Help Care for Cancer Guy by Donating Here! - Let's Do This!

So summarizing...you want people to donate money so a photo book can be produced for CG and his family?

Brent,

Thanks for doing this. I have been following CG's thread and plan on making a donation. Have you e-mailed Brojos to see about putting this on the frontpage?

How much is the photographer being paid, Brent?

joho wrote:

Brent,

Thanks for doing this. I have been following CG's thread and plan on making a donation. Have you e-mailed Brojos to see about putting this on the frontpage?

Yes, I have been in touch with site management. Weldon had said that as soon as CG made a decision that he wanted this photo book (there were some delicate concerns he had about having a photographer around), he would put up a link.

When I emailed him that CG would like to accept the offer, initially he didn't reply. When I emailed again, he finally replied that he was out of town and that and was soon heading to London (wonder why?), but copied both Robert and another who are running the site, saying they should put up a link. I waited and looked for a link, but haven't found one. I've since emailed, I think twice, and still haven't gotten a reply. I didn't really want to do this post without having an official LRC backing, but for whatever reason, nothing was being done.

waaaaaaaiiiit a second wrote:

He's in London? Presumably for the Olympics, and we're supposed to be shelling out money for a picture book? I would like to hear the story on this before I make any donations. And the Bros can't be bothered to answer an email? Me no likey the way this is developing.

Supposed to shell out money . . .? Did you think that donation and "though shalt give" were synonymous?

Me no likey either. If they don't want to back or promote this project, that's alright. But what is not alright is not letting me know anything. I'm guessing they are just busy. Initially Weldon said yes. I don't know why no one is contacting me.

And Weldon being on another continent makes a difference . . . how?

common wrote:

How much is the photographer being paid, Brent?

This is one of a few variables in the whole thing. As I said, initially I was shooting to raise $5,000, which I felt was really cutting it close. There either could be a little left over or it could have been a little short. I therefore made the decision to raise the amount to $7,500 to make sure both the photographer was going to be paid and the company doing the books would be covered, plus there will be something (hopefully a lot) left over to donate to CG.

Anyway, that is a political answer to a direct question, and I'm going to get back to you. I can tell you now, however, that the photographer who I really want to do this is my friend, very good, and will not be cheap. But, I'm hoping to have him shooting for three days in order to get this book done well. This is not just a normal portrait session that can be done in half a day, or even a full day.

I also am going to have a company do the books that is top-notch. Well, I've heard that they can have quality control issues and customer service issues at times, but when they finally get it right (and my photographer friend and I will ensure the final product is right), they are the best. So, there is a big expense. I am going to contact them, however, and see if they can give a discount in this case, being a sort of charity project. Hopefully that can leave more for CG and his family.

But again, I'll get back to you on the photogs fees. I need to check on a couple things first. Sorry!

Brent is not using his proper names and pronouns very well. The "he" Brent is referring to is not Cancer Guy, it's Weldon. Weldon Johnson is going to London. Cancer Guy is at home fighting hard to survive cancer right now.

Brent, I don't know if you saw my question above. How much is the photographer being paid? I'm uncomfortable with the amount of money this project is going to "cost", and the fact that the photographer is a friend of yours and is, in your opinion, better for this type of project than anyone else. Can we see examples of your friend's work? Does he have an online portfolio that covers this particular skillset as well as his range of photographic experience? When you're talking about $5000 not being enough, and hopefully having some left over after raising $7500, I think those of us who will be donating need to know more details.

The photographers I know offer a much lower rate or work for free in cases like this, so while the idea is fantastic, the implementation feels exploitative, in my opinion. Is there any reason why we can't start an indiegogo fund, and allow CG and his family to make some of the high-level decisions about this project for themselves?

First, thank you for clarifying what I was saying.

Did you see my response above? I'll reply in a few minutes more fully.

Thanks for the response, Brent. Obviously our posts crossed paths on the wire.

I just made a contribution - good luck all

common wrote:

How much is the photographer being paid? I'm uncomfortable with the amount of money this project is going to "cost", and the fact that the photographer is a friend of yours and is, in your opinion, better for this type of project than anyone else. Can we see examples of your friend's work?

If you are asking people to donate for this cause, why isn't the "photographer" donating his time too?

If you want people around here to donate, why don't you donate 100% of the money to him and his family, instead of operating like the scum running charity operations chronicled in threads here?

I agree with the above poster, although I would have said it a little nicer. When I first saw this thread and clicked onto the donation page and realized what the money was being used for, I hesitated to donate and still do. Now if 100% of the donation project was going to CG and his family then I would gladly donate.

Common, I do appreciate your directness. I also hate your directness!

Here's why. I'm sort of faced with the task of pointing out why vanilla ice cream is better than chocolate, or why green is better than blue. This gets down to taste, but I also very much believe there is an objective element that is, nonetheless, hard to make clear on why my friend's work is better than other portrait photographers.

But let me get back to that in a minute. I will lay out completely how this has all came about.

Of course, there is CG's plight. No one is in suspicion about that. I am a photographer, but don't make my living from it. I have two fellow photographer friends, one here in Japan, the other in Halifax. The one in Halifax is the one I really want to do this project.

Back to myself, though I do not make a living from photography currently, I would like to move into doing so. I have had the idea of doing the sorts of photo books I am now asking us to donate to CG. There is a market, I believe, here in Okinawa for that. It is not exactly the same as CG's situation, but practically it is the same; create precious memory books of special monumental events in people's lives and of loved ones who may not be alive much longer. So, the idea for this sort of work has been burning in me for a while.

As CG's story unfolded, it became clear to me that funds to go for treatments didn't seem the most necessary. Therefore, when starting to think on other ways to help him and his family, I of course thought about a photo book that his family can have for the rest of their lives. I just really, really, really think it is a good idea, and no one has, as far as I know, thought the idea bad itself.

Obviously, a big question arises as to who will do the photography work. Being a photographer and knowing how the book should look and "feel", I could think of nobody better than my friend, Andrew, in Halifax. I'll get to why I'm confident he is best in a minute.

Again, and all I can do is ask you to believe me because there is no way I can prove it, I thought of Andrew because his style is exactly what the book needs. It had nothing in itself to do with getting my friend money. But! I was also happy that my friend could get some money while doing this. It was in absolutely zero way a factor in deciding to ask him, but it was something that I was also happy about. If you go through CG's thread, I think you can see that from my initial posts. I didn't try to hide the fact that this was paid work for a friend of mine. I said it from the very first post (pretty sure anyway).

When I emailed my friend about a possible job, I simply told him where and why and from three days to a week of shooting, and could he give me a ballpark figure. I wanted to pay him what his work was worth. When he got back to me I could tell he was excited about the idea, even though I told him it was very, very, preliminary and probably wouldn't happen in the end (CG still hadn't responded to my idea at this point, I was just checking). He was excited about the project not for the money only, but for the project itself.

He offered to do it for expenses (airfare, hotel, meals), and half his day rate for each travel and shooting day. Half his day rate is $750. Plus, his hourly rate would normally be tacked on for post processing, but he said he would do that for free.

Now, of course he at least needs expenses. And his day rate is indeed in line with other top-notch photographers. I was just recently doing some calculations on producing these sorts of books myself, and I swear to you I came up with exactly $1,500 for a book (this was before asking Andrew or having any inkling about this project). But, that was only for a half-day to full day of shooting. Post processing enough images to put together a good book takes a lot of time. Obviously, time he would take to do this project is time he cannot get paid to do other work. Therefore, though I know some feel it expensive, I know it isn't expensive at all.

And that is one of the other reasons I "don't appreciate" (really I do, but you know what I mean) your directness. I feel it is quite cheap, but I also know most will think it is quite expensive. I doubt many, if any, will grasp that.

I think that is everything to know about how this came about and why it will take so much. I honestly hate to say, "so much", though, since this is, one, a donation drive to go for comforting the family of a man who has a good chance of dying very soon. And two, because if I said it was for medical expenses, people wouldn't balk if I was trying to raise 30 or even 50 thousand dollars. But in this case, that money will quite likely not actually help CG's family to have their father, husband, son, and brother. In some measure, and for much less, this actually gives the family their loved one; the thing they most want.

I'm sitting here getting pissed as I write this. Really! Does everything need always to be reduced to the least common freakin' denominator? /@&%

http://ge.tt/79yydxK?t=1343225525495

I'm sorry. I really don't want to go on trying to explain why the type of work above suits this project better than normal portrait work. I've explained some in CG's thread. The one thing I do have to say is that the work shown isn't to be thought of as how CG or his family will come across. The point of Andrew's work is to show who a person is and what they are going through. A lot of that work is dark because it was of his mother and father while his mother was in decline with Alzheimer's disease. CG and his family will be captured as CG and his family really are, if we allow Andrew to do the work, anyway.

If you read all that, thank you.

nasda wrote:

If you are asking people to donate for this cause, why isn't the "photographer" donating his time too?

When you donate three days of your wages, with overtime, then I'll ask my friend to do the same.

Brent, I did read all of that, some of it several times, and I want to be clear, I am not trying to imply that this is a scam of any kind. Those are someone else's words. I'm honestly telling you that I, and others, have some reservations about donating to this cause due to the way the project has been presented thus far. I appreciate the additional details, and I can understand that the expense is justified and necessary the way the project is laid out. From my experience, I have to say his rates are in line with what I've seen, so no debate there.

The thing that get me a little bit is that, in my opinion, you're too personally invested in doing this 'your' way. This is an idea 'you' have been thinking about. 'You' have enlisted 'your' friend, 'your' choice of photographer, 'your' high-quality publisher, etc. I see a lot of focus on 'you', and less on, ultimately, the subject. And that concerns me.

I think your motives are pure and good, but your implementation is self-centered in a way that damages the ultimate goal. It bothers me, also, that you're taking the criticism personally. Don't do that! Again, it's not about 'you', it's about the end product.

What kind of cancer does CG have?

Brent. wrote:

nasda wrote:

If you are asking people to donate for this cause, why isn't the "photographer" donating his time too?

When you donate three days of your wages, with overtime, then I'll ask my friend to do the same.

Your attempt to blow off the question would be valid if I was associating myself with this charitable cause, but since I'm not, why don't you just answer it? Or why don't you find a photographer that will do it for free?

You see, I've worked on 100% commission for years, and sometimes you have to do things where you don't get paid right away. The pay comes from the exposure you get and referrals later on. Sometimes you might not get paid at all but if you help someone in a small way, that's pay enough.

Your heart is in the right place, but you have more refining to do if you want everyone to jump on your cause.

Or if you insist on using a specific photographer, why don't you pay for it yourself?

jimmy from ny wrote:

What kind of cancer does CG have?

Well, the cancer that CG has right now is so unique that it doesn't have a name. It's a type of blood cancer, but doctors at Mayo Clinic have tested it and found it is a novel form.

Everyone is free to take up their own charitable cause for CG if they want. I do not understand why people are piling on Brent. He is the ONLY PERSON that has stepped up and done something. In the original CG thread, several people asked CG if something could be done, vague ideas were tossed around but nothing solid. Brent proposed an idea and had a plan to implement it. CG approved it and was genuinely moved by the offer.

Brent is not making money off this. He is hiring someone that has no involvment with LR whatsoever. If I was a professional photographer I would volunteer my services because there is some small connection that I feel with CG. Brent's photographer has no connection. He is making a living.

While everyone else was talking, Brent was doing. I, for one, appreciate his initiative and willingnes to take this on.