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

Karl Johnston wrote in post #9132204
Any person can create a picture...doesn't mean they know how to create a moment.

And just because people charge money that also doesn't mean they know how to create a moment.

ConDigital wrote in post #9132213
And just because people charge money that also doesn't mean they know how to create a moment.

But that doesn't mean people aren't getting paid for it so I'd say the answer to your question is NO.

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #9132217
But that doesn't mean people aren't getting paid for it so I'd say the answer to your question is NO.

People will always get paid to take professional photographs. I'm just of the opinion that those slots will dwindle in time......as in the hey day has past.

ConDigital wrote in post #9132213
And just because people charge money that also doesn't mean they know how to create a moment.

Of course not.
I can charge money to fix your heart, but chances are I'll do a crummy job of it because I'm not a licensed medical professional (or a heart surgeon) right?

Karl Johnston wrote in post #9132248
Of course not.
I can charge money to fix your heart, but chances are I'll do a crummy job of it because I'm not a licensed medical professional (or a heart surgeon) right?

So, you admit you're a professional heartbreaker!!!

I think that calls for a title change

We live in the age of DIY you go into hardware stores now that are the size of two airplane hangars filled with tools that must make the weekend warrior leap for joy and the paid professional weep for times past.

Photography is a non licensed and non regulated field. There's nothing stopping anyone from having business cards printed with Professional Photographer adorned on them.


Photography is a craft, it used to be a bewildering craft to the vast majority of the population. Hence they were willing to pay someone else for their knowledge of the craft. As technology marches on the need to know the technology is diminishing. Ten years ago the greater part of the population didn't carry a camera with them everywhere they ventured. They do now in their cell phones. Cell phones in years to come will probably be 30 megapixels.

Photography is not the bewildering craft to the average person that it once was. This distinction can only become even more blurred with the passage of time.

ConDigital wrote in post #9132355
We live in the age of DIY you go into hardware stores now that are the size of two airplane hangars filled with tools that must make the weekend warrior leap for joy and the paid professional weep for times past.

Photography is a non licensed and non regulated field. There's nothing stopping anyone from having business cards printed with Professional Photographer adorned on them.


Photography is a craft, it used to be a bewildering craft to the vast majority of the population. Hence they were willing to pay someone else for their knowledge of the craft. As technology marches on the need to know the technology is diminishing. Ten years ago the greater part of the population didn't carry a camera with them everywhere they ventured. They do now in their cell phones. Cell phones in years to come will probably be 30 megapixels.

Photography is not the bewildering craft to the average person that it once was. This distinction can only become even more blurred with the passage of time.

Cell phones that are 30 megapixels? As we all should know, megapixels mean nothing. With a 30 mp camera, you could make billboard sized prints... from a miniscule sensor and it's inherent limitations.

Photography itself is not a bewildering craft, but to the average person, how to get photos that look great still is a challenge! The AVERAGE person doesn't have the time or money to learn how to use photoshop or the features on their camera.

Again, this seems like exactly the conversation that photogs had when the i hour photo booths opened. "People can get their photos in an hour? That will decimate us!!"

I disagree...

Yesterday's crap 8mm Home Movies are today's crap HD videos and likewise Yesterday's photo albums full of crap are today's Hard Drives full of crap.

There still needs to be some heart, drive, effort and creativity involved.

Cash, Gear, Glass and Computing Power do not make a photographer.

ConDigital wrote in post #9132355
Photography is a craft, it used to be a bewildering craft to the vast majority of the population. Hence they were willing to pay someone else for their knowledge of the craft. As technology marches on the need to know the technology is diminishing. Ten years ago the greater part of the population didn't carry a camera with them everywhere they ventured. They do now in their cell phones. Cell phones in years to come will probably be 30 megapixels.

Personal Computers in the old days (read: the 70s) were unusable to anyone except the serious hobbyist, as owning one involved buying electronic parts and self-assembly. Over time, they became more accessible to the general public. Has ease of use of computers at all diminished the need for computer specialists in the professional world?

The technology is just a platform. The skill is what makes one successful on the platform. This is true in any field, and isn't changing any time soon in photography.

And if you want to make the argument that weddings nowadays more and more plan for DIY in lieu of a professional for photography, well, I'd just counter that the folks too cheap to get a professional photographer now would likely not have hired one in years past, either.

Algorithm wrote in post #9132567
And if you want to make the argument that weddings nowadays more and more plan for DIY in lieu of a professional for photography, well, I'd just counter that the folks too cheap to get a professional photographer now would likely not have hired one in years past, either.

Disposable point and shoot cameras, anyone?

Hmm... I agree with the basic premise I guess, in that the industry will have to tighten belts and weed out the people who are not really serious about it, or that just suck.

However, the industry is not really going to draw to a close, though.

Similar sentiment can be applied to lots of industries. Take graphic artists, print designers, web designers, IT, computers in general, etc..

Technology advancement is a wonderful thing, but it does lower the entry level for things, which in turn just ups the level for being considered a pro, expert, master, whatever.

People who wish to remain pros, experts, masters, etc... will roll with the punches and step up their game to stay competitive. Others will remain hobbyists, amateurs, or clueless, what level do you aspire to? That's the bottom line, really.

yogestee wrote in post #9131992
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..

Newspapers? What are those?

Last I checked all the newspapers in the US had either gone out of business or were on life support. It turns out that selling information via a clunky paper medium is not a viable business model in the time of the internet.

I think that paid photography will continue, but it is going to be ever harder to make a real living at it. The ready access of digital is making people devalue photography.

Now more that ever laypeople think 'nice camera = nice pictures' and they are not willing to pay a lot just to have some guy take a bunch of pictures because they don't really understand the difference in what they would get. The markets that will be most affected are things like weddings and portraits.

Journalists are going to suffer too. What is more effective for a media website? Paying a team of professional photographers to go shoot certain things, or buying the images on the spot from some guy who was on the scene with his cell phone camera at the time of the event?

Todd Lambert wrote in post #9132748
Hmm... I agree with the basic premise I guess, in that the industry will have to tighten belts and weed out the people who are not really serious about it, or that just suck.

I don't think they'll ever be weeded out, just the opposite actually I think, there'll be a plethora of them.

You can see the impact now, the undercutting etc

JeffreyG wrote in post #9132948
Newspapers? What are those?

Last I checked all the newspapers in the US had either gone out of business or were on life support. It turns out that selling information via a clunky paper medium is not a viable business model in the time of the internet.

Newspapers are doing surprisingly well in Australia, despite the conditions they face these days.

Back on topic

I don't think it's drawing to a close but it's much more open. Owning a DSLR seems to scream that you're open for hire as a photographer. I know that's how it's been for me for the last 12-18 months. I've had a few jobs but nothing that would have been taken away from a full time professional. And I think that's where photography is changing. There are more jobs available because a lot of people have the right gear and seem to think that photography is an easy way to make some quick cash. I couldn't care less about making money from my photography but I've made some friends and had fun so far. A lot of family and friends (I'm 18 in a week) have asked if I'm going to turn into a career, or that I should, but I just explain to them how it's an option but not something that's preferred because professional photography is a confusing thing to get into. It would take a lot of time to be able to make a proper living out of it.