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

PMCphotography wrote in post #9132724


Disposable point and shoot cameras, anyone?

And that was happening at weddings long before Digital came out yet there were still pro photographers being used.

Professional photography will ALWAYS exist -I dont think we are ever going to get Vogue covers shot using Joe Public from Hicksville with his 400D.

Paperazzi still exist despite everyone having camera phones (scum though they are!)

Wedding photographers and portrait photographers will always get business as people want something they cant get themselves.

It will be a tougher business i guess but the business will still be there.

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.

Yes, but the difference is cost now...once you make the initial purchase of a digital p&s, what other cost is there if you never have prints made..With 35mm you still had the added time and cost of getting prints made...a cost high enough to discourage most people from doing it..look around how many more cameras do you see now then in the heyday of 35mm...doesnt make the images better we all know that..

Look at flickr and read some of the comments on some of the rather plain jane boring images...the perception is changing of what is considered "good" and now seems to be "good enough", yes the exceptional images still generate many more comments, but look at the images people are willing to put out there overall...

I agree with others, paid professionals will still exist, just in much smaller numbers, and a much smaller niche as it seems that the public is now willing to accept lesser quality in a number of areas in order to save money...you know quantity over quality..

LowriderS10 wrote in post #9131713
who cares? in 3 years the world will end anyways, and we'll all die, professional photographers or not.

/joke

.

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?

Good point. I just got this new printer I can print you a license Karl and you'll be good to go.

I delivered my last son (stuff happens you know) without a license, he is good to go.

Photography is a big field and sometimes people don't want to do the work themselves so they pay someone else to. For a lot of things it is less expensive to hire someone else as they have the tools. Not everything just needs an SLR and speedlight to get the job done.

Sometimes you need a tripod as well.

Also on the Mayan calender there is a little notation for today it says "Make new calender and send out soon".

I've been thinking about another angle to this. All cell phones and IPhones take pictures. Most people shooting with these tools feel the shots are plenty good enough. Let's say 100 people are at a Christmas Party. There are also a hundred phones/devices that take pics. Each person can use his or her own camera to take images of the people they're with and want to see. They share them and everybody's pics are on par with everyone elses.

Here's the rub: When it gets to the point, and I believe it will, that IPhone image quality becomes acceptable to the majority, (due to ease of production and distribution) the accomplished photographer may REALLY become obsolete.

A parallel to my argument is look at major shopping areas. All food choices are now the cookie-cutter chain restaurants. The pubs with good food, character and atmosphere have all been replaced by Applebees, an Olive Garden or whatever.

dave

snyderman wrote in post #9133790
A parallel to my argument is look at major shopping areas. All food choices are now the cookie-cutter chain restaurants. The pubs with good food, character and atmosphere have all been replaced by Applebees, an Olive Garden or whatever.

dave

Funny you should say that - I was just planning a weekend of going to my local favorite food places (no chains) - good local places are getting harder to find...

PMCphotography wrote in post #9132724


Disposable point and shoot cameras, anyone?

neilwood32 wrote in post #9133192
And that was happening at weddings long before Digital came out yet there were still pro photographers being used.

At one of the weddings I was at, they hired the "Pro" only for the Church Ceremony.

Disposable cameras were at each table at the reception...

snyderman wrote in post #9133790
I've been thinking about another angle to this. All cell phones and IPhones take pictures. Most people shooting with these tools feel the shots are plenty good enough. Let's say 100 people are at a Christmas Party. There are also a hundred phones/devices that take pics. Each person can use his or her own camera to take images of the people they're with and want to see. They share them and everybody's pics are on par with everyone elses.

Here's the rub: When it gets to the point, and I believe it will, that IPhone image quality becomes acceptable to the majority, (due to ease of production and distribution) the accomplished photographer may REALLY become obsolete.

A parallel to my argument is look at major shopping areas. All food choices are now the cookie-cutter chain restaurants. The pubs with good food, character and atmosphere have all been replaced by Applebees, an Olive Garden or whatever.

dave

Largely I think you are correct. I was in a shopping mall the other day and saw some "art" being sold. It was tasteless, to be kind, but I suppose it sells. There are more people everyday and so really bad quality is more in demand all the time but so is better quality. It is just the ratios that make it all look so dreadful.

Still there are really good restaurants left and people flock to them (there is one I know of near me that always [really whenever they are open] has a long line outside waiting to get a table and people are waiting because it is good not cheap or good enough). When I was in Christchurch most of the restraurants were empty and I am sure the owners complained about how people never go out to eat and yet one I knew of one that had huge crowds. Their food was fairly decent and I tried a couple of others and as nice as the places looked I always thought "dog food" when I got the food.

It does not matter how poorly the general industry is doing as far as I am concerned I am more worried about myself. It all I have control over and when the hand wringing starts I have to ask myself the tough questions.

I wish more people were into photography as a pastime/hobby/professi​onal it just adds interest and appreciation of it. I just love it when I meet someone interested or out there photographing and asking stuff like "Hey I am coming to your area are there any galleries I should check out?"

ConDigital wrote in post #9131322
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.

Theres more opportunity than ever but you need to have something the others don't have. I'm coming off my best year since I started. So if you're positioned right the futures bright.

I think professional photography is here to stay but it has taken a hit. We're facing a double whammy right now with a crappy economy and the ability of the average GWC to produce good enough photography for certain clients to use. It's not new, back in the day oil companies hired professionals to shoot nearly everything they needed. Along came a recession back in the '70s and that changed to giving an engineer a film P&S to do some of the stuff we used to do. We never recovered that type of work. When this subject comes up in the advertising industry typesetters are always mentioned as an example of what technology can do to an industry. They vanished. There will always be clients who recognize the need for high quality work only experienced pros can deliver consistently. There just might be fewer of them.

snyderman wrote in post #9133790
I've been thinking about another angle to this. All cell phones and IPhones take pictures. Most people shooting with these tools feel the shots are plenty good enough. Let's say 100 people are at a Christmas Party. There are also a hundred phones/devices that take pics. Each person can use his or her own camera to take images of the people they're with and want to see. They share them and everybody's pics are on par with everyone elses.

Here's the rub: When it gets to the point, and I believe it will, that IPhone image quality becomes acceptable to the majority, (due to ease of production and distribution) the accomplished photographer may REALLY become obsolete.

A parallel to my argument is look at major shopping areas. All food choices are now the cookie-cutter chain restaurants. The pubs with good food, character and atmosphere have all been replaced by Applebees, an Olive Garden or whatever.

dave

Thats at the mall but at some of the finest restaurants theres still long waiting lists to get in even with reservations. So why compete with the masses? Find a niche.

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

i see this ALL the time. And i really mean there are some horrible people out there making cash out the whazoo. And they are handing over terrible product. There is a local photographer in the greater sac area who is the kind i am talking about.

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

I think seeing the moment is more appropriate. It takes years to learn to see light and learn quality. How to see it is hard and learning to capture what you've seen is even harder now throw in manipulating and controlling it. This stuff ain't as easy as pushing a button.

shannyD wrote in post #9134216
i see this ALL the time. And i really mean there are some horrible people out there making cash out the whazoo. And they are handing over terrible product. There is a local photographer in the greater sac area who is the kind i am talking about.

Its like that in all industries for lack of a better word. Theres crap and theres good. You also see incredible photographers doing amazing work in impossible situations.

You beat me to the punch..

Citing the American model is not indicative of the global model..

Yes the general public might accept "good enough" but there will always be a sizable minority that want GREAT work and are willing to pay.

As Allen said - find a niche and use it. Or produce top quality work. Or both!