I worked for Life Touch for two days. They are a corporation that has come to dominate high school and elementary school photography.
I was hired, despite having ZERO photography experience because their fastest photographer was VERY pregnant and about to pop at any moment. They were desperate to put anyone behind a camera to make up for her loss.
Because, when Life Touch moves into an area, they buy out all the privately owned photography studios and then hire their photographers for half pay.
These women were making over 30 an hour and now made around 15. But, since Life Touch buys up all competitors, it was either take the half pay or leave the field entirely.
A few privately owned studios were popping up and Life Touch, robbed of their fastest photographer, were at risk of losing contracts to them.
I learned all this in my two days there talking to the other photographers.
If these privately owned studios got a foot hold they'd offer Life Touch's photographers twice as much money.
Life Touch would either have to buy them out, pay their photographers more, or lose all their best and fastest photographers.
I was supposed to get two weeks of training. They were so terrified for their profits that they hired me with no experience, skipped the two weeks of training, and had me working a camera my first day with a manager breathing down my neck to go faster.
When I approached my boss and told him I can't do this without training he fired me on the spot.