the client is "investing" part of their savings.
The fact that the OP was so against the usage of the word, coupled with some of his comments, makes me think that maybe he isn't as invested in wedding photography as he may think. Of course, that's just me reading into things.
As someone who just does photography as a hobby, and someone who just booked a photographer for their own wedding I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents.
The first time I saw "Investment" as a page on a photographers website, I was confused, how/why would I invest in your business? Once I realized it was their price list I thought it was pretty cheesy.
Unfortunately investments are judged by their fair market value, not by how much their owner values them at (just ask anyone whose house is underwater). While my wedding pictures/album will be priceless to me, to Joe Schmo and the bank they are pretty worthless therefore I wouldn't consider them an investment.
That being said, the photographer I booked for my wedding was a pretty expensive one, because I think it's important to have quality work for something that I will hold onto for a lifetime. Sorry I guess this was more like 5 cents worth of opinion
lightwelder wrote:
I'm still not convinced. Just because you hire a skilled mechanic and avoid the bad ones, it doesn't mean that you invested in any way. Plus, the first thing a crappy tog would say is that they're investment worthy.
The fact still remains, a good wedding album, or good photography is just as bad of an investment than a lavish honeymoon. They're both going to leave you with good memories, but they're going to hurt your bank account. And it's going to hurt all the same, whether you call it 'investment' or 'cost' or 'price'.
You don't make sales by selling negativity. I wouldn't book with any photographer or travel agent who said that a wedding book or honeymoon is a bad investment. I'd wonder how they stay in business.
alohadave wrote:
You don't make sales by selling negativity. I wouldn't book with any photographer or travel agent who said that a wedding book or honeymoon is a bad investment. I'd wonder how they stay in business.
It's not negativity, it's just not an investment. That's a stupid freaking word to describe anything that can't get you something tangible in return.
You invest in children's future. As a result, they will [hopefully] have a great career and make good money.
You invest in a car warranty to mitigate the risk of crapola hitting the fan and costing you way more. (more risk management than investment, really)
You invest in retirement to have money when you're finished working...
To me, the 'investment' thing came about as a desperate attempt to justify prices. I don't think the sales pitch should be based on fear of ruined photographs. Either they see the value in what you do and how you do it, or they don't.
TTLKurtis wrote:
It's not negativity, it's just not an investment. That's a stupid freaking word to describe anything that can't get you something tangible in return.
You invest in children's future. As a result, they will [hopefully] have a great career and make good money.
You invest in a car warranty to mitigate the risk of crapola hitting the fan and costing you way more. (more risk management than investment, really)
You invest in retirement to have money when you're finished working...
To me, the 'investment' thing came about as a desperate attempt to justify prices. I don't think the sales pitch should be based on fear of ruined photographs. Either they see the value in what you do and how you do it, or they don't....Show more →
Been a while since I've seen someone get so worked up over semantics.
Is it an actual investment, a la retirement accounts, etc? Of course not. That should be obvious, and no one ever said it was.
It does represent a manner of investment in one's future satisfaction. You're putting something in, with the hope that what you'll get in return is (more than) worth it. Does that fit the Oxford definition? Perhaps not. Does it fit common vernacular? I'd say so.
I don't call it "Investment", but I've had clients call it that. That's enough for me.
