WHAT IS THE VALUE OF AN IMAGE?
What is the value of an image?
For decades it was right there, irrefutable, numbers on a page, invoiced and remitted, value exchanged for value received, with a wicked appreciation of its power, and respect for the art and craft of its making.
Factor in inflation, and value should increase. And in a world that no longer reads, that increase should be exponential – including, and beyond, the numbers on the page.
But inflation has a one way relationship with photography. Expenses now exceed any predictable calculation, yet rates have eluded adjustment for over half-a-century. The financial hit is formidable, but the psychological destruction is devastating and far-reaching.
If photography must now cost less to buy than to produce, who will be left to create it?
And just what IS the value of an image?
©2016 Mark Berndt | All Rights Reserved
