Evan Baines Offline Dedicated FM Upload & Sell: Off
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p.1 #1 · Holiday Portraits and Prognostication | |
This is my second attempt at writing this essay, and while I'm not entirely sure that its "blog friendly" (might scare the customers ) I figured I'd share it with my FM friends.
Last evening I attended a meeting for Weddings: The Bridal Show at the Opryland Resort Hotel. For those of you who aren't local, Opryland is a pretty amazing place: in addition to its almost 3000 guest rooms, it boasts a gigantic enclosed atrium with a river, waterfalls, 15 restaurants, and at this time of year a gigantic Christmas tree.
As I strolled through the vast enclosure, I couldn't help but notice a large number of families that were sporting Digital Rebels, Nikon d40's, and Sunpak tripods. These jovial groups were moving about the holiday displays, setting up the camera, and taking their own family portraits. These shots are inevitably lacking in some of the finer aspects of technical photography, however I don't doubt that these families will probably treasure these images at least as much as they would a "traditional" studio portrait. Certainly, the families are more likely to remember the experience associated with the picture-taking with pleasure.
The AVERAGE consumer of photography usually only cares about an image in the extent to which everyone looks pleasant, and it serves as a record of a pleasing memory. And contrary to what many of pro-shooters think, this is a good, healthy, and human.
Traditionally, the market for art is a very small one. How many people do you know who have commissioned a painted portrait? Do most of your friends have a collection of signed & numbered silver gelatin prints in their homes? Heck, what percentage of the population even visits an art museum with regularity?
For the past hundred years or so, the only remotely reasonable way to ensure that a person's likeness was recorded or that an event's happenings were captured was to pay a trained professional. A properly focused and exposed image was beyond the reach of the general population. Thus, almost everyone would at one time or another employ a photographer for a family portrait, wedding, or other important occasion.
Nowadays, all of those people who simply want a record of a moment can purchase the capability at a local bestbuy. Modern cameras produce adequate images with little or no effort on the part of the user, and for those who want a simple embellishment an "artsy" look is only a few clicks away in photoshop. Given that most people really don't care about artistic subtleties, why on earth should they have to pay a premium for a self-styled "artist" to produce something beyond the scope of what they really want?
As photography technology continues to become more accessible to the masses, the "middle" market for photography will continue to die. You won't see the average couple spending massive amounts of money on photographers for their wedding when a simple record of the event is only a click away. More families will flee the studios on main-street in favor of a brief outing with a camera and tripod.
Will consumer professional photography die?
There are always people who appreciate fine art, and are willing to pay for something with true artistic merit. There will always be people who hope that their likeness or family portrait can achieve more a literalistic representation. Some individuals will always desire wedding photos with grace, elegance, and romance beyond what can be achieved by an amateur with an itchy shutter-finger. However, these aficionados with the budget to acquire art and a willingness to appreciate it will always be a minority group, and completely inadequate to support the vast network of professional photographers that has arisen.
Professional photography will become a two-class system, similar to music or other visual arts. There will be a plethora of hopefuls and weekend warriors chasing the dream and a very small percentage actually succeeding. The middle of the market will continue to disappear, and one's likelihood in achieving a livelihood behind a camera will be roughly analogous to the probability of scoring a hit single on the pop charts or selling out a major gallery opening in NYC.
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