iPhone 5C
So what does this all mean? Right now, it means layoffs in major news organizations, as one example. Chicago Sun Times, Sports Illustrated, and National Press Photographers Association recently let go of their entire photo department. Why? Hiring photographers for news stories has become trivial. Everyone has a camera on their person, so there are bound to be those who will record any notable event from anywhere on Earth. They simply purchase the best photos of the event, rather than pay an entire fleet of internal photographers.
The goal of the industry is just to get the best photos possible. Good photographers will still be good, but there are social ramifications as the camera takes on new roles and is available to more people. But what is a photographer to do in the midst of all of this? Keep shooting; shoot with whatever you have. Visual storytellers will never go away; they only change with the times. +
1 KELLY MCBRIDE, “WHO’S DRIVING THE EXTINCTION OF PRO PHOTOGRAPHERS?” SXSW SCHEDULE 2015, MARCH 13, 2015. 2 JOSH DUNLOP, “A REALISTIC
The consequences of the increased access to camera phone technology seem scary, like no photography job is sacred. This is more of an awkward transition phase into the future than anything else. This is the natural progression of the camera and the industry surrounding it. The best part of this movement is that a photographer doesn’t have to have all the expensive accessories to be a part of the club.
LOOK AT THE STATE OF PHOTOGRAPHY TODAY,” EXPERT PHOTOGRAPHY, MARCH 22, 2012. 3 TJ DONEGAN, “THE BEST SMARTPHONE CAMERAS OF 2015,” REVIEWED.COM SMARTPHONES, JULY 29, 2015. 4 ZACH SUTTON, “USING INSTAGRAM IN THE PROFESSIONAL WORLD,” TUTS PHOTO & VIDEO, NOVEMBER 20, 2013.
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