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Business erosion

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Corey,
Corey Gray said:
" With this mentality"
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sounds like you think this is a bad thing. What do you want people to do....become certified photographers with degrees and awards before they purchase camera equipment and start selling their work?

And if you should decide to become a worlds greatest violinist with no prior studies and you manage to get people to pay for your performance instead of hiring a "Certified" professional then more power to you.

Adrian B.
 
Josef and Kevin,

Please note that I'm only talking about every person's right to take pictures and every person's right to write an article (as opposed to everyone person's right to be a doctor, an inappropriate comparison some posters have made on this forum). That's very different from somebody taking somebody else's work (photography or writing) and re-using it without permission.

Other than that, neither photographers nor journalists have much protection from amateur competition, other than the quality of their products and services.

And even then, it's not only amateurs harming our professions. The reporters for National Enquirer surely consider themselves professionals, but they're a blemish on journalism and its standards.
Kevin Roczey said:
Kevin R.
josef armendariz said:
What I don't see so much is a business erosion from clients taking
their own pictures, but of other photographers with a non-chalant
attitude toward this conduct. Remember that the work you enjoy and
the money you enjoy making from it, are there because of pros
complaining and setting standards and work ethics. Pretty soon
clients will have the 'rights' to hire you to take photographs you
don't own...oops, or is that already happened?

Josef

-flames to the board please-
john van rosendaal said:
If you were good, you were a real threat and you deserved your
success. If you would have been bad, you would now be doing
something else and the threat you posed was only a temporary one.

A client has every right to take his own pictures, no matter how
bad they may be. You guys have every right to complain about the
trend, but it's better to face it head on, focus on your strengths
and the many advantages of digital for your work.

I say this as a journalist...the competition we face from amateurs
and other would-be journalists is protected by the First Amendment
and doesn't even take a camera, just pen and paper...
hokie said:
I ahve read all the comments so far in the thread.

Interesting.

I buy photographic services and get paid that "hundreds of dollars
a page idea" further down the thread.

I will tell you why we keep or dismiss phoitographers.

Their ability to work with us.

Some are more skilled some are hacks but the consistent performers
that need little supervision get the bulk of the work.

And, sorry to say, but the digital revolution is simply weeding out
a lot of the average photographers that depended on thier skill
with archaic and finicky technologies to get by on versus their
ability to sell their services and produce on time.

I can shoot about 70% of the prodcut shots I need if I had too. I
don't have the time. Nor do I have the time to deal with semi-pros
either that need me to hold their hand in the process or have to
beg to get work in on schedule.

The good pros aren't sweating the digital revolution too much. The
general economy is another thing :-/
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Adrian Barrera said:
sounds like you think this is a bad thing. What do you want people
to do....become certified photographers with degrees and awards
before they purchase camera equipment and start selling their work?
Click to expand...
Sorry to offend. After spending 10 or more years serving a client's needs, more than adequately, it's disheartening to see them comprimise the quality

of the visual representation of their product etc.. I am fully aware of the talents of individuals without credentials. I am such, with 25 years as a fulltime pro. I just feel the level of discerning quality is a large symptom. There has become a lack of reference. You might think your first prints from your b & w darkroom are pretty good, until your humbled by an original Ansel Adams print.
 
Your business is very specialized and not as vulnerable to this erosion.

But lots of other photograhy business is vulnerable.

Its just like buildings. The greeks and romans build wonderful looking gothic buildings with all kinds of ornate trappings.

Look at buildings today.

You probably work in a cracker box building!

The same thing is happening with photography.

We used to pay this "pro" to shoot for us. It cost us $5000-$10000 a year.

I shoot the same stuff now myself with a digital camera.

The people that make our brochures are happier with my work than the guy we were paying a fortune for.

Lots of us who aren't pro's know what lighting ratios are, how to set them up etc. We're just not driven to make a full time living at it.

A co worker's wife works at a studio. That's studio's main business is food shots for Beatrice.

That business is like your's. Specialty. And they're doing Ok.

But businesses like catalog work are going to lose tons to people with digital who shoot on their own.

Who needs a great talent to set up a few lights?

Sure an artist can get perfection, but these are the days of mass production. That perfection cost is a waste of money.

We don't complain that cars are not hand made, but we complain if some artsy fartsy photographer looses market share to digital.

If the value that he contributes to the product were truly there, he wouldn't lose the business. But the fact is, that he doesn't contribute as much as he thinks he does.

And thus are the laws of free market enterprise.

Digital just brought more photography to the masses, like desktop publishing did.

How many typesetting houses do you see down the block these days?

There is a place for extremely talented specialized photography, but it is diminishing in areas where that need isn't as great.

Times be a changin.

BC
frank barret said:
Not my case...

I have a studio for comertial photograpy and work for Nestle and
Craft. I have a 4x5 sinar, mamiya RZ II and one year and a half ago
I got an E-10. This is only a 4MP camera (now I have the S2 Pro)
but changed completely the way I work everyday.

There is a lot of work that will be printed no bigger than 8x10, so
4MP is good for a lot of aplications.

I can shoot a 16 shots booklet (they like to print this recepy
books to distribute to the consumers) in 2-3 days. The ilumination
is no the key, I can change the lights as many times as the client
wants, I can rotate a single olive up or down and shoot evey time
it is rotated to my clients complete sattisfaction, introduce color
filters... etc. All of this with no polaroids (and the 90min. wait
for polaroids to kook).

Client woks with a CDRom of the book, client is happy.

Now, they know that the thing that i sell them is the lighting
know how, and the studio space, and the control of depth of field,
and the use of polariser when needed, and composition etc.

The interesting thing also is that I charge them the same amount as
film, so I save in labs and film, and time scanning.

I have seen the results of non photographers with digital cameras,
it is the same as non photographers with film cameras: horrible !!

It may be the fact that I am not in the USA but in south america
that my case sounds different...

take care

frank barret
ABPhotoStudio
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josef armendariz wrote:
I've seen this first hand. Why? Because they're
josef armendariz said:
are so many amateurs and right-out-of-school students who don't
know the value of they're work and are willing to work for nothing
just to get an image published. Don't even get me started on
idiots who shoot for Royalty Free.
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This trend began way before the digital age. I was a happily working photographer for years. Came the age of auto everything, and every job I bid seemed to have someone underbidding me. The last straw was a job I had been doing of shooting landmarks for postcards. I was using 4x5, another photographer (using 35mm) in the area basically an amateur trying to break in started bidding $50 regardless of what the job entailed. I gave up photography for a steadier better paying job. I have just recently begun doing digital and I love it, but my money making will stay with selling art prints. I am too old to play the commercial game anymore.

Sharon
 
It's ultimately about client expectations. For pros, as Tony Corbell says in his seminars, 'beauty is in the eye of the checkbook holder.' The problem is that most checkbook holders don't know much about quality photography.

It seems to me that the problem of people being satisfied with low quality has pervaded photography for a long time. Drugstore photo processing, Sears portrait photography have played a role, as has the inclination of most people to put cute but technically imperfect snapshots on their fridge doors.

I think most people don't even know what a good photograph of themselves or their kids could look like, much less pay for it. The wonders of good photography first have to be brought to the masses if you want the masses to appreciate a professional job.

And here the scattered nature of the photography market hurts the pros. Unless one of the professional associations starts a kind of 'Got Milk' promotion to drive quality photography home, most people are going to be perfectly happy with sub-standard pictures.
Corey Gray said:
Corey Gray said:
sounds like you think this is a bad thing. What do you want people
to do....become certified photographers with degrees and awards
before they purchase camera equipment and start selling their work?
Click to expand...
Sorry to offend. After spending 10 or more years serving a client's
needs, more than adequately, it's disheartening to see them
comprimise the quality
of the visual representation of their product etc.. I am fully
aware of the talents of individuals without credentials. I am such,
with 25 years as a fulltime pro. I just feel the level of
discerning quality is a large symptom. There has become a lack of
reference. You might think your first prints from your b & w
darkroom are pretty good, until your humbled by an original Ansel
Adams print.
Click to expand...
 
Corey Gray said:
Yep 'er, just bought me a scalpel. Gonna start doin' surgery.
We headed right where we deserve to be as a nation.
If you can buy the tool, you can certainly gain the skills to
utilize it.
With this mentality, I might buy a Strad' and become the next '
World's Greatest Violinist ' ( probably couldn't make enough to pay
of the fiddle though).
Click to expand...
Corey:

I understand your feelings. It is difficult to develop a talent, through years of experience, and find that many people, whom you view as customers or potential customers, do not have an appreciation for it. However, as a businessman (something that every succesful photographer must be) you must also be keenly aware of the wants and needs of your target customer base.

I could afford to buy a CD made by the "World's Greatest Violinist." However, I could not afford to hire the "World's Greatest Violinist" to do an assignment, such as perform at my daughter's wedding. It is not that I would not have an appreciation for his/her great talent, but the cost of this talent would be beyond what I could rationalize when compared to my need for entertainment at the wedding. Were I to hire a photographer for an assignment, I would have to make the same cost versus need evaluation. It is not always a question of not understanding the worth of the professional's work product, but often a question of whether the extra quality recieved from the professional is worth, to the buyer, the extra cost.

Likewise, I could buy one of a large run of prints made from an image taken by the world's greatest photographer. However, no matter how much I might be in awe of his ability, I could not afford to hire him for an assignment.

If you have ever mowed your own lawn when you could have hired a professional landscape company, or planted flowers or shrubs in your yard when you could have hired the best landscape designer in town, or you have ever fixed a leaky pipe or faucet when you could have hired a professional plumber, or ever done any home repairs when you could have hired a professional contractor, or ever signed a contract without hiring a lawyer, or ever taken over the counter drugs without consulting a doctor, etc., etc., then you know why a potential customer might decide that, in some situations, hiring the best available photographer is not in his best interest. He may not be correct, but it is exactly this type of cost/benefit analysis that we all make every day.

It is wonderful when our clients appreciate the value of our talent and work product; however, as a businessperson, it is more important that we understand the client's wants and needs.

Cliff
 
Hi Cliff,

Excellent post! I love the list you go through in the second to last paragraph! I'm sitting here nodding my head, yep, yep, yep to each one as I'm reading it :)

It does bring up an interesting point that, when I try to understand WHY that happens. For me personally, it is more the "hassle" factor than it is the "money" factor. If I wanted to hire a photographer to take pictures for my family, I wouldn't know where to start, or worse yet, I'd remember Sears!!! Or that place in the mall. At some point there's a distinction between a person thinking that it's "easier" to do it themselves as opposed to "cheaper" to do it themselves. It's funny because I have a quote I took out of a magazine pinned up on my wall in front of me, it says "Be alert for anything you hate doing. No doubt others dislike it too, so if you can find a way to make it easier, people will pay you for it." I don't know who wrote it, but I sure do agree.

Last time I had a plumber over to fix a leak, I thought of 6 other things for him to do! I just kept thinking of stuff, and figured, well while he's here!!

Kevin R.
CliffB said:
Corey Gray said:
Yep 'er, just bought me a scalpel. Gonna start doin' surgery.
We headed right where we deserve to be as a nation.
If you can buy the tool, you can certainly gain the skills to
utilize it.
With this mentality, I might buy a Strad' and become the next '
World's Greatest Violinist ' ( probably couldn't make enough to pay
of the fiddle though).
Click to expand...
Corey:

I understand your feelings. It is difficult to develop a talent,
through years of experience, and find that many people, whom you
view as customers or potential customers, do not have an
appreciation for it. However, as a businessman (something that
every succesful photographer must be) you must also be keenly aware
of the wants and needs of your target customer base.

I could afford to buy a CD made by the "World's Greatest
Violinist." However, I could not afford to hire the "World's
Greatest Violinist" to do an assignment, such as perform at my
daughter's wedding. It is not that I would not have an
appreciation for his/her great talent, but the cost of this talent
would be beyond what I could rationalize when compared to my need
for entertainment at the wedding. Were I to hire a photographer
for an assignment, I would have to make the same cost versus need
evaluation. It is not always a question of not understanding the
worth of the professional's work product, but often a question of
whether the extra quality recieved from the professional is worth,
to the buyer, the extra cost.

Likewise, I could buy one of a large run of prints made from an
image taken by the world's greatest photographer. However, no
matter how much I might be in awe of his ability, I could not
afford to hire him for an assignment.

If you have ever mowed your own lawn when you could have hired a
professional landscape company, or planted flowers or shrubs in
your yard when you could have hired the best landscape designer in
town, or you have ever fixed a leaky pipe or faucet when you could
have hired a professional plumber, or ever done any home repairs
when you could have hired a professional contractor, or ever signed
a contract without hiring a lawyer, or ever taken over the counter
drugs without consulting a doctor, etc., etc., then you know why a
potential customer might decide that, in some situations, hiring
the best available photographer is not in his best interest. He
may not be correct, but it is exactly this type of cost/benefit
analysis that we all make every day.

It is wonderful when our clients appreciate the value of our talent
and work product; however, as a businessperson, it is more
important that we understand the client's wants and needs.

Cliff
Click to expand...
 
john van rosendaal said:
Josef and Kevin,

Please note that I'm only talking about every person's right to
take pictures and every person's right to write an article (as
opposed to everyone person's right to be a doctor, an inappropriate
comparison some posters have made on this forum).
Click to expand...
Photographers just need a stronger union and a slick sales pitch like the AMA and the ABA. Then you too could make it illegal to practice your profession without 20 years of school and drive up your wages.

The notion that people cannot be their own doctor (choose their own medical treatments) is a disgusting blot on American history.

--
my favorite work: http://www.pbase.com/sdaconsulting/favorite_work
 
Excellent posts everyone. Did not anticipate my original post to make it into the 'hot' list. Drawing from the above comments, we (those still working in the photography business) have the to do the following.
1: find our niche and be very good in what we do,
2: make sure the customer gets value for his money,
3: get really creative in marketing ourselves.

Sounds like what my marketing professor said years ago.

RW
 
Hey Kevin, the best source for information is the ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers - http://www.asmp.org ). While sometimes a little political itself (which organization isn't?) it's a weatlth of information. Find a local one. It worth it just to join for one a year if anything to get the information packet you'll receive. It's a huge (5" thick) bindery of everything you could ever want to know about copyright, licensing, pricing guides, releases forms, etc...Plus other sources and guides.

If it wasn't for the ASMP, most freelancers (especially photo journalist) wouldn't have a leg to stand on right now. And the fact that an amateur can walk into an office and walk away with a decent cut and still retain ownership of his/her images is due largely to some of the court and contract battles waging with the media conglomerates. Remember that a large number of smaller markets follow suite with what the larger publishing companies and newspapers due. So if Time decides to force all freelancers to give up rights to their images, it will eventually trickle down to your local 'Greensheet'.

Having said that, one of the problems with digital is that a lot of battles were fought to retain ownership of images and the negative has always given photographers that bargaining chip. With digital, it's become to easy for photographers to burn a CD, and forget about it. I have clients that expect that, a CD with full res images delivered, and I have to remind them that I never gave them the original transparencies, so hence they'll get what they need, when they need it.

Josef Armendariz
Kevin Roczey said:
Kevin R.
josef armendariz said:
What I don't see so much is a business erosion from clients taking
their own pictures, but of other photographers with a non-chalant
attitude toward this conduct. Remember that the work you enjoy and
the money you enjoy making from it, are there because of pros
complaining and setting standards and work ethics. Pretty soon
clients will have the 'rights' to hire you to take photographs you
don't own...oops, or is that already happened?

Josef

-flames to the board please-
john van rosendaal said:
If you were good, you were a real threat and you deserved your
success. If you would have been bad, you would now be doing
something else and the threat you posed was only a temporary one.

A client has every right to take his own pictures, no matter how
bad they may be. You guys have every right to complain about the
trend, but it's better to face it head on, focus on your strengths
and the many advantages of digital for your work.

I say this as a journalist...the competition we face from amateurs
and other would-be journalists is protected by the First Amendment
and doesn't even take a camera, just pen and paper...
hokie said:
I ahve read all the comments so far in the thread.

Interesting.

I buy photographic services and get paid that "hundreds of dollars
a page idea" further down the thread.

I will tell you why we keep or dismiss phoitographers.

Their ability to work with us.

Some are more skilled some are hacks but the consistent performers
that need little supervision get the bulk of the work.

And, sorry to say, but the digital revolution is simply weeding out
a lot of the average photographers that depended on thier skill
with archaic and finicky technologies to get by on versus their
ability to sell their services and produce on time.

I can shoot about 70% of the prodcut shots I need if I had too. I
don't have the time. Nor do I have the time to deal with semi-pros
either that need me to hold their hand in the process or have to
beg to get work in on schedule.

The good pros aren't sweating the digital revolution too much. The
general economy is another thing :-/
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Well gosh Richard, if I don't sound like a broken record, but a 4th and of utmost important is for photographers to take a little responsibility for doing their part for the industry. Without a little cohesion, they're would be no trade. Get proactive, learn the copyright laws, learn how to demand the rights that are set aside for our business, don't cheapen yourself. All this helps strengthen the photographic community, increasing the value of your business.

Here's a good list of organizations beginners and pros alike can look into:

http://www.s2f.com/STOCKPHOTO/Associations.html

Like I mentioned earlier, the ASMP is worth joining, if even for year, because the information they give you when you join is invaluable. All the questions you ever had about pricing, forms, copyright, ethics...all there.

Josef
richard wong said:
Excellent posts everyone. Did not anticipate my original post to
make it into the 'hot' list. Drawing from the above comments, we
(those still working in the photography business) have the to do
the following.
1: find our niche and be very good in what we do,
2: make sure the customer gets value for his money,
3: get really creative in marketing ourselves.

Sounds like what my marketing professor said years ago.

RW
Click to expand...
 
Hi Josef,

That's a lot of organizations for sure. The one you mention sounds large. I'm not sure I agree with their membership requirements though, but that may be an industry specific thing. The "Find a Photographer" feature is really nice.

Thanks,

Kevin R.
josef armendariz said:
Here's a good list of organizations beginners and pros alike can
look into:

http://www.s2f.com/STOCKPHOTO/Associations.html

Like I mentioned earlier, the ASMP is worth joining, if even for
year, because the information they give you when you join is
invaluable. All the questions you ever had about pricing, forms,
copyright, ethics...all there.

Josef
richard wong said:
Excellent posts everyone. Did not anticipate my original post to
make it into the 'hot' list. Drawing from the above comments, we
(those still working in the photography business) have the to do
the following.
1: find our niche and be very good in what we do,
2: make sure the customer gets value for his money,
3: get really creative in marketing ourselves.

Sounds like what my marketing professor said years ago.

RW
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Yeah. But not much. Its not a big deal to me.

If I shoot my digital still camera I get $75 a day. If I shoot my digital video or 2 1/4 its $150/day.

But they buy things that I want, once in a while.

I wanted a PCT-100 adapter for my Dimage 7 and they bought it for me. (It was $30 less with corporate pricing).

BC
Mike said:
Kel Toookay said:
We used to pay this "pro" to shoot for us. It cost us $5000-$10000
a year.

I shoot the same stuff now myself with a digital camera.
Click to expand...
Hi Bernard,

Does your company pay you anything in addition to your regular
salery to take the pictures?

--
Mike D

'Sometimes wrong, but never unsure'
Click to expand...
 
CliffB said:
It is wonderful when our clients appreciate the value of our talent
and work product; however, as a businessperson, it is more
important that we understand the client's wants and needs.

Cliff
Click to expand...
Cliff,

Thanks for the articulation. I appreciate your counsel. It's just tough to see people loose sight of the value of professional quality. A particular client I am addressing I have served for over 15 years. The owner is the 'creative ' originator of the ' decor' product they sell, and I thought , a friend . We have a great history. But after helping them grow , ( from a modest few person size ) through quality national ads etc. to a rather successful $ business, he has gone to taking 35mm shot of his products. It cerainly won't look the same in the calibre of ads they run. When clients like this come to a realization of our value, they rarely have the maturity to return us.

On larger view of the cost analysis, don't you think we as a nation are reaping what we've sown ? We will probably loose a generation of talented artists and craftsmen on the basis that trips to Cancun or a BMW is more important than say; quality furnishings with longevity, or original art . Financial position was a place of responsibility. I own a pair of scissors, but I probably am not going to cut my own hair anytime soon.

Thanks again Cliff, I do get it, I just don't like it.

Corey
 
Corey,

Did you have that exact conversation with the client? It's words like that which get people to stop and listen and to understand the value. If for no other reason than to gain a better understanding into their decision. Sometimes people have a hard time putting a long-term relationship into context. Nobody's perfect, and sometimes people get caught up in their tunnel vision without seeing the implications of their decisions. It's our job to tell them. Not from a defensive position, but from the position of a friend trying to understand.

Thanks,

Kevin
Corey Gray said:
Corey Gray said:
It is wonderful when our clients appreciate the value of our talent
and work product; however, as a businessperson, it is more
important that we understand the client's wants and needs.

Cliff
Click to expand...
Cliff,
Thanks for the articulation. I appreciate your counsel. It's just
tough to see people loose sight of the value of professional
quality. A particular client I am addressing I have served for
over 15 years. The owner is the 'creative ' originator of the '
decor' product they sell, and I thought , a friend . We have a
great history. But after helping them grow , ( from a modest few
person size ) through quality national ads etc. to a rather
successful $ business, he has gone to taking 35mm shot of his
products. It cerainly won't look the same in the calibre of ads
they run. When clients like this come to a realization of our
value, they rarely have the maturity to return us.

On larger view of the cost analysis, don't you think we as a nation
are reaping what we've sown ? We will probably loose a generation
of talented artists and craftsmen on the basis that trips to Cancun
or a BMW is more important than say; quality furnishings with
longevity, or original art . Financial position was a place of
responsibility. I own a pair of scissors, but I probably am not
going to cut my own hair anytime soon.

Thanks again Cliff, I do get it, I just don't like it.

Corey
Click to expand...
 
Corey Gray said:
Thanks for the articulation. I appreciate your counsel. It's just
tough to see people loose sight of the value of professional
quality. A particular client I am addressing I have served for
over 15 years. The owner is the 'creative ' originator of the '
decor' product they sell, and I thought , a friend . We have a
great history. But after helping them grow , ( from a modest few
person size ) through quality national ads etc. to a rather
successful $ business, he has gone to taking 35mm shot of his
products. It cerainly won't look the same in the calibre of ads
they run. When clients like this come to a realization of our
value, they rarely have the maturity to return us.

On larger view of the cost analysis, don't you think we as a nation
are reaping what we've sown ? We will probably loose a generation
of talented artists and craftsmen on the basis that trips to Cancun
or a BMW is more important than say; quality furnishings with
longevity, or original art . Financial position was a place of
responsibility. I own a pair of scissors, but I probably am not
going to cut my own hair anytime soon.

Thanks again Cliff, I do get it, I just don't like it.

Corey
Click to expand...
Corey:

I agree with Kevin about having a talk with your former client. Considering the past relationship, you should be able to start the conversation on a friendly tone of seeing how things are going with doing his own photography. If he is not satisfied with his own work product, your long relationship my leave him feeling too embarassed to contact you to tell you so. This could be a friendly way of giving him the chance to change his mind and save face at the same time. If he is happy with his decision to do his own photography, you have nothing to lose by making the contact. Even if he is presently happy, your call can let him know you are leaving the door open, if that circumstance ever changes or if his needs change in the future.

I had a law school classmate who was a real son-of-a-***** in business. No action was too low, if it meant a chance of winning. However, he was always very friendly to strangers, and would go out of his way to help them. One day I asked him about these actions; and, he responded that, "Everyone is a potential client." Not only is everyone a potential client, but every former client is a potential future client, if we keep the lines of communication open to them.

By the way, I probably shouldn't mention this in the context of this thread, but, for a period of about twenty years, I did cut my own hair. That was until arthritic fingers began to catch up with me.

As for reaping what we sow, I don't think that we are quite that badly off. At least I hope not. Quality work and original art has been with us for many, many centuries. When we look to the past, we see the few great works that have survived. When we look at the present, the great works are there, but it is sometimes hard to find them through the haze of mediocrity produced by most of us. When we look at the past we no longer see the mediocrity, as it has long passed from view. I think those in the future will have an easier time seeing our generation's great works of art than we do ourselves.

Cliff
 
Watch out, digital photography may go the direction of desktop publishing. The parallels are amazing. Desktop publishing started off with systems. You bought integrated computers and had service contracts and parted with $60,000. (think Megavision) Then there were stand alone units. (think Kodak 760) Then along came the PC and laser printers and my oh my how things changed. (Nikon D100 and Kodak 8500 or ink jets) Professional typesetting all but disappeared. Company publications were (are) done with cookie cutter programs. Desktop publishing jobs went from a highly paid skill in the late ‘70’s to a low paying clerical job in the late ‘90’s (when you can find them at all). Will this happen in digital photography? Maybe, maybe not. Am I willing to bet the farm on it, no!

Digital cameras are getting more powerful and easier to use. Granted amateurs are not going to know how to light and compose properly, but will they care? Probably not. I can remember a time when I was a talented desktop publishing expert, are my talents in desktop publishing needed any more, no they are not.

I, for one, am chucking it in and getting trained in Radiography. I don’t think health care jobs will dry up for a while.
 
Same in the web design business. Five years ago my web design skills were in high demand. Now my old clients have their teenage kids with Front Page do all their work. The sites look like C##P but they don't care because it didn't cost them anything. Same with the photos I guess. To most, a photo is a photo and it doesn't matter to them if it was taken by a pro with a D1X or the guy next door with a 995. Just the way of things...
richard wong said:
Just an observation about the impact of the now afforfdable DSLR's
on my business. For many years, the bulk of my business is catalog
and product photography for direct clients. Since the release of
the D100 and D60, some of my customers are shooting the products
themselves and I find my voliume for this year down significantly.
Somehow there is always someone in their organisation who is a
camera buff and the job of 'photographer' is added to his or her
job description. I'm curious to know if my brotherhood of working
photographers are seeing the same trend.
Click to expand...
 
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