Behind the Lens
Photography is a sunset industry (PS: I don't mean sunset portrait photography).
This doesn't mean that individuals and businesses don't need photography anymore; instead, it's in greater demand and the demand would continue to increase as social media is triggering the needs.
The issue is that professional photographers are finding it more difficult to make a living. More masterclass photographers would abandon the job while some would switch over to videography. The standard of photography would fall to a certain low with the continuous loss of real talents.
Eventually, there will still be some demand for very high-quality work by big brands and thus good photography won't extinct.
The problem of the degradation of the photography industry isn't caused by any economic crisis but by a few major trends:
While technology advances and good cameras are more affordable, more people are beginning to own a piece of DSLR. Therefore, it seems like "everyone is a photographer", especially when social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook allow people to showcase their work easily.
I don't see myself as a masterclass photographer since there are still many things I don't know. However, I have seen the work of many so-call professional photographers and they make me feel better about my work. My point is that there are just too many photographers, including newbies.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with new photographers trying out to do it professionally - I started up as a newbie as well. However, what I did was that I practice on family and friends first, until I was satisfied with my work before I started taking up requests from clients. I quickly increased my rates in order not to spoil the market. Unfortunately, some "photographers" start with ridiculously low rates and maintain them.
With the huge number of "photographers" who have been sharing their work online, internet users' judgments are somehow influenced by amateur work. It could be instigated by peer pressure.
For instance, when a "photographer" who has high popularity posts a new photograph, his friends would tend to react to his post, adding flattery comments, and thus anyone who sees the post would think that the photograph is a masterpiece. Likewise, if the post is a photograph of a hot girl, the reactions would be even more whelming.
When I was new to photography, I mistook some bad photographs for good work also. I think most people aren't born with good art sense. I work hard by looking at more good work, doing more actual photoshoots and learning from the professional before I develop my judgment of work, and I'm still learning. Therefore, I wouldn't be surprised that most people can't differentiate between good and bad work.
Many people, including aspiring models, have been approaching me to take photographs of them. They sing compliments of my work until I almost float in the air. However, further interactions would show their ignorance as they start complimenting the work of some hobbyists as well. Some weeks later, they start posting amateur photographs of their photoshoots. Of course, they have stopped replying to me "due to their busy schedules".
During the first couple of years when I started photography, I was requested to guide people in photography - I wasn't even good at looking at light. This further proves that many people are clueless about the qualities of photographs.
Due to many reasons, clients have set low budgets for photography. As they experience more ridiculously low quotations from "photographers", they start assuming professional photography should be cheap. This has somehow led to the lowering of budgets.
When a corporate client has set a (low) budget, the high quality of work that a very experienced professional photographer can produce doesn't matter much anymore. Eventually, the client would decide on a photographer who can accept the low rates.
Don't expect all big brands to set a high budget; some may be using their brand name to bargain for low photography rates. Therefore, don't assume that all photographers who shoot for big brands to be earning a lot.
Social media is a double-edged sword. It helps photographers to reach out to people from all over the world but at the same time, it requires more time for the photographers to manage their accounts and thus less time for the actual photography work. Updating social media accounts properly can be very draining.
Social media platforms want to make profits. Therefore, they have been making sharing work more difficult. A fan or follower of a page may not get to see the new posts in his newsfeed and thus social media platforms are trying to push owners to buy advertisement space to reach out to more people.
While it makes reaching out to potential clients easier, social media also invites more time-wasters and creeps. Most people tend to approach many photographers at the same time. Many creeps would contact me because they mistake me for a female model after seeing me posting photographs of (different) girls.
Most clients cannot differentiate between good and excellent photographs. With tight budgets, they just want photographs to be taken, as long as the photographs aren't ugly looking. Having good skill and equipment and putting in extra effort in photography don't help much in this case.
From my experience, I can see that some clients seriously don't need very high-quality photographs. There was once when I worked with a very established educational institute in Singapore. Their main goal was to put together all the photographs into a photo montage (video). Given that the video wasn't in very high resolution, the high quality of photographs wasn't very necessary. Therefore, I thought it wasn't necessary to engage my photography sessions. Nevertheless, the person in charge of the project wasn't someone who could appreciate good photography as well.
Since most people would only upload photographs to social media like Facebook and Instagram, which would automatically reduce the resolution of the uploaded photographs, much of the details would be lost. Furthermore, nowadays, more people are using their mobile phones to view photographs and on the small screens, flaws of the photographs can hardly be seen. Therefore, most people probably don't need very good quality photographs.
While almost everyone is a photographer nowadays, people are showing less respect to professional photographers. There are many misconceptions of professional photography.
Some people think editing photographs is as easy as selecting a few options on their phone applications. Therefore, they think they can do the job well.
Some clients would even demand raw files. They actually indirectly indicate that they can do better post-production work than professional photographers.
The great improvement in phone cameras (in both hardware and software) creates the illusion to some people that professional photography is redundant. Given very good lighting, indeed camera phones can do a very good job as well. However, the sensor size, by far, is impossible to match an entry-level DSLR's APS-C one - with a bigger sensor, bigger glasses (lenses) are needed and thus impractical to be built into a phone. Since most people nowadays view photographs on small screen sizes, they don't see the real quality of the photographs.
Both photographers and "photographers" have been undercutting the market to grab more business.
Many experienced photographers are charging low rates to secure more jobs. To survive, they will have to reduce their effort though.
For example, when I was quite new to taking up event photography jobs, a friend got me to shoot as a second photographer for a community event that covered a large area. The pay was pathetic but I decided to help out for the sake of gaining experience and also to help him. After the shoot, my friend highlighted that I didn't need to do post-production for the photographs and then instructed me to not generate "too big" JPG files. It was an eye-opening experience for me to find out how professional photographers could afford to charge low rates and how some clients wouldn't care about the quality of photographs. This is the real world.
There was once when I had to reject a businessman friend's job due to other commitments, I referred him to my photographer friend who had at least eight years more professional experience than me. After that, I found out from my businessman friend that the photographer friend charged $30/hr lower than me (at that time). My businessman friend approached me in the subsequent years and after comparing the photographs, he saw that I produced higher-quality work. I supposed I got the job because of the friendship, or otherwise, my businessman friend would have gone for the lower quality work because of the much lower price.
There are many "photographers" in Singapore. Many are hobbyists who have been paying freelance models for shoots. Given the opportunity, they don't mind being paid peanuts to get to shoot, which is a "raise in status" - they can then start calling themselves commercial photographers. In other words, a "photographer" who usually has to pay models to shoot, not only has the chance to shoot for free now but also be paid for shooting - he doesn't mind earning just a cent, which is an income finally.
One of the most ridiculous stories I have heard is that a "photographer" has offered $30/hr for a wedding shoot.
Charging clients at ridiculously low rates is highly damaging to the photography industry. Many naïve and big-headed people think lowly of the cost and effort of professional photography. Therefore, I won't be surprised that after getting to know about the freaky $30/hr wedding shoot quotation, they would assume professional photographers would simply charge double that rate.
I have heard stories about bridal shops that come out with wedding packages to attract clients and they pay really pathetic rates to amateur photographers. At least, clients don't know the exact amount the photographers make from such wedding packages, which doesn't hurt the photography industry as much as how freelance "photographers" do by quoting the low amount directly to clients. Nevertheless, those bridal shops have also helped in lowering the value of photographers.
Some photographers come over from neighbouring countries. Due to the money conversion rate, any cent they earn in Singapore (strong currency) is a few times their own countries. Therefore, they can afford to charge lower rates in Singapore to attract clients, since they will still be earning a lot more than back in their own countries.
For those local photographers who have been charging extremely low rates, they will probably realise that it's unsustainable in the long run unless they are only taking up photography jobs as a hobby and the income from their main jobs can support them. The rest would have to give up. However, there will always be new pools of photographers who would continue to damage the photography industry.
I know of a full-time photographer who used to work for a photography studio shop for many years, being badly "utilised" by the company. I suppose the company tries to stay competitive and thus offers lowly priced packages and the employees are being fed with excessive work. Therefore, this photographer has probably been exposed to low rates that he assumes are the market standards, and also, he's used to the quality of work that can be produced with the bare minimum effort. He seems to be doing very well after he starts his own photography business.
The problems discussed above are inevitable. It's the trend of society and we can't blame any individual. There will always be "cheapo clients" and desperate photographers who are willing to accept ridiculous photography rates.
Take, for example, the problem of photographers undercutting the market. If the photographer can only produce a certain (low) quality of work, he can only charge a very low rate to attract clients who can't tell or can't be bothered with quality and also have a very low budget. If this new photographer were to quote professional photography rates, he probably won't get any job, unless he's a great speaker and the client is naïve enough.
I'm hoping for a miracle to happen so that the standard of art can improve. For now, I'm also struggling to keep my passion going since photography is expensive.
Photographers can help to make the photography industry sustainable by taking the following steps:
Photographers should price their work fairly to help establish proper industry standards and ensure that clients receive value for their money. Photographers should factor in the cost of their equipment, time and expertise when determining their prices. It is also critical for photographers to be transparent about their pricing and any additional fees, such as travel expenses or digital image files, to avoid confusion or dissatisfaction from clients.
Photographers should not accept free commercial work in the name of friendship or "exposure". All photographers should be compensated appropriately for their time, expertise and equipment for commercial work. This will help to create a sustainable industry where photographers can continue to produce high-quality work and attract new clients.
Photographers can educate their clients about the value of professional photography. By explaining the difference between amateur and professional photography, the expertise and skill required to produce high-quality images and the importance of professional-grade equipment and editing software, photographers can help clients understand the value of investing in professional photography.
Photographers should reject unreasonable demands from clients. This includes demands for excessive revisions, unreasonable turnaround times or requests for services that fall outside of the photographer's area of expertise. Photographers should have clear and detailed contracts in place that outline the scope of their services and expectations for revisions, delivery times and any additional costs. By standing firm and rejecting unreasonable demands, photographers can help establish fair industry standards and ensure that they are not taken advantage of.
Photographers must stay professional at all times. This includes being punctual, communicating effectively, refraining from having body contact and delivering work on time. Photographers should also be prepared to handle any challenges or unexpected issues that may arise during a photoshoot or project and have a plan in place to resolve them professionally. By staying professional, photographers can also create a positive reputation for themselves and the industry, which will help attract and retain clients.
Photographers should try to support and collaborate with other photographers. Working together can help to build a positive and supportive community within the industry, creating opportunities for all photographers to showcase their work and gain exposure. Collaboration also includes mentoring and apprenticeship programs, which can coach new photographers to ensure the industry continues to grow and evolve.
Photographers should upgrade their skills constantly. This includes staying up-to-date with the latest techniques and trends, attending workshops and seminars, and seeking feedback and critiques of their work. With the improvements, photographers can produce high-quality work that will help to shine a good light on the photography industry overall.
By taking these steps, photographers can help to create a sustainable industry that supports the long-term success of photographers and the quality of photography.
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