Changes to Patreon service for 'Premium' & 'Platinum' Patreon members (Patreon)

In this post I need to let you know that I have decided to make some changes to the Patreon service I am offering, starting on the 1st April this year.

These changes are a result of the extremely heavy work load I have taken on since the middle of October 2020 while reviewing and preparing learning support materials for the A7C and A1 cameras. This workload seems very unlikely to ease with the prospect of additional lenses and cameras to be released this year (as announced by the Sony manager Masaaki Oshima just a week ago). As this workload has left me precious little time to pursue my own photography projects, I have decided to temporarily suspend the Platinum service for a period of 6 months so I can take a break and engage in some of my own photography projects again. Unfortunately, I will also need to suspend the photo critique service of the Premium service and replace the Premium member benefits with a Digital Download service for my learning resources.

I have made the difficult decision to make my extensive range of eBooks (Camera Setup guides, Lightroom post-production guides, Colour Management, Catalogue Management, Digital Imaging Essential Skills book & Alpha Problem-Solving guides) available to Premium members only. I have been offering my eBooks on a 'free-to-download' and 'donate-what-you-think-its-worth' basis for a number of years now, but this has proved to be flawed business model with less than 1% of photographers feeling that they need to donate after downloading. This system has not created the level of support I need to continue to fund the creation of this content.

When the Platinum Tier closes at the end of this month, Platinum members will need to adjust their membership Tier to either the Premium tier or the Official tier, depending on the service they require.

If the current Premium Patrons do not wish to access the Premium content, they will need to adjust their membership to the ‘Official’ US $5.00 Patreon Tier.

For clarity, here is what the two tiers will offer: -

Official tier – monthly seminars, plus Q & A forum support

Premium tier – monthly seminars, Q & A forum support, plus access to the digital downloads service of the e-book content.

If you require a private consultation (Zoom/Skype) in the short term I will still be offering my One-on-One online consultation service with a 20% discount for Premium Patrons. https://www.markgaler.com/product/one-one-online-consultation

I hope you understand the need for me to make these changes. Thanks for you ongoing support.

Best Wishes

Mark Galer