Is Pro Photography OVER?
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- My response to the recent article about Bruce Gilden going broke.
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Say what you want, but i don't know a broke wedding photographer. I get it, it's not your style your art but sometimes you gotta pay the bills. I'd rather be walking the streets snapping shots than shooting a church event.
it just sounds like any other person where they fail at a project, or an unprofitable business. I think a lot could diversify their buisness.
You pretty much nailed it here on all fronts, Will. Personally I am definitely sad about my former life of a high flying photographer but in many ways it's better now and yes, things change, we change, adapt and move on. And also, it all depends.
thanks Noah! and yeah I forgot to add the "it all depends on your situation or whatever" at the end
@@doublenegative4real I feel like you were basically saying that the whole time so you're good.
Bruce is a man who thrives on conflict. He loves an argument. Maybe take his comments with a pinch of salt. That said, pro photography is not dead, but it's looking pretty rough. When I first assisted for a magazine, the four staff photographers had good salaries, company car and a holiday place in Spain. That was the early 1980's. Now, it's extremely difficult to sustain a small apartment, in fact with a few exceptions, it's almost impossible to have a career as a pro photographer and expect to have a family and run a car and house. Even the big bucks advertising shooters have bailed too. I know of a very big ad agency making all their stills from AI. If you offered high end video, you could be OK........just. Probably weddings will survive, but because there are so many doing it, the price will crash. 'Real estate' or here in the UK estate agent work will pay you enough to fill your car and buy a beer. One bedroom apartments here in London start at around £400K or $535k, yes London is expensive, but it's where any media work is. There's no way photography can give you any kind of economic future. I don't think being a 'jack of all trades' helps, it just lumps you in with everyone else, and will devalue your worth. Specialising will possibly give you a better chance of charging higher rates, but it's a huge gamble. It's not just photography, all the creative industries have suffered a massive devaluation in talent worth. People have a different view ( on pun intended) of photography since we were able to shoot pictures on a phone. There's no mystery anymore. At one time we only ever saw pictures on Billboards, in magazines and brochures, all shot by professional photographers and edited by picture editors and presented by graphic designers. Now we see two hundred pictures before breakfast shot by anyone and everybody, it's image overload and we can't see the photo for the pixels. I recently got hold of Life magazine, it was page after page of pictures, reportage. It just is not the same now, and we have to realise that. Bruce Gilden has his place in the history of street photography, his anger with his plight is to be expected from someone who sees his work and the medium in which he works lose it's status. He's looking for someone to blame, that's typical too. In the end, it's all relative. Although I had good years, late 80's, 90's and up to about 2010, I always thought those before me had it better. It's just a different time. I would discourage anyone from choosing photography as a career, but encourage them to take it up as a hobby.
Bruce Gilden is actually a scream if you ever meet him. He's actually very personable and despite the hype, he dies talk to his photographic subjects most of the time after and sometimes before he takes a shot. People on the street in NYC know him. He's a literal fixture. But he does like controversy and drama.
You’re telling me I’ve got to WORK for money? Weird
👎
Bruce Gilden WILL NOT be broke in a year from his photography, he is a Magnum photographer and they will fund his projects so his article is just clickbait.
@@WatchesAndPhotography definitely
Pro photography is alive and well, but it's dead in certain geographical regions and especially so of you restrict yourself to one niche. I operate out of western North Carolina and northeast Arkansas. North Carolina is dead. Totally and completely dead for working photographers in general. The money is gone because the economy is in the tank. That said, 90% of my well paying work is now in Arkansas and surrounding states. This is because their commercial/ad/editorial/documentary market is thriving. But if you stick to one single niche, you're screwed.
Make a series of portfolios in different genres and if someone asks you if you shoot this or that niche, you can say you do and back it with a specific portfolio.
Being a narrow specialist is asking to become extinct. As a metaphor, the more specialize a species becomes, the more its chances of becoming extinct because it cannot quickly adapt to change. If you can shoot fashion one day and news stories the next, you're good to go. Make versatility your niche.
This whole argument of “photography is over” has been going on for a long time. Fact is, commercial photographers will still be needed for various reasons, product photography will still be needed, so photography isnt dead, but it is becoming a more and more lucrative business available only to the wealthy elite IMHO.
I had this comment waiting before the end of the video but you made all the points by the end:
Shoot weddings, Bruce, and become a UA-camr. You'll make money.
hahaha
@@ddelacruz honestly his financial situation doing what he’s doing is probably ideal for most photographers. I’m sure he’ll be fine
Sounds like I’ll be living out of my van and traveling the country taking pictures that don’t make me any money for the rest of my damn life 😭
I’ll never afford a home 😭
I do think photography is dying a little more now. People don’t value photography as much as they used to.
I wouldn't really know. Say, I work as marketing director for a small company. We have a big need for social media content, product photography, event coverage. I often do it myself, since I've had an interest in photography and videography for a long time. But that's the thing, I'd say photography is a big part of my job, but it isn't all I do.
All I know is that the need for quality photo and video will always be there. But maybe it's all about supplementing your art with some other useful skill and sell it as a combo
That fan blade sticking out of your head is distracting.
As a current sports photojournalist it is tough with all these moms and dads and young kids coming. But I view it as motivation to continue learning and learning from the young kids some new styles. I always say there is enough room on the wave for everyone. I have an ego but it’s about me I think I’m great but don’t put anyone down to get there. Remember yall “Community over Competition”
I'm not sure who is buying personal project photobooks and prints in the numbers that make them a viable way to sustain a living nowadays, a lot of the people who make money that way need to supplement it with workshops and portfolio reviews. Several times a year people say/write photography is dying or the business is but its just changing.
Just went to a wedding where the photographer just got paid over 10 grand. It’s feeling pretty healthy. I’m the only one that brought a real camera and everyone wanted my photos not crappy cellphone photos until the pro photographer got his out to the family.
@@WhoIsSerafin yeah there’s alot of money still out there for photographers for sure, it’s just different than it used to be
If pro photography is over, then who did my wife and I spend money on our wedding for photos?! (By the way, our wedding photographer was 100/10!)
it definitely feels like there's more opportunity in photography than ever, just not in the same form as before.
I guess we were all held down and forced to read that article 🤣
@@StepsAndStoness feels that way 😂 it’s wild how far it’s traveled
To Bruce's credit - there are a lot of portrait photographers running around calling themselves "street." It's like seeing Adele rap a few bars at a celebrity soiree amongst Snoop and Kendrick- and her now walking around calling herself a rapper.
Know thy lane, friends. Don't be a rapping Adele.