“A picture is worth a thousand words” is an adage we have all heard once in our productive lifetimes. Even though spun around without giving much meaning to it, the adage cannot be farther from the truth. Destin Sparks once said, “Photography is the story I fail to put into words.” I can mention a hundred more adages, but a picture would tell you the story in a matter of seconds. That is the power of photography. For some Gen-Z, social media is the final destination of photography. While it is a half-truth, not all the photos end up being on the digital platforms.
A few years ago, being a photographer was deemed a low-lying profession since the masses did not understand it. Newspapers and the media industry employed photographers to capture the current climate or something similar. Today, being a photographer doesn’t mean buying A-grade, costly cameras as our smartphones have become capable enough to pass as DSLRs.
If you want to be a professional photographer but aren’t will it be in demand in the future, this is the article you’ll need to ponder.
Will Photography be in demand in the future?
Before we get to the future, let us take a short trip to the past, where photography made an immense impact.
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The important history of photography
Photography has been around since the 5th-century B.C.E. Still, Abu Ali Al-Hasan Ibn al-Haytham, an Iraqi scientist, was the first person who produced something called the ‘camera obscura’ in the 11th century. I will now cover two things in this segment that will broaden your mind about photography.
Neil Alden Armstrong was the first person to walk on the Moon. It was confirmed by the photos clicked the second man who walked on the Moon – Buzz Aldrin. He used a 70-millimeter Hasselblad to click the first steps ever to be walked by humankind.
The two world wars happened in the era when anything digital wasn’t invented. The brutal moments were clicked and still on the internet, including the mushroom cloud over Nagasaki.
If it weren’t for such pictures, we would have never known the destruction wars could cause. Anyone can go through archives and read what had happened, but a picture is worth a thousand words, as they say.
Now that you have a slight idea of what photography can, you can strengthen your passion by following it. If you still aren’t sure whether or not photography will be in demand in the future, the following points will compel you to give it a try.
Smartphones & Social Media
If you think only people with professional cameras have a future, then you are wrong. Smartphones are ever so close to DSLRs that spending lakhs on one doesn’t seem plausible, especially if you start. You can gain experience by clicking photos from your smartphone, and then when you have enough money, you can buy a DSLR.
Canon prophesied that digital camera businesses would drop by 50% in the next few years. That is because our smartphones have become competent. The benefit of using smartphones is that you don’t have to bear the extra weight of the bag, the lens, etc. But, if you already own a DSLR, you only need a perspective.
If you don’t know where to start, especially in the pandemic, you can use social media to your advantage. The competition is fierce there, but your talent, skills, innovation, hard work, and promotion will propel you where you want to be.
Knowing your craft
AI is assisting people in capturing better photos. Even though it is not available in every DSLR, it is offered in smartphones; it will make people aware of better ways to take photos. AI works in your cameras in some form or other. AI technology in cameras includes autofocus, automatic exposures, stabilization, tracking, etc., are only a few.
If you don’t know your way around a camera and it is this reason that you fear failure in the photography profession, you have nothing to worry about. One can always master their craft by getting to know their profession in and out, being consistent in practice, and knowing the flaws.
AI is one of the many examples that make photography an easy task. Although, everything rests on your shoulders. So, even if technology progresses, you should still know what you are capable of. If you don’t, even a high-priced camera can’t get you promoted at work.
Social Media will keep Photography alive!
Social media might be a new terminology for many, but photography is keeping it afloat. Think about it! You are supposed to upload pictures (and videos) on digital platforms, such as Instagram, Snapchat, etc. To do so, you’ll need to click some pictures, thereby making way for photography. People will marry and celebrate little joys in life; new products will be made public, Taimur would still be famous; all these phenomena can be viewed on our phone screens because somebody clicks them.
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Social media is growing day by day, and only pictures (or videos) make it possible. It is predicted that photography will be demanded in the future as many countries are in the digital era. Remember, we have progressed from cameras that required liquifying them and then printing them. Today, we have clouds and gallery, or social media – again! The art of capturing a myriad of moments will be alive in some or the other form. So, you don’t have to worry about the future of photography!
FAQs
Does photography have a future?
Yes, photography will very much be a profession in the future. Artificial Intelligence will be a part of it, and we are currently witnessing the future. Improved cameras and awareness about photography will keep it alive.
Are photographers in high demand?
Self-employed photographers face a tough time proving their mettle in such fierce competition. But hard work makes anything possible, and that too in the age of digital media where opportunities are at every corner. Photographers employed by companies do make a good living, but it also comes to their experience.
Is photography a dying career?
No, no matter what anyone says, photography as a career is still very much alive. People are active in many forms, such as weddings. But whichever industry you choose, you must be willing to work.
How long does it take to get good at photography?
It depends on how adaptive you can become. Still, 3-4 years are enough to propel any career. You might take long or make it huge in a year, but keep innovating. Remember that even if others took 2 years to reach the desired level, it might not be the same for you!
Conclusion
A decade ago, 100x zoom cameras would have sounded impossible, but we have progressed so much that even a smartphone camera can pass off as a DSLR. Even though the competition is tougher, there are new opportunities as well.
Now that we have another decade in the books for all of us, we can use the tools at our disposal to further our goals and purpose in life. Be it any profession; you need to be passionate about it, or else it’ll be another stale job. Not that we face the second wave of COVID-19, it is unsafe to go out and explore your passion. You can find inspiration at your humble abode, make photography tutorials, or gain more knowledge since we don’t know 100% of anything.
Social media has amplified the need for photography; some have learned the craft, while some hire efficient staff to get the work done. You can promote yourself on digital platforms by uploading your pictures. There are opportunities everywhere you look!
