Some great points have been made thus far! Indeed, the advent of cheaper, better digital cameras is a concern to those who make their livelihoods taking pictures, but I'm also reminded regularly that a LOT of what makes a great photographer isn't based solely on gear, especially when it comes to portrait and event photographers.
Think about how you interact with your subjects? How do you get them to show genuine smiles? How do you make them comfortable with the camera? Getting someone to exude "real" emotion in front of a camera in many cases can be just as (if not more) tedious than simply working the camera itself.
Why do you think so many folks, especially here on FM, can garner such demand from prospective clients? Let me give you a tip, it's probably not as much about their camera skills as you might think.
Taking landscapes or candids is one thing, but when it comes to the necessary interactions with many different types of personalities that come along with shooting portraits, weddings, parties, etc..., a very large % of "wanna be's" are out of their league regardless of what gear they might be holding.
p150 wrote:
She went on to say that she had "a bunch of lenses, too. Most of them are the ones with the red stripe, those are supposed to be the good ones, right? I have one with a green stripe... I don't know what that one is."
Mwahahaha. Perhaps you could offer a trade-in discount - lens for portraits - some time? A 70-300 DO would be great before your next vacation. I'm hoping it's the 70-300, because the alternative is disturbing.
On an unrelated note, the D40 hordes have done another thing - they've killed a lot of photo opportunities for amateurs. People are getting so hacked off with having big cameras thrust into their face for 200 shots, that pulling out an SLR is enough to get people bolting and/or "I don't want my picture taken! No!". Absolutely killing it for candids.
Perhaps a downturn in general portrait photography is just people getting sick of cameras?
