Can Professional Photography survive user generated content?
by Andy James
We see images everywhere, on posters, on sidewalks and in the sides of trucks and buses. They are so common that we often don't even see them. It is the very success of photography that means that it is often overlooked and definitely undervalued. Yet all of those photographs has been considered, shot and then placed with thought and attention. Whether it is a washing powder advertisement or a photo of last night's football game, every photo is designed to tell a story. The fact that we don't need to read the words, or in some cases even know the context, just shows how tuned into photography we really are.
Yet with the introduction of the camera phone and low cost digital photography, it appears that anyone can snap a fabulous picture. These amateur images flood media websites, are loaded onto thousands of emails and help to define peoples' public personas. Any public event is awash with iPhone, iPad and camera phone coverage. No website or facebook page is complete without showing these grainy, out of focus, out of context photographs. The bald truth is that simple photography is now more accessible than ever before - and cheaper. The camera phones that are on the market now could compare easily with the professional digital SLRs from a few years ago and are a lot more forgiving. So does is all this photo technology and these enthusiastic photo-journalists really spell the finish of professional photography?
The phrase "Got an iPhone - now I am a photographer" strikes despair throughout the photographic industry, as professional photographers see their incomes wither and their commission rates butchered. It may be hard to hope that professional photography has any future at all. But it must be remembered that the Facebook snappers are usually recording events, rather than crafting pictures. Their grainy, badly focussed photos represent their memories of the time 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 engage with people beyond their immediate circle of companions, they will need an image that was planned, contemplated and shot with the highest standards 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 a hard time as print media try to cut expenses and rely more heavily on PR content. Media can now download any number of image sources on the web and download 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 companies tighten their belts and are able to access stock images from all around the world. However there are areas which, whilst suffering from the economic pressures, are otherwise steady. Wedding and family photography, special event photography and even animal photography still have the potential to earn a photographera living - because people will always want quality when it involves something that really matters to them.
It is ironic 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 disciplines. They switched 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 redirect their energies once more to track down - and in some cases create - new demand for their profession. They may need to spread their skills across stills and videography, photograph weddings and puppies, and provide memory sticks or web downloads, to keep up with what is industry standard, but there are photographers already who are supplying these services and they are prospering. The Profession of photographer is not dying, it is evolving and the fittest will survive.
Andy James has worked in the photographic industry for over two decades. He has a specific interest in digital photography. To find out more about the new Nikon D7100 <a href="http://www.d7100.net">go to his webpage</a>. The site will also have information about the <a href="http://www.d7100.net/what-can-we-expect-from-the-new-nikon-d7100">Nikon D7100 release date</a> and offers great advice about how to Use Nikon DSLRs.
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New Unique Article!
Title: Can Professional Photography survive user generated content?
Author: Andy James
Email: jbayston@tiscali.co.uk
Keywords: nikon,new nikon camera,cameras,photography,hobbies,technology,lifestyle,business
Word Count: 681
Category: Hobbies
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