Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Ignorance is...bliss?

No, ignorance is not bliss. Dictionary.com defines Ignorance as The condition of being uneducated, unaware, or uninformed. Socrates posited that he who knows nothing but thinks he knows is worse off than he who neither knows, nor thinks that he knows. Thus, his conclusion is that it is better to have honest ignorance, than self-deceiving ignorance. Bob Woodward, of Watergate fame, has said "The central dilemma in journalism is that you don't know what you don't know. " Which is one of the tenants of my philosophical outlook: "First, you must know what you don't know. Then, and only then, can you begin to resolve those things about which you know little, or nothing." Consider this Harrington Maxim #1. I shall go so far as to submit for your consideration, that this is an axiom.

Many a noted person has expressed their sentiments about Ignorance. To wit:

The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance -- it is the illusion of knowledge.
~ Daniel J Boorstin
If you are of the opinion that you are knowledgeable about the business of photography, yet you continue to do things that are quantifiably bad business practices, then you are suffering under an illusion.
To be ignorant of one's ignorance is the malady of the ignorant.
~ Amos Bronson Alcott
This falls in line with Socrates' and Woodward's sentiments.
Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving us worthy evidence of the fact.
~ George Eliot
I can't tell you how many times I've encountered this reality. The only response - especially in polite company, is to just smile and say nothing. There's no use in debating a know-it-all who is not humbled by the fact he doesn't know it all. Let reality smack them upside the head on some idle Friday.
Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
King''s take on Socratic thinking, while not revelatory, certainly is of value because it furthers the message.
Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.
~ Will Durant

Education is the key, in the end. The tide of doe-eyed camera-toting people eager to hang out their shingle as a photographer and put themselves out of business in short order and incrementally impact in a negative manner the profession will only be stemmed by education.

Spread the word. Pay whatever knowledge you have gotten here, or from my book, or from other books on the subject of photographic business practices, forward. Pass a link to this blog, with a few relevant posts that you enjoyed, on to your friends, colleagues, or listservs and forums you're on. I know the good folks at Strobist.com, FredMiranda.com, Sportshooter.com, and, yes, even PrettyGirlShooter.com, all are sending traffic this way, and hopefully it's helping people. The private e-mails I am getting seem to indicate as much.

Please post your comments by clicking the link below. If you've got questions, please pose them in our Photo Business Forum Flickr Group Discussion Threads.


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Citizen Journalism - TOS - A First Look

Reuters has put forth it’s contract that applies to all submissions, and here’s a few tidbits, and my thoughts:


“IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THESE TERMS, DO NOT SUBMIT ANY MATERIAL TO REUTERS. “
Ok, so, that’s fair.
Reuters may change these terms at any time by posting changes online. You must review these terms regularly to ensure you are aware of any changes made by Reuters.
Say What? I gotta check this page regularly? That’s starting to sound like a job.
”grant to Reuters and its affiliates a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive, transferable and non-revocable right and license to use, reproduce, display publicly, modify, adapt, edit, publish, translate, distribute, perform, play, create derivative works from, exercise and sub-license all associated and relevant rights (including intellectual property rights and publicity rights) with respect to your Material in any media whatsoever, whether now known, or developed in the future (the foregoing license is granted for the entire respective terms of the relevant rights);
What part of lunacy does this fall into? It must be the “I just wanna see my camera phone picture on CNN because I think it’s just sooo cool” faction.


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Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Best Value

Recently, a commenter suggested

Education can be done till you are blue in the face, and the bottom line is the lowest bid will win.
The poster was anonymous (and I am considering turning off that option), and couldn't be more wrong. I win bids alll the time where I am not the lowest. I know of PE's who will NOT award to the lowest. The government considers "best value" as a better way to bid than "lowest cost...". Read this for a few insights into that concept.

What you must bring to bear, is "best value". That means you make things work, produce exceptional visuals, solve client's problems. Or, have a track record of producing and delivering, and these clients will recognize "Best Value" when they see it.
Please post your comments by clicking the link below. If you've got questions, please pose them in our Photo Business Forum Flickr Group Discussion Threads.


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