Photography On Demand?

The state of photography has changed so dramatically over the past few decades, with a spike in recent years.  It used to be that the best in instant pictures or video was a Polaroid and an extremely expensive video camera.  Today however digital cameras, camera phones, digital video and the like, have enabled images to be instantaneous and immediately available for viewing.  Partnered with the power of the internet and the technology of computers, instant images are not only easily viewable, but they are accessible to anyone with access to the internet. 

While all the advances in technology are nice, with it comes an influx of amateur photographers and fame seekers that will record and publish anything for viewing by anyone.  I'm not opposed to You Tube and other sites that allowing the viewing of just about anything, but I was ecstatic to see a new service available that targets professional photographers.  There's a service I came across called Todocast.tv where you can essentially offer video over satellite for professional events.  Whether it’s a tradeshow, corporate meeting, wedding, special occasion, you can now literally allow anyone on demand access to view that event.  The other real bonus I saw was that you can search by genre, so if you're a tennis fan and want to see live events but can't actually go to the event because of cost or timing or whatever the reason, you'd be able to view the event over the internet.  It appears as though some of the content would be free, like breaking news events that major television broadcasts would want to upload, or photographers could determine whether they want to charge a fee or not.

The quality will be far better than the home grown videos seen on other sites, but the flipside of course is it may not be as top quality as a scripted and state of the art event would be, since it's up to the discretion of the photographer.  Since this service is geared toward providing videographers a revenue generating stream, you're not going to get by with free viewing of anything you want.  But, for me I'm a firm believer in the notion that you get what you pay for.  Cost is not an issue if it's well priced and worth the investment.  I'd much rather pay for something of substance than waste my time with something free. 

Another possible downside it’s the fact that until viewers start rating the photographer's work, you may spend money on something that really is not at all what you thought it would be. The videographer might also be a great photographer but very inept at explaining his work.  If he captures video for a skateboarding event and labels the event as one that you think you're paying to watch all the contestants at the event.  But instead you find out that the photographer decided to highlight his buddy's skills and you've just elected to watch one guy strut his stuff.  Now, I'm sure there will be regulations and guidelines to this service that will package the menu so that it's clear to both sides what is being paid for.  Regardless of the side you prefer, it is still a clever concept.  It will be interesting to see how this unfolds and I'll definitely be first on deck to check it out.