I have a friend. I won't tell you his name, for reasons that will become obvious. He's a blogger - and a talented one. Photography is his thing. Recently, he started working with luxury brands; shooting their workshops, their fashion shows, portraits of famous designers. He turns up with his digital camera and a flash, nothing else. At first they were surprised. «Where are your lights? Your assistants? Your make-up people?» He doesn't need any of that. He has his camera and his talent. He shoots and leaves. Then he puts the images on his blog and gets thousands of visitors. The brands are delighted.
More recently, he's started shooting films. Advertising spots. He did a big project for a telecoms brand. At first they wanted to work with an advertising agency, but he talked them out of it. He gave them an estimate (a devis) with a number on it. One line. They didn't know how much profit he would make, once he'd hired cameras and actors and some other equipment. Frankly, they didn't care – he was so much cheaper than a conventional advertising agency. He shot his film, placed the results on his blog and on Vimeo. The film got thousands of hits. The brand was delighted. They'll work with him again. He's not a big agency. He's not even a small agency. He's just one man in the digital era. He's the future. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
