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11/02/2008 01:25:36 AM · #1 |
With the state of the economy and all the different tax plans by the politicians running for office I think that a lot of people are wondering what the future of our industry is going to be. I made a blog post on my blog about it giving some quotes that I had heard and asking for peoples opinions but not a single person commented. So now I will post the question here and add another question to it....
1. What do you see the future of the photography industry being? The economy already sucks and that affects us all. Will the proposed tax plans that are upcoming make it even worse for the small photography business owner? In general thoughts or comments?
2. Are people afraid to comment on topics that may involve some political views these days? |
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11/02/2008 01:47:23 AM · #2 |
In my opinion, the future of the Photo business is certainly going to change. It is getting to be somewhat over saturated but that can be explained by the ease of taking photos digitally versus film. It will likely peak and then lose some of its lustre resulting in a "self-culling" of many newborn photo pros. The greatest influence on the photo bus is privacy and paranoia. These two social phonomenons are gaining momentum and reshaping society's tolerance for anything misconstrued as a threat. And yes, though I've argued this before, many see having a camera pointed at them as a threat. The result may lead to licencing of photographers, background checks, etc. Of this I'm only speculating but we are heading down a far more restrictive road in any case.
Taxation is a nuisance and changes with different administrations. I would say the influence of taxation on the business is dynamic unless taxation is directly targeted at photography. Policies change and so do tax laws.
The economy sucks and is likely to continue to suck for the next year at least. It will place strain on every business including photography. It is a natural process, though this one seems supernatural, and will pass in time.
Lastly, I've found most people dislike talking about subjects that slant toward politics, at least in the open. In the safety of their homes where they can recruit a captive audience, it is likely otherwise.
There we go.
Message edited by author 2008-11-02 01:48:38. |
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11/02/2008 09:16:12 AM · #3 |
In the career that I have chosen, and wish I stayed awake long enough in some of my college classes to have a differant career, photography will be lasting.
But, it will be taking some hits right now from the current economy.
Sure, I work in the dream factories, but photography is photography weather it is still, or motion.
I have seen changes in the 22 years I have been in my career, and frankly both still and motion picture have paced about the same in technology.
Sure the consumer has had the pleasure of digital cameras before it was introduced in my industry, but both still and motion are pretty much kneck and kneck in technology.
3 words.
Faster, cheaper, and more.
Cameras will get faster, basically, a camera will become this multi function machine that is basically a computer with a lens. That is what the RED camera is.
Competition will bring prices down because every major player that can build a computer will offer their version of a camera.
Camera companies will have more bells and whistles to offer on their cameras to compete with those major players that are building cameras.
The economy has hit the small camera store owner.
People that have inventories to sell in a store, are feeling the effect of NO SALES because no one wants to spend money on an expensive hobby.
You will see stores closing, with close out sales. You will see the internet flooded with FOR SALE signs on camera gear. You will know a friend of a friend that knows someone that have camera gear in a garage because they had to close down their shop, and couldn't get rid of the equipment.
It doesn't matter who becomes president of the US because the effects of the economy have already driven the nails into the coffen for that small store vendor.
Because people have immeadiate satisfaction from taking pictures, and because cameras are becomeing more intuative and friendly, cameras will be around for the consumer and pro alike for a long time.
Message edited by author 2008-11-02 09:19:42.
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11/02/2008 09:31:45 AM · #4 |
The cost of bodies may come down and their features may explode, but I'd imagine the cost of quality glass will remain a barrier to the entry of many casual photographers into the pro realm for a long time to come. Also, the skill/knowledge set and other equipment (lighting etc.) is also far more significant than the camera body consideration.
I would imagine the Photography industry will (and is already) seeing the same struggles that the music and movie industries have encountered and that's the difficulty of protecting intellectual property in the digital age. |
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11/02/2008 09:39:13 AM · #5 |
Originally posted by JMart:
The cost of bodies may come down and their features may explode, but I'd imagine the cost of quality glass will remain a barrier to the entry of many casual photographers into the pro realm for a long time to come. Also, the skill/knowledge set and other equipment (lighting etc.) is also far more significant than the camera body consideration.
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Yeah, that is a given, and I concur that there will be some sort of dividing line between consumer, prosumer, and pro gear. Companies are not dumb by no means, they still have a bottom line to consider.
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