In grandfather's day, before the technical revolution, it was customary to pay attention to the wisdom of "the older voice of experience." Grandfather (and grandmother) passed down the wisdom of the ages. When it comes to ethical and moral thinking, that's pretty much true today, yes. But when it comes to today's business operations, including photo research business operations, such as delivery, temporary storage, research, and development, grandpa is usually clueless.

Too often, I hear a researcher say, "So-and-so, who has been doing photo research 30 years, told me that..."

And too often, so-and-so's advice was not on-target. Why?

Because photo distribution, storage, and the actual production of stock photography has dramatically changed in the last decade. If a veteran researcher is giving you advice, and still depending on a film-based system, you can be sure he or she is advising you from a limited and a biased position. Photo researchers are like most of us, -they don't welcome change.

With the speed of recent technological advances, most disciplines, not just photography, are also experiencing rapid change-- physicians, mechanics, engineers, the military. Today, to get advice, for example, from a retired physician, soldier, automotive repairman, who has not continued his or her education on an ongoing basis, would not be wise. In photo research, it can even work against your success.

This sounds like an indictment of senior citizens. It's not. It's aimed at cautioning against the myths that some veteran researchers, albeit with good intentions, pass on to those just starting out. My point is to watch out for faulty consulting. What worked in the last two or three decades regards business operations in stock photography research, frequently doesn't work at all today.

One faulty approach I've heard veteran publishing company photo researchers express, is "We have our staff photographer and several freelance photographers we have always depended on. There’s no need to outsource to locate images."

Red flags should go up. The Internet can provide many new sources of highly specialized photos. To test this out, go to Google, type in a keyword(s) describing a photo, a space, and then the word, 'photosource'. Very often you'll immediately locate the source of the image. This system saves researchers the cost and administration of having a staff or freelance photographer take the picture on assignment.

Now, to make amends with seasoned photo researchers. Of course there are many veteran professional researchers who have changed with the times, continually update their business practices, and are on top of the technological changes of the last decade. These 'silver-haired foxes' are the ones to listen to. As for the others, well, turn, and don't walk away, run.

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