Is the era of "Paid Photographers" drawing to a close?

Is the era of "Paid Photographers" drawing to a close? Is the heyday of the paid professional photographer well and truly getting to the end?

With many people not bothering with wanting prints of their photos and more and more of the general public having access to better and better cameras I can see the writing on the wall.

Times do change. There will always be a niche, but I think that niche will dwindle.

you forget that this is simply a paradigm shift and the history of photography has seen many like it before; examples being liquid emulsion and daguerreotypes to dry plates, glass plates to acetate, and large format film to 35mm roll film. Each shift has made photography significantly "easier," and definitely more accessible to amateurs who want to take photographs, but the fact of the matter is that a certain level of education (whether self taught or through an institution) remains necessary to make "professional" photographs, and a lot of savvy is still needed for photographic needs which are high in demand, such as weddings, sports, reportage, and advertisement.

you forget that a lot of people who think they can do it themselves just by buying the equipment and greenboxing it ultimately fail and either invest significant time in learning or simply hire a professional, and a lot of people who work for free are only doing so with the aspiration of being paid some day.

ConDigital wrote in post #9131322
more and more of the general public having access to better and better cameras I can see the writing on the wall.

A good photographer will produce a better picture with a nifty fifty on an XS than a crappy photographer could with a 50L on a 1Ds Mk IV.

People who don't take the time and spend the energy learning good aesthetic technique won't produce good photographs, regardless of how fool proof equipment gets.

HD video cameras are commonplace and affordable, yet there are still professional cinematographers.

There are still differences from a well-edited video produced by a single videographer/editor vs. the video your uncle Bob would make with the exact same HD video equipment. As long as people can tell the difference between quality photography & videography, there will always be creative professionals.

As good as cameras get, I'm still waiting for them to tell me when to stop and take the picture. I choose to do that and I choose where to aim it. Technology won't replace that any time soon.

who cares? in 3 years the world will end anyways, and we'll all die, professional photographers or not.

/joke

This is from another forum I frequent...

http://www.27bslash6.c​om/photography.html

awesome, just awesome...

Algorithm wrote in post #9131689
A good photographer will produce a better picture with a nifty fifty on an XS than a crappy photographer could with a 50L on a 1Ds Mk IV.

Its true, but professional does not imply good. I've seen professionals that produce truly terrible work.

noodle_snacks wrote in post #9131743
Its true, but professional does not imply good. I've seen professionals that produce truly terrible work.

LOL...

I saw this guy at a photo shop with a Nikon FF camera and some fancy lens who was handing out his card to "check out his website and photos"...

Frankly, I've seen better shots from people who used disposables...

bric-a-brac wrote in post #9131649
you forget that this is simply a paradigm shift and the history of photography has seen many like it before; examples being liquid emulsion and daguerreotypes to dry plates, glass plates to acetate, and large format film to 35mm roll film. Each shift has made photography significantly "easier," and definitely more accessible to amateurs who want to take photographs, but the fact of the matter is that a certain level of education (whether self taught or through an institution) remains necessary to make "professional" photographs, and a lot of savvy is still needed for photographic needs which are high in demand, such as weddings, sports, reportage, and advertisement.

you forget that a lot of people who think they can do it themselves just by buying the equipment and greenboxing it ultimately fail and either invest significant time in learning or simply hire a professional, and a lot of people who work for free are only doing so with the aspiration of being paid some day.

Thats your opinion and you're entitled to it of course. I think you're wrong though. As I said there will always be a need for professional photographers, but I still think that technology is going to have an impact on the "mass" of professional photographers on a whole. I think it already has.

In film days no wedding day would have been complete without a paid photographer. I've been to a few weddings recently and on the invitation guests were asked to bring their digitals and merrily shoot away. A massive saving to the bride and groom and they got a huge assortment of shots of their day.

No, it might not be shot exactly how a "professional photographer" would have envisaged and shot the day, but they're happy with the outcome. The photos are nice, personal and the day was captured from a huge amount of different perspectives.

It's something that I think will catch on. The digital age has really only just started to show it's effect. Who knows exactly what it will be like in 10-20 years, but I think it will be a very different playing field from what it is today or what it was in the past.

Hey Con Digital, Your right it's a different playing field, pay a professional or pay the guy that's hands you a "Smelly CD". What would you rather have?

10 to 20 years from now the same thing will apply. If you know how to use your tools you'll always stand out from the rest to the crowd.

Best to ya, Ernst

I doubt it very much.. Newspapers for example still have staff photographers (in Australia anyway).. Also advertising and press agencies hire freelancers who are pros and paid well..

There is a huge difference in skill levels between the guy (or girl) with a camera and a pro.. One difference is discipline.. A pro will shoot exactly what the client wants/needs by determining a layout, assignment sheet etc.. An advanced amateur might be very good at shooting the stuff he/she likes to shoot but will often fall down in a heap when asked to step outside his/her comfort zone..

Many pros specialise and will shoot 4x5 or medium format which is an entirely different ball game and many clients/agencies still require their images shot on larger formats than DSLRs..

I'll bet this was the exact same discussion photographers had when 35mm camera were just released, then when digital overtook film.

PMCphotography wrote in post #9132009
I'll bet this was the exact same discussion photographers had when 35mm camera were just released, then when digital overtook film.

The same topic was discussed when photography was in its infancy,,will photography replace painting and sketching??

PMCphotography wrote in post #9132009
I'll bet this was the exact same discussion photographers had when 35mm camera were just released, then when digital overtook film.

Hell, I bet Scribes simply fell about the place when Papyrus came out as well...

Yes, digital cameras abound, and many many people own them.

Hammers and saws abound and most people own them How come everybody's not building their own house?