The DSLR and social media are often the scape goats of aspiring and veteran photographers alike for the decline of the profession of a professional photographer. The DSLR has made photography much more accessible by not only making the equipment more affordable, but simplifying the process. Social media has made it incredibly easy for someone to share their work. These two factors, combined with a few others, have made it incredibly easy for someone with not a lot of money to go out, buy an entry level DSLR, buy some editing software, and market themselves as a photographer. A brand new, entry level DSLR can be had for a measly $500 from some online stores. This may seem like a lot, but when the Nikon D70 was released around 10 years ago, it was selling for around $1000, and it was much less of a camera than today's lowest level DSLRs. Editing software, which replaces what the darkroom was once for, is simple to use and fairly inexpensive as well. Not only is editing software highly accessible, but some photographers don't even find it necessary. I don't agree with this point of view, but I'm just throwing it out there that this cost can sometimes be avoided all together.
This new accessibility has now resulted in thousands of photographers springing up all over that all have to compete with another, as well as new competition for already established photographers. A common saying today is "everyone is a photographer."
It's true, and I hate it.
I once did a search for photographer in my area, just to see who I was competing with, and literally hundreds of results came up. It isn't uncommon for someone to go out, get a DSLR, take some photos, have someone see those photos, and then be convinced their photos look amazing and they should do it professionally. Hell, this is how and why I got started. And I won't hesitate for one second to tell you that my work was terrible, and I had absolutely no right to charge for it. This is the case for many people with DSLRs, which leads me to the main point of this blog post.
Everyone having a DSLR and advertising themselves on social media isn't as bad as everyone has made it seem.
Yes it's unfortunate that there is so much competition out there, but in all honesty, the majority of "photographers" out there aren't even close to producing even decent looking work. I'm not saying my work is the best out there, by any means, but I know there are people out there who are charging for results that are worse than mine. Those people who are producing terrible photos are then sharing their photos on the same social media as I am. Right next to my work. Which makes my work look even better. It's no secret that when something is juxtaposed to something that's of poor quality, that something looks many times better than it would alone. Hence, social media, and everyone thinking they're a photographer, isn't so bad after all.
Sure, I'll lose a number of clients to people who have a "big camera" and are willing to do it for free, but as one of my professors once said, they're simply "not my client." For every person out there who is looking to get a "deal," there is at least one other person who knows the importance and value of a good photographer who knows what they're doing. The biggest difference between photographers who know what they're doing, and "fauxtographers," is the willingness to learn about photography, and the willingness to take the time to edit the photos. People who don't know what they're doing think being a professional photographer is just simply pressing a button. Photographers that know what they're doing know it's much more than this.
Other benefits of social media are free marketing. I've never spent a cent on marketing yet, thanks to Facebook (although I've heard this will be changing soon), Twitter, etc.
Another piece of technology I'd like to thank is the smartphone. The smartphone has made it incredibly easy to upload photos taken by hundreds of people daily. It's pretty rare that these photos turn out well, which makes photos taken by people who know what they're doing look exponentially better.
Also, please be aware I'm not bashing on anyone who does photography as a hobby, or anyone who is just starting out when I'm talking about bad quality photos, etc. I'm talking specifically about the people who get a DSLR, and all of a sudden think they're a photographer. Even more specifically, I'm talking about the people who do this, produce terrible photos, and steal my clients.
www.danpomykalski.com
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