FabR[Senior Patek Moderator]
26166
Thanks for sharing some good points on this, Patrick. I never bought at auctions yet (in fact, I never even bought second hand! ;-), but certainly these pictures are not the best advertisement for the auction industry! ;-)
Apr 21, 2022,00:07 AM
In part, as you say, I'm sure they know they'll sell most of these watches anyway. Hence quality might not be that big of an (economic) concern, also given the large number of photoshoots that must be done in a short period of time (most likely, by some mid-level, uninspired employee). Also, it's true that anybody knows the value of certain references these days, so even if appearance matters, it's not clear how much of a difference a better picture (or even the same picture of a cleaner product! ;-)) would make.
BUT, what frankly concerns me the most here is the broader "picture" (pun intended) --- namely, that the quality of the work of so many people seems on a very sharp, downward trajectory, and across virtually all industries. Honestly, if I took those pictures, regardless of the (obvious) disservice I'd be doing to my client, I would first and foremost feel ashamed with myself to have performed so poorly at my job! ;-)
Maybe it's just me (and you, and many others), but I FIRMLY believe that if people take up a task (especially in their jobs, but more generally in life), then such task comes with the moral responsibility to give their VERY best at it. Work ethic is probably one of the best things I try to I teach to my students in every course --- as it might be even more useful to their lives and careers than knowing how to prove a Math theorem!
But I guess it's a sad fact that commitment, a sense of moral obligation, and even self-esteem are becoming less relevant in modern society.
Whether your job is to photograph watches at auction, be the CEO of a Fortune 10 company, or anything in between....please have the dignity to devote ALL of yourself to whatever you elected to do....or just resign, and have fun doing something else completely!
Thanks for some good food for thought with this post, Patrick
Cheers.