We see photography everywhere, on posters, on sidewalks and in the sides of lorries and buses. They are so ubiquitous that we often walk right past them. It is the very success of photography that leads it to be largely ignored and definitely undervalued. Yet all of those pictures has been conceived, shot and then positioned with care and attention. Whether it is a washing powder commercial or a photo of last night's football game, every image 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, is evidence of how tuned into pictures we really are.
Yet with the advent of the camera phone and cheap digital photography, it appears that anyone can create a fabulous picture. These amateur photos flood social media sites, are uploaded onto millions of emails and help to create peoples' public personas. Any public event is awash with iPhone, iPad and camera phone coverage. No webpage or facebook page is complete without displaying these grainy, unfocussed, often meaningless pictures. The bald truth is that simple photography is now more accessible than ever before - and relatively cheap. The camera phones that are around now could compete easily with the professional digital SLRs from a decade ago and are a lot more flexible. So does is all this picture taking technology and these budding photo-journalists really spell the end of professional photography?
The phrase "Got an iPhone - now I am a photographer" strikes fear throughout the photographic industry, as professional photographers watch their incomes wither and their commission rates slashed. It may be hard to hope that professional photography has any leif left in it at all. But we must remember that the Facebook photographers are usually recording events, rather than crafting photos. Their grainy, badly focussed images represent their memories of the event itself and are just as short-lived. 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 quality in mind.
So is the profession of photographer mortally wounded? You might think so if you read their forums. Editorial photographers in particular have had to struggle as media try to cut expenses and rely more heavily on free content. They can now download any number of image sources on the internet and retrieve exactly what they want straight away. The need to hire a professional to photograph a stock image, or to send a photographer to an event 'just in case' has disappeared.
Advertising and commercial photography are also suffering as corporations tighten their belts and are able to find stock photography from the web. However there are areas which, whilst suffering from the economic pressures, are otherwise healthy. Wedding and family photography, special event photography and even animal photography still have the potential to earn a photographera living - because a person will always want quality when it involves something that is really important to them.
It is unfortunate to see that many editorial photographers still sneer at this kind of photography. These are the guys who have been the most adaptable over the years - not just in terms of their commissions, but also in adapting the new technology and requirements. They flipped from film to digital from dark rooms to photoshop and from wire machines to laptops in what seemed to be a blink of an eye. Now they need to re-channel their energies once more to locate - and in some cases create - new demand for their profession. They may need to spread their craft across stills and video, photograph weddings and puppies, and provide CDs or downloadable versions, to keep up with what is industry standard, but there are photographers out there who are offering these services and they are prospering. The Profession of photographer is not dying, it is evolving and the fittest will survive.
Yet with the advent of the camera phone and cheap digital photography, it appears that anyone can create a fabulous picture. These amateur photos flood social media sites, are uploaded onto millions of emails and help to create peoples' public personas. Any public event is awash with iPhone, iPad and camera phone coverage. No webpage or facebook page is complete without displaying these grainy, unfocussed, often meaningless pictures. The bald truth is that simple photography is now more accessible than ever before - and relatively cheap. The camera phones that are around now could compete easily with the professional digital SLRs from a decade ago and are a lot more flexible. So does is all this picture taking technology and these budding photo-journalists really spell the end of professional photography?
The phrase "Got an iPhone - now I am a photographer" strikes fear throughout the photographic industry, as professional photographers watch their incomes wither and their commission rates slashed. It may be hard to hope that professional photography has any leif left in it at all. But we must remember that the Facebook photographers are usually recording events, rather than crafting photos. Their grainy, badly focussed images represent their memories of the event itself and are just as short-lived. 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 quality in mind.
So is the profession of photographer mortally wounded? You might think so if you read their forums. Editorial photographers in particular have had to struggle as media try to cut expenses and rely more heavily on free content. They can now download any number of image sources on the internet and retrieve exactly what they want straight away. The need to hire a professional to photograph a stock image, or to send a photographer to an event 'just in case' has disappeared.
Advertising and commercial photography are also suffering as corporations tighten their belts and are able to find stock photography from the web. However there are areas which, whilst suffering from the economic pressures, are otherwise healthy. Wedding and family photography, special event photography and even animal photography still have the potential to earn a photographera living - because a person will always want quality when it involves something that is really important to them.
It is unfortunate to see that many editorial photographers still sneer at this kind of photography. These are the guys who have been the most adaptable over the years - not just in terms of their commissions, but also in adapting the new technology and requirements. They flipped from film to digital from dark rooms to photoshop and from wire machines to laptops in what seemed to be a blink of an eye. Now they need to re-channel their energies once more to locate - and in some cases create - new demand for their profession. They may need to spread their craft across stills and video, photograph weddings and puppies, and provide CDs or downloadable versions, to keep up with what is industry standard, but there are photographers out there who are offering 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 more than twenty years. He has a particular interest in new digital camera. To learn more about the new Nikon D7100 go to his webpage. The site will also have information about the Nikon D7100 release date and offers great advice about how to Use Nikon DSLRs.