We see images everywhere, on posters, on sidewalks and in the sides of lorries and buses. They are so ubiquitous that we often don't even see them. It is the very success of photography that means that it is often taken for granted and always undervalued. Yet all of those photographs has been imagined, photographed and then placed with care and attention. Whether it is a washing powder advertisement or a photo of last night's basketball game, every picture is designed to tell a story. The fact that we don't need to read the copy, or in some cases even know the context, reveals just how tuned into images we really are.
Yet with the introduction of the camera phone and inexpensive digital photography, it appears that anybody can snap a fabulous image. These amateur photos flood Facebook, are uploaded onto numerous of emails and help to perpetuate peoples' public personas. Any public event is festooned with iPhone, iPad and camera phone coverage. No website or facebook page is complete without having these grainy, out of focus, out of context images. The bald truth is that simple photography is now more accessible than it has ever been - and cheaper. The camera phones that are available now could compete easily with the professional DSLRs from a decade ago and are a lot more versatile. So does is all this photographic technology and these novice photo-journalists really spell the nemesis of professional photography?
The quote "Got an iPhone - now I am a photographer" strikes hopelessness throughout the photographic industry, as professional photographers see their incomes plummet and their commission rates cut. It must be hard to think that professional photography has any future at all. But we must remember that the Facebook snappers are usually recording what happens in front of them, rather than creating images. Their grainy, out of focus images represent their memories of the time itself and are just as superficial. If they want an image to last for years and still make them smile, or they need a photo to strike a chord with people beyond their social group, they will need an image that was created, thought about and shot with the highest standards in mind.
So is the profession of photographer fatally injured? You might think so if you listen to them. Editorial photographers specifically have had to struggle as media try to cut expenses and rely more heavily on reader generated content. They can now download any number of picture sources across the web and retrieve exactly what they want in seconds. The need to commission a professional to photograph a stock image, or to send a photographer to an event 'just in case' has all but gone.
Advertising and commercial photography are also suffering as corporations cut expenditure and are able to access stock images from the web. However there are areas which, whilst suffering from the poor economy, are otherwise steady. Wedding and family photography, special event photography and even animal photography still offer the potential to earn a photographera living - because people will always want quality when it involves something that really matters to them.
It is sad to see that many editorial photographers still look down on this kind of photography. These are the people who have been the most adaptable over the years - not just in terms of their commissions, but also in adapting the new technology and disciplines. They flipped from film to digital from dark rooms to photoshop and from wire machines to laptops in what seemed to be a very short time. Now they need to redirect their energies once more to track down - and in some cases create - new demand for their skills. They may need to spread their craft across stills and videography, photograph weddings and puppies, and provide memory sticks or web downloads, to keep up with what is expected, but there are photographers out there who are selling these services and they are prospering. The Profession of photographer is not dying, it is evolving and the fittest will survive.
Yet with the introduction of the camera phone and inexpensive digital photography, it appears that anybody can snap a fabulous image. These amateur photos flood Facebook, are uploaded onto numerous of emails and help to perpetuate peoples' public personas. Any public event is festooned with iPhone, iPad and camera phone coverage. No website or facebook page is complete without having these grainy, out of focus, out of context images. The bald truth is that simple photography is now more accessible than it has ever been - and cheaper. The camera phones that are available now could compete easily with the professional DSLRs from a decade ago and are a lot more versatile. So does is all this photographic technology and these novice photo-journalists really spell the nemesis of professional photography?
The quote "Got an iPhone - now I am a photographer" strikes hopelessness throughout the photographic industry, as professional photographers see their incomes plummet and their commission rates cut. It must be hard to think that professional photography has any future at all. But we must remember that the Facebook snappers are usually recording what happens in front of them, rather than creating images. Their grainy, out of focus images represent their memories of the time itself and are just as superficial. If they want an image to last for years and still make them smile, or they need a photo to strike a chord with people beyond their social group, they will need an image that was created, thought about and shot with the highest standards in mind.
So is the profession of photographer fatally injured? You might think so if you listen to them. Editorial photographers specifically have had to struggle as media try to cut expenses and rely more heavily on reader generated content. They can now download any number of picture sources across the web and retrieve exactly what they want in seconds. The need to commission a professional to photograph a stock image, or to send a photographer to an event 'just in case' has all but gone.
Advertising and commercial photography are also suffering as corporations cut expenditure and are able to access stock images from the web. However there are areas which, whilst suffering from the poor economy, are otherwise steady. Wedding and family photography, special event photography and even animal photography still offer the potential to earn a photographera living - because people will always want quality when it involves something that really matters to them.
It is sad to see that many editorial photographers still look down on this kind of photography. These are the people who have been the most adaptable over the years - not just in terms of their commissions, but also in adapting the new technology and disciplines. They flipped from film to digital from dark rooms to photoshop and from wire machines to laptops in what seemed to be a very short time. Now they need to redirect their energies once more to track down - and in some cases create - new demand for their skills. They may need to spread their craft across stills and videography, photograph weddings and puppies, and provide memory sticks or web downloads, to keep up with what is expected, but there are photographers out there who are selling these services and they are prospering. The Profession of photographer is not dying, it is evolving and the fittest will survive.
About the Author:
Andy James has worked in the photo industry for over twenty years. He has a particular interest in digital photography. To learn more about the new Nikon D7100 visit his site here. The site will also have information about the Nikon D7100 release date and offers great advice about how to Use Nikon DSLRs.
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