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Archive 2010Will photography be a viable career
p.1 #1Will photography be a viable career
in 10 years?
Just a question. Not trying to step on toes or start a fight. I'm just seeing more and more people who are fine with o.k. photography. Things that beginners shoot, or that their friend shot of them. Does anyone else see this trend, or am I overanalyzing? I hope it isn't the case.
I guess it could be sub-categorized into Weddings, Commercial, Portrait, but what are your thoughts?
Just a question. Not trying to step on toes or start a fight. I'm just seeing more and more people who are fine with o.k. photography. Things that beginners shoot, or that their friend shot of them. Does anyone else see this trend, or am I overanalyzing? I hope it isn't the case.
I guess it could be sub-categorized into Weddings, Commercial, Portrait, but what are your thoughts?
Jul 09, 2010 at 01:23 PM
p.1 #2Will photography be a viable career
It will be here for years to come.
Jul 09, 2010 at 01:34 PM
p.1 #3Will photography be a viable career
For cheap weddings the "trend" has always been saving money. Uncle Bob is OK.
Except for the down and dirty easy stuff like the kind you can shoot in your cubicle, commercial photography requires training, experience, space, and equipment.
Portraits? Depends on who's requesting the portrait. A picture of your neighbor?.... no problem. A movie star, or someone who is featured in some magazine? ... don't bother... you aren't getting the job.
Except for the down and dirty easy stuff like the kind you can shoot in your cubicle, commercial photography requires training, experience, space, and equipment.
Portraits? Depends on who's requesting the portrait. A picture of your neighbor?.... no problem. A movie star, or someone who is featured in some magazine? ... don't bother... you aren't getting the job.
Jul 09, 2010 at 03:25 PM
p.1 #5Will photography be a viable career
Good thoughts Barry.
Not sure if Rhyder is being smart, or doesn't want to elaborate. =)
Not sure if Rhyder is being smart, or doesn't want to elaborate. =)
Jul 10, 2010 at 10:26 AM
p.1 #6Will photography be a viable career
People have always been fine with o.k. photos. There's nothing going on now that hasn't been going on for years. Yeah there's more uncle Bobs due to digital, but there always have been "hobbyists" doing weddings and what not, even back in the day. Schlock photography is nothing new. Very, very few make big money, even among the famous. Research Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Eugene Atget.......
Jul 10, 2010 at 01:15 PM
p.1 #7Will photography be a viable career
I've read about the old wet plate photographers complaining that no one would ever make a career out of photography when flexible film came out, since everyone would be able to take pictures. That was circa 1890.
Jul 11, 2010 at 10:32 PM
p.1 #8Will photography be a viable career
dirb9 wrote:
I've read about the old wet plate photographers complaining that no one would ever make a career out of photography when flexible film came out, since everyone would be able to take pictures. That was circa 1890.
I've read about the old wet plate photographers complaining that no one would ever make a career out of photography when flexible film came out, since everyone would be able to take pictures. That was circa 1890.
Jul 12, 2010 at 06:14 AM
p.1 #9Will photography be a viable career
I guess it depends on what you mean by career.
There is no correct answer to this question because there are so many qualifiers.
It all depends on where you live.
There will always be demand for "professional" photographers who do contract work for big companies in places like NY, SF, CHI, DC, ATL, LA, etc. However there is very fierce competition which drives the bottom line down.
Likewise, places like Florida, California, Texas, etc where people actually WANT to live and can live comfortably year round, prices/salaries will be relatively low because of this as well.
I think the days of people living comfortably just on photographer wages are over except for a select few.
There is no correct answer to this question because there are so many qualifiers.
It all depends on where you live.
There will always be demand for "professional" photographers who do contract work for big companies in places like NY, SF, CHI, DC, ATL, LA, etc. However there is very fierce competition which drives the bottom line down.
Likewise, places like Florida, California, Texas, etc where people actually WANT to live and can live comfortably year round, prices/salaries will be relatively low because of this as well.
I think the days of people living comfortably just on photographer wages are over except for a select few.
Jul 12, 2010 at 03:06 PM
p.1 #10Will photography be a viable career
Simple answer, yes.
Less simple, technology and cheap business practices will likely dry up some of the demand, but there will always be demand. Like dirb9 noted there is always some tech advance that will bring out the doomsayers, but their Nostradamii senses are mostly hype.
Hell I hope so. I would like to try to focus my career in the direction of pro photog. 14 years in IT gets to be a bit tiring at times.
Less simple, technology and cheap business practices will likely dry up some of the demand, but there will always be demand. Like dirb9 noted there is always some tech advance that will bring out the doomsayers, but their Nostradamii senses are mostly hype.
Hell I hope so. I would like to try to focus my career in the direction of pro photog. 14 years in IT gets to be a bit tiring at times.
Jul 13, 2010 at 05:04 PM
p.1 #12Will photography be a viable career
troy12n wrote:
Likewise, places like Florida, California, Texas, etc where people actually WANT to live
um...not so much
Likewise, places like Florida, California, Texas, etc where people actually WANT to live
um...not so much
Jul 14, 2010 at 12:29 PM
p.1 #13Will photography be a viable career
troy12n wrote:
I think the days of people living comfortably just on photographer wages are over except for a select few.
What you don't realize is that its always been this way. Don't believe what you see in the movies and TV.
I think the days of people living comfortably just on photographer wages are over except for a select few.
What you don't realize is that its always been this way. Don't believe what you see in the movies and TV.
Jul 14, 2010 at 01:28 PM
p.1 #15Will photography be a viable career
troy12n wrote:
places like Florida, California, Texas, etc where people actually WANT to live and can live comfortably year round
Yes, because I love walking outside in July and have it be 100 degrees outside. You can most certainly count me off the list of people that WANT to live in Florida, California, or Texas. I have spent plenty of time in all three and I have never been impressed.
Off to the Rockies for me! =)
places like Florida, California, Texas, etc where people actually WANT to live and can live comfortably year round
Yes, because I love walking outside in July and have it be 100 degrees outside. You can most certainly count me off the list of people that WANT to live in Florida, California, or Texas. I have spent plenty of time in all three and I have never been impressed.
Off to the Rockies for me! =)
Jul 14, 2010 at 03:16 PM
p.1 #16Will photography be a viable career
Jonathan Knight wrote:
Off to the Rockies for me! =)
Let me know how that works out for you November through May.
It's really hot here about 3-4 months (June - Sept), but great the rest of the year. How many months of good weather do you get in the Rockies?
Off to the Rockies for me! =)
Let me know how that works out for you November through May.
It's really hot here about 3-4 months (June - Sept), but great the rest of the year. How many months of good weather do you get in the Rockies?
Jul 15, 2010 at 03:32 PM
p.1 #17Will photography be a viable career
troy, look at any weather data and you'll see that winters in Colorado are actually tamer than many on the East coast and especially in the Northern portion of the U.S.
In fact, nearly every month of the year in KS is cooler than CO with more snow than CO.
In fact, nearly every month of the year in KS is cooler than CO with more snow than CO.
Sep 17, 2010 at 03:47 PM
p.1 #18Will photography be a viable career
IMO it isn't a viable career now, let alone in 10 years. photography is something anyone can do and can be very good at with very little work and great gear is easily available and sold in large amounts. all of those factors add up to a huge potential market of competition and therefor makes it an unviable career if you want money, having as a hobby on the side or semi-pro is still a possibility. go on some photo hosting websites like flickr and you can see, when 4000-5000 images are uploaded a second and a selection of photos so deep are so good in many areas, it's easy to see that if many of those people wanted to be pro's they could. the market is already flooded in most aspects with photographers, all around- wedding, portrait, sports, wildlife, everything.
Sep 17, 2010 at 05:12 PM
p.1 #19Will photography be a viable career
There are millions of restaurants out there... so starting a new one won't work. 
Sep 17, 2010 at 05:32 PM
p.1 #20Will photography be a viable career
ontime wrote:
There are millions of restaurants out there... so starting a new one won't work.
restaurants provide a service- food, and many many many are not successful. photography is essentially art and the sale of art which is a creative aspect on something. photography is also much easier to master than painting, sculpting, acting etc and like i said can be done by anyone with little or no "talent or eye", there is a reason that the expression "starving artists" exists. my 0.02.
There are millions of restaurants out there... so starting a new one won't work.
restaurants provide a service- food, and many many many are not successful. photography is essentially art and the sale of art which is a creative aspect on something. photography is also much easier to master than painting, sculpting, acting etc and like i said can be done by anyone with little or no "talent or eye", there is a reason that the expression "starving artists" exists. my 0.02.
Sep 17, 2010 at 06:08 PM