Did you know that there was a revolution going on? No not like the bloody wars of the past but instead, this is a change in the way photography is being used. Less and less, are companies hiring photographers to take images for them. Instead many companies, journalism outlets, websites etc. are turning to stock agencies to provide cheap, quality images.It appears that this recession coupled with the vast improvements in digital technology that almost anyone can be a photographer. Companies are looking to cut cost while keeping quality high and stock photo agencies are more than happy to provide the images that corporations, website designers, marketers, and small business owners etc. are desire.
So what is the affect on the photographer? The wizard is definitely out from behind the curtain and many of the "secrets" of photography are now being taken care of by a photo processing sensor. This means that the market is becoming flooded with images, some are good, others...not so.
This means a couple things: that a really good photographer is going to have to increase the amount of photos they take, their quality is going to have to be exceptionally high, and they may have to utilize a reach out to a niche type of customer in order to continue doing well.
Do I think that professional photogrpahy is going to die and go away? No, people are still going to want to have portraits done, and some shots (such as sports, or special affects) are so highly specialized that they it takes allot of practice to become good at it. Photographers are gonig to have to work harder than ever to excel in their chosen profession though.
So what effect does this have on you? This means that you, the every day individual can sell photos online, and that there is a high demand for your images; it alsomeans that if you decide to sell photography online that it is going to be both one of the easiest and hardest things you have ever done. To have any amount of success you are going to have to know be well versed in things such as lighting and composition as well as a number of other subtopics (such as white balance) that are and literal part of this industry.
If what I have talked about seems a bit foreign to you or you want to brush up on your photography skills don't worry though, me, you, and even the great Ansel Adams have all been there. A great place to start is with a with: Shoot Digital Pics Like the Pros, a free guide that will answer all of your questions and get you started.
