Had a conversation with a photographer friend recently.
They moved from one of Australia's major cities to a regional city about 12 months ago. In the larger city, he had built himself up a quite good business doing portraiture, a few weddings and some freelance work for a couple of the local alternative newspapers. His wife has a degree related profession and at the end of the year, her income is about double his. She was offered a position on this regional city and they decided to take a tree change and move.
He set himself up in their new town, where the population base was about 1/10th of his previous location and started advertising in the local rag as a photographer. 12 months down the track he hardly has any work. His lament to me was that people out here do not see the value in photography. They would rather spend it on new farm gear, sending their kids to city schools, going to the local pub every opportunity and buying animals..and more.
I sat and listened to him for about 15 minutes and he is not a happy chappy at present. But as I was listening to him, I realised he was trying to run his business the same way he had done so in his previous location.
Should he try and 'convert' the locals, with positive ideas and give them an opportunity to see photography as he sees it, or should he change his business model to suit the people in his current location?