On 9 Nov 2004, at 07:47, Bertho wrote:
With all the threads going back and forth there is one issue that has not beenUntil they make holographic imaging availble to the masses. People will still make print ads, people will still get married and want wedding photos.
discussed directly; where are photography and the profession going?
the
*technical* picture quality and prints will be very good, regardless who pushes
the button.
There is no way the masses / hobbyist can beat us at what we do EVERYDAY, FOR LIVING.
Where will the professional photographer fit into that future? I do not have
any good answers but I believe that marketing and business skills will be
critical to be successful long term as a photographer.
Add to that: differentiation.
I have not seen any proposal that a professional photographer's organization
sponsor advertisements to promote the need for professional pictures vs.
amateur ones.
Don't mean to be offensive, but a real pro's work should be able to speak for themselves.
The one thing that will be extremely difficult to automate in the photographic
business is the artistic side, inventive displays and compositions.
Bertho Boman
There you go. And there are more than just artistic side depending on type of photography you do: Directing a shoot/talent/model, collecting props, experience with materials for product/still photography, finding/creating mockups for products, working under time pressures and lousy lighting, setting up lights quickly on location. We do this for living, Bertho. I might know how to land a punch, but I won't think of picking fights with De La Hoya.
In fact yesterday I just completed a simple job that no amateur would be able to do. 11 individual portraits of company directors, and one group photo. Each individual portrait needs different pose, background, and lighting setup from the rest. None of the directors are photognic people. It was an out of town shoot, so I had no crew. I've never been to the location before. Oh, and it's at 6pm; sun was out. Exactly one hour to complete the shoot. No amateur could've pulled that off.
While thinking forward is a good thing, I think you're thinking in the wrong direction. Think how to be good, not how to not be bad.
Fellow professional,
Mike Ting. :)
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