Martin P Wilson Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 Saw this and it made me think that if DSLRs and the like are starting to decline might that mean there will be fewer casual wannabes hoping to make money from photography? Just a tiny bit less competition perhaps? ... http://www.canonrumors.com/2013/10/canon-cuts-full-year-forecast-as-camera-users-switch-to-phones/ Taking what crumbs of comfort I can while clutching at straws at the same time with tongue firmly in cheek. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semmick Photo Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 I was thinking the same ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
losdemas Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 I've always thought that the vast bulk of people want a quick, easy, simple and fast solution to get the social photos that everyone takes: family members & occasions, holidays, fun snaps, etc. And that's pretty much it. 90% of folk just cannot be assed if things are the slightest bit tricky and - for the most part - are not interested in a future in stock (and who can blame them !) The problem with the wannabe forecast however, is that smartphones are making things quick, easy, etc. and not faltering in making ongoing leaps and bounds in quality. Uploads to certain sites will doubtless be made easier for users that want to share news photos for nowt to encourage folk who want the ego-boost of being seen in print. And with the increase in quality, surely various agencies will begin to offer similar routes to upload for news or archive purposes? Next week I shall mostly be positive... ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 I know I'll get some -1 red dings for saying this, but I just sold an iPhone photo on Saturday via Getty Images for $330 to a major soap company. It was taken with my old iPhone 4S, not even with my new IPhone 5S. It's sold three times in the last month in fact. A photo of a simple yellow flower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustydingo Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Well done Lisa :-) I know I'll get some -1 red dings for saying this, but I just sold an iPhone photo on Saturday via Getty Images for $330 to a major soap company. It was taken with my old iPhone 4S, not even with my new IPhone 5S. It's sold three times in the last month in fact. A photo of a simple yellow flower. It's as obvious as a bulldog's . . . okay, let's just say it's very obvious . . . that there will be increasing sales opportunities for more simply constructed images (i.e. constructed using "simpler than DSLR etc" technology), the sort that iPhones and the like can very capably take. And if that's the sort of images you produce, expect more results like Lisa's, although more competition will have an effect . . . and there will be more competition . . . much more competition. As I see it, the three most obvious, immediate things I can do about it are: 1. Whine/moan/complain, but other than that, change nothing about how I work. Not a great strategy, but surprisingly popular. 2. Join the revolution. Start shooting stuff with iPhones etc that iPhones etc handle well. Just keep in mind that the competition in that particular direction is expanding exponentially. I'd guess any high-production news contributions are going (if they aren't already) to become less and less cost-effective. This ignores the fact I don't have an iPhone, but for argument's sake we'll pretend I do 3. Adopt a mindset that results in photos (some at least) of the sort that can't be easily taken with iPhones etc, thereby removing one increasingly large source of competition to my images. . . sales definitely won't be as frequent as for the simpler stuff many buyers will be satisfied with, but as long as there are more demanding markets, the rewards remain high. The problem is much stock is simply constructed (see above), but there are countless examples on Alamy that could not be taken with much less than a "decent" camera/lens combo. That's the sort of stuff I'm trying to redirect my energies/mind toward. Time will tell . . . In line with point 3. my last sale with Getty was over 10x what LIsa got for hers (gross, before commission) . . . and please, that is in no way meant to put down Lisa's work or put up mine: they were just very different images, picked up by very different customers for very different purposes, reflecting different capabilities/limitations of our respective chosen technologies. Mine could not be constructed with anything less than a long lens, very wide aperture, full control over shutter speed (varied at the time to get the maximum effect I was after) and excellent low-light performance. Lisa's flower and similar will sell more often than mine, but hopefully I'll contine to sell frequently enough for that not to matter too much :-) And Martin's point (above) just might be spot on as more and more take up option 2 and don't go down the "proper" camera route. Then again, my predictions re: my share portfolio are a mixture of great predictions and definitely-not-great predictions, so what would I know? dd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan_Andison Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 There is also the mindset of the person contributing. If they only do it for beer money..... just maybe...... hopefully DSLR - I've got this camera and I might as well see if I can make money from it. Mobile Phone - Probably less likely to think they would be be to sell their images, after all, it's just a mobile phone! It's also very true to say the variety of shots (style) will be limited by a mobile phone and, while simple shots are in fashion today, it doesn't mean they will be in a couple of years time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulstw Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 My boss has the new Nokia phone and has been winding me up all week with his selective manual focus blurring out the background stuff. We wanted a picture of the building for the website. It was a really bright day. He used his phone and I had my 7d. He gloated all day cause he got his shot in phone click. Everything in focus. I had to edit mine in lr to compensate for the bright sky. This is the attitude of camera phone users and it will end up being the expectation if buyers. A shot from a phone will be on an editors desk ten times quicker than a dslr picture. Unless of course you have a canon 6d and transfer the jpg to your phone and upload via 4g lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin P Wilson Posted October 27, 2013 Author Share Posted October 27, 2013 We were all wannabes at some point, some of use were serious and professional and got past that aspiring stage (or did something else). Many (most?) never do because they are too casual or lack discipline or organisation - making money from photography seems like a good idea as long as it does not require effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Kilpatrick Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 True though it is for many shots, if I look back at a stack of the shots from our work this summer - in good light often enough - not all that many could actually be taken with an iPhone. Some could. I've published amazing iPhone work, by Gerry Coe for example, this first of his images to be used before he eventually got his FRPS/FBIPP etc with further development of the same concepts. But there's just a whole world of photography, even everyday stuff, which remains only properly addressed by slightly better cameras - admittedly, sometimes not much bigger than the iPhone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inchiquin Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 Mobile Phone - Probably less likely to think they would be be to sell their images, after all, it's just a mobile phone! That is, until Facebook works out that you've got a mobile phone and starts showering you with ads to "make money selling photos from your mobile". Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan_Andison Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 Mobile Phone - Probably less likely to think they would be be to sell their images, after all, it's just a mobile phone! That is, until Facebook works out that you've got a mobile phone and starts showering you with ads to "make money selling photos from your mobile". Alan Grrrrrrr Facebook...... we'll pull the plug on them now before they do There will of course be plenty of shots to take that can't be taken with an iPhone..... and, always the distinct likelihood that fashion moves on and mobile image style fades away. It equally may not..... I must consult the crystal ball!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Kilpatrick Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 I'm shooting straight and shooting populated scenes often enough, and processing straight. That way, I won't win any awards. But in fifty years time no-one will look at my pix and say 'WTF did they think they were doing wrecking these images?'. Imagine if EVERY Victorian portrait had been in the style of Julia Margaret Cameron and every early 20th c landscape a vague smudge of carbro or gum print. Then consider Instagram and Hipstamatic etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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