An Interesting Thought

[Joe[y]+]

Chazwicke i don't think this discussion was about photographers like yourself - so please don't feel threatened in any way. i think this discussion is really about how photography has become a much more accesible medium and therefore a frightening amount of new photographers are looking to a career in photography - me for one... and photographers who have already attained a professional status are just aware they are going to have to work much harder to retain their status.

i don't think this should discourage hobbyists or anybody who simply takes photos for personal enjoyment and do not wish to compete in a professional market.

[jkn]

Chazwicke - don't take the comments in this thread too closely to heart as they probably don't pertain directly to you.

...

I've been through this same conversation before on musician's forums. Technology will always improve and costs will always go down. Some people find it exhilerating to have so many more people able to join into the field and have fun with it - and I do understand the frustration of the people making a living off of something. There's also the saturation factor - lots of people don't have that bone in their body that drives them to self-edit themselves... They post every song they write - or every picture they take. I'm amazed at how many photo galleries I've flipped through where it seems every single photo is uploaded... that's great if the purpose is family geared only (some of my galleries are that way!) - but I don't try and show everything to everyone from a more artistic point of view.

Technology also flattens the field - just like the internet has completely gutted a whole layer of retail stores and distribution channels - digital cameras make it easier for semi-serious hobbyists to jump into the for profit market for good or ill.

I'm a hobbyist in both music and photos - or rather I'm semi-sort-of-pro in music since I've released and made a couple bucks (um, literally a couple) and played live and all that... but in photos - nope - I'm just a hobbyist.

And I'm thrilled to death that a dslr is getting close to my price range!

[jkn]

Back to the music analogy - this reminds me of all the live bands that started getting fewer and fewer gigs in bars because of dj's. And then all the wedding bands that once totally owned the wedding reception market and was almost decimated by... once again ... the dj. Ironically - I know a lot of people just setting up their iPod or mp3 playlists in their laptop for their wedding receptions now... technology once again eliminating someone. Radio dj's have also started losing out as stations consolidate under Clear Channel or other large owners - and some functions get farmed out to a central location.

No matter what industry it is - if it's remotely technology related (and just about everything is) - jobs are changing and will continue to. Whoops - speaking of work... time to go.

[Chazwicke]

Thanks! I understand what is being said now. And you all are correct about how technology changes things. I've been in my field for 25 years. As technology has become greater it made our jobs much easier for a while. Now some of the industry is worried because many of the jobs we do (Research) can be done online overseas in places like India and the Phillipines. Some of the work has already started being diverted to those cheaper sources and I see the industry eventually going that way almost completely. I own my own company and we employ 15. I am nearing the time when I might like to retire and I have standing offers for my company. In 5 -7 more years, those offers will probably be affected by the job shifts and my company will undoubtedly be worth less. Needless to say, I still am a huge fan of technology and I'm constantly in awe of the things I see coming down the road.

Again, When it comes to photography, I'm a novice really. I derive pleasure from the hobby and I never hope to make it some sort of vocation.

[nephoto]

Originally Posted by nephoto

p.s. This post is not against those who take photography as a serious hobby alongside with their actual career, whatever that may be, but as sort of a rant against those that think photography is incredibly easy, and something that anyone could do with the right equipment, damn those people to hell.

This is taken from my original post which started this whole thread. It was never meant as a bashing for those who enjoy it or as mentioned above take it as a hobby, it was meant for those who are making it ever increasingly harder for the good photographers to be found by trying to break into the market because they think it would be an easy way to make a buck, only to find out its not that easy People see it as easy/good money without a lot of work involved, but it's a whole lot of work, and I think thats going to weed a lot of these new wannabe photographers out.

Simply put, it was a post referring to the professional market, not to the everyday photographer.

Cheers