Your logic doesn’t pan out, bro. Ron didn’t make a big mistake, Lauren did. Ron put some spotlight on it, and it took off. Ron didn’t intend for Lauren to get attacked by other photographers, but she did; and he wanted to do something to turn this around.

I agreed to work on the project for 2 reasons. 1: I trust Ron and look for any opportunity to do something with him. He’s creative and a “do-er,” while most people are just “talk-ers.” 2: I am sick of this industry ripping itself apart and was excited by the idea of doing something — for free — to help bring us together.

I don’t know about your business accounting skills, but when I’m offering a package for this project that is normally $3,000—when I have a waiting list of clients who are eager to pay, but I can’t take on yet—doesn’t really add up to “only standing to gain” to me. I’m sure the other companies can report similar situations, but I won’t speak for them.

What’s too far are your presumptions, not Ron’s intentions.

What I see now, and from the point of when all the other sponsor companies jumped on board, is greed.

I thought what Ron originally agreed to do was quite generous, and a great idea. He realized that he made a big mistake and decided to fix it in a way that made him feel better, and I really felt that he wanted to help Lauren out. Getting all these other companies involved threw all of Rons credibility out the window.
It comes across as a big marketing show for all involved, and they only stand to gain financially from this.

Too far. All of this, just too far. Sorry Ron, you let your good intentions get the best of you.

That doesn’t really work. We’re giving Lauren a foundation to succeed from; it’s up to her to succeed. Helping someone launch a brand for free can not be said, in any measurable way, to hurt them.

You’ll have to come up with something different.

Using your poor relative example, I believe a better analogy is this. You have a relative who hits hard times, you give him/her a new suit for the job interview and work with them on how to do an interview and keep a job. And maybe you give them a little bit of money to get them on their feet.

If, as you say, they get happy and refuse to look for work, it’s at that point where my help would stop. But that initial helping hand is not only a good thing, but I think it’s something a loved one would be OBLIGATED to do.

This is a group of well-minded vendors looking to help someone who made a mistake and we’re saying, “okay, what you did was wrong. Let us show you the best way to go about it, and in doing so, educate a whole industry.” As Kevin said, no matter who we would’ve chosen for this project, one could make the argument someone else is more “deserving.”

It’s sorta like if you have a relative who has no job and you feel sorry for them. So you start supporting them by giving them money, so they can get on their fee. But then the person is happy and comfortable and doesn’t go out looking for any work.

If we found some other photographer to do this for, I’m sure people would cry that there’s someone more deserving. And if we did it for that person, someone would find someone even more deserving.

At that rate, we’d never help anyone. The big picture here is, Ron initiated a positive project to help someone out. Sure you have your opinions about who would be better to receive it, but who really cares?

It’s a rare thing that Ron has done, and I applaud that. Lauren is as deserving as anyone to receive a gift. Quit poisoning the water with judgement, jealousy, and spite. This isn’t about principles, or rather, it’s a bout a bigger one than you all are bent out of shape about. You should all be happy that people are looking to help people—for free, in love—THAT’S the important principle to keep in focus.

I wrote a blog post in response to yours and other people’s comments about “rewarding bad behavior.” I don’t think it will change your mind, and that’s okay. But I do hope you read it with an open mind and try to see a different perspective.

Helping Lauren in the way you are is you being part of the problem.

Why? Because Lauren needs to stand on her own two feet in her business life, and learn her own lessons from her own mistakes. In other words, she needs to take some ownership for her actions.

That is the only way she can grow and become a responsible businessperson and thrive in this community. She will not grow by having others offer her handouts and then accepting them. She will only be remembered as the person who gladly accepted an easy way out instead of someone who recognized what she messed up in and then put her feet to the pavement to get it resolved.

If I was in her position, I would acknowledge that I was lazy and made some bad judgements and then do some soul searching and spend my own time and money to fix things. If I was offered anything like this deal, I would absolutely not accept it because doing so would mean I am not accountable to myself and I always want to be so in my business and in life.

You’ve probably heard the saying “give someone a meal and you feed them for a day, teach them to cook you’ve fed them for life’. You are giving Lauren a meal but not teaching her something of value that she can carry with her the rest of her life.

Lessons of honor, accountability, respect for other photographer’s businesses, self-worth, and self-empowerment are all take aways that she needs but is simply not getting here.

I think the offer from yourself personally to produce a new video for her is great and very appropriate considering the amount of controversy your blog created for her. That alone would have shown your generous nature. But to include all these other freebies seems a little over the top and almost a slap in the face to those of us who patronize these businesses and services and have real artistic integrity.

And I think it goes beyond the rest of us being “jealous” that she’s getting all this stuff for free. It’s the principal of the matter and rewarding bad behavior far beyond what was necessary to rectify any bad press your blog may have given her.

I agree the “Brand Aid” is a fabulous and generous idea, but I’d much rather see it go to up-and-coming talent. Ultimately, I’m glad for the discussion this topic has started in the industry and hope we can all take it to heart and learn from it.