Photography has declined drastically in recent years due to the emergence of film and television among other ways of sharing like Facebook and Twitter.
The ability for any person with a smart phone to become a photographer with the ability to share on the web, the need for professionals has declined. Film and television have become the optimal choice for artists to share there work, not the dying brand that is photography. In the New York Times article titled, "For Photographers, the Image of a Shrinking Path", it states how the new breed of amateur photographers are hurting those who's professional careers are photography. By taking little money for their pictures, they are lowering the bar for everyone else who tries to receive compensation for their work.
This wave of underpaying photographers has led to the decline of the photography industry and has made it very difficult for people to make a living off of photography despite there skill set and educational experience. TV and film have become the medium used to express yourself and illustrate your artistic ability. The draw of seeing a bunch of photographs just isn't there anymore unless it is something truly phenomenal like a city sky line or a picture worth a thousand words like the Niagara falls.
Another key reason for the decline in photography is the decline in actual ad space for it to be used.
Magazines and newspapers everyday deal with the lacking sales figures from there product and have begun to cut back. There has been a decline of 41% in terms of physical ad space in magazines in the years 2000 to 2009. This declining landscape has led people to consider other professions than photography in order to compete in an in demand profession.
Certain types of photography however will continue to survive despite the changing landscape, the need for modeling photography and sports photography.
There will always be Victoria Secret catalogs, and there will always be ESPN the magazine that needs pictures of todays stars. Despite the material for print, there is still a decline in the actual pages that are in the magazines and newspapers. Professional photographers are part of the declining brand that is photography, there simply isn't a demand for still pictures as there used to be when there was no TV or internet or smartphones. Nearly every smartphone gives the owner the ability to take and edit photos and post them. The photos taken on smartphones have even begun to turn profits for the owner by selling to a bigger photo bank source such as Getty Images.
Photographies decline will only continue in the coming years due to the technologic boom that we have been experiencing.
More smartphone owners will be less inclined to pay for photography when they can take the pictures themselves. Photography will become a brand for the few expert's and will leave the rest of the profession in the dust.
