The economy is bad at the moment;- probably the most obvious statement that could possibly made in an issue of any newspaper, anywhere across the country or even the world right now. Europe’s financial structure is collapsing, the country is in debt 10 gazillion dollars, and the daily Wall Street Journal cover brings nothing but good news every day of the week. Sarcasm aside, things are bleak across the board. Last year I made the decision to switch my major from Electrical Engineering to Photography. Am I crazy? Probably, but I’m a big believer in ‘doing what you love is worth being poor’.
Photo majors at IPFW are not crazy for pursuing their passion, but the harsh reality is, just like many other careers, it’s just as if not more cut throat as any other profession at the moment. Doctors, teachers, engineers are all struggling for jobs against kids straight out of college that are willing to work for 20,000 dollars less a year than they are.
Anyone that has taken the popular Photojournalism class J210 with Fort Wayne photographer Clint Keller has surely been told all about how photography is not the career to put your hopes, dreams, and money into at the moment. The fact is, the market is unbelievably flooded. Everybody and their cousin now has a point and shoot camera or entry level DSLR camera capable of producing adequate photos, and because of this working professionals that not only have the proper equipment, but training and knowledge to be able to capture that perfect moment, instead of just capturing the basics.
Most aspiring photographers look to the portraiture side of photography; senior portraits, family portraits, weddings, etc. There’s no question that this field is suffering the flood of ‘friends with cameras’ plague more than any other.
“Anyone can buy a camera, a few lenses, take a workshp, buy a website template and then market themselves as a pro photographer” says Chicago based wedding photographer Christopher Zibutis. “The fact that anyone with a semi decent DSLR thinks that they can be a professional photographer is the biggest harm to the trade of photography”.
Photojournalism is another popular outlet for aspiring photographers, but this could be the hardest of areas to succeed in. Large daily newspapers across America are eliminating staff photographer positions in favor of sending reporters out with basic point and shoot cameras.
“We as a society are suffering from “good enough” syndrome. We don’t want quality products anymore. It is all about how little do we have to pay for the item. We would rather buy a new 99ยข screwdriver every year than spend $4.00 for a quality version that would outlive the buyer.” says Fort Wayne photojournalist Brian Tombaugh. “People shop for photographers the same way. We either choose someone with very little experience based on price and not the quality of the work portfolio, or we find a friend or relative who has “a good camera” to take the photos for us so that we can save money, and are willing to have lesser quality photographs.”
Many people involved in the journalism community in Fort Wayne are more than aware of the loss of jobs that several long-term photographers have suffered. One photographer spent 20 years at a Fort Wayne daily, then had the position eliminated in the spring of this year.
There’s been a lot of time spent bashing people that aren’t established professionals, but the point that needs to be made is that if you’re going into photography because it’s “easy”, then you’re going to have a very rude awakening 2 years into it when your own undervaluing of your own time puts you straight out of business.
“The biggest harm to the profession is photographers giving away their work for less than it costs them to make it, and in a lot of cases for free.” states fellow Fort Wayne Photographer Chad Ryan, who is a sports photographer and writer and has been published in Sports Illustrated, ESPN The Mag, and several other well known and respected publications. “Undervaluing one’s self undervalues the entire market. Hobbyists and part time photographers can charge much less for their work because they have other full-time employment that they use to subsidize their “passion.” Photo editors are seeing their budgets cut, and professional photographers who set rates based on actual costs of doing business often lose jobs to part-time photographers who can produce images that are good enough.”
Despite the tone of everything said so far, there is a future in photography, but it’s not just still images anymore. IPFW Photography/Education major Swikar Patel is seeing the change coming, and is working hard on his own to prepare for the transition.
“The future of my photography is heading towards mixed media where my stills will be accompanied by video and audio,” says Patel. “I think we [as photographers] have bigger things to worry about looking 10 years into the future but, there will always be a need for still photography. A 9-5 with benefits?Probably not.”
Photojournalism is quickly growing to include video and other multimedia outlets that Patel speaks of, and it’s absolutely imperative to be proficient in outlets other than just photography.
“The ability to write, design for web and print and produce multimedia will be necessary to snag staff jobs that do remain.” says Ryan.
The point is, in the field of photography, just like many other fields, the game is changing. Just having a college degree isn’t quite enough anymore. It takes an undying desire to want to keep learning, and a tenacity to always keep learning and never be complacent with what you know. What students often overlook is the fact that even after they leave the campus of IPFW with a fancy degree in hand, that you’re never done learning. No one is done learning until the day that they leave this earth. Times are competitive and it takes more work to get the work we need to make a living, but it can be done.
