It seems to me there are several reasons the paid photo biz is going down the tubes. 1. The cash price of admission is certainly going down. But that's only a small part. 2. The need for a blend of technical/visual balance to achieve a good result has changed from say 50/50 to more like 5/95, or maybe even 1% tech to 99% visual. People who feared cameras because the camera was too technical no longer worry about that aspect. So visually-oriented folks (most of the population) are now able to participate. Of course there are still degrees of ability to create good pictures, but it still boils down to fact that there are a lot more people that can create visually than there are people who are good technically as well as visually. 3. Lowered expectations are, to my way of thinking, perhaps the most significant change in the photo business. As folks share more and more krappe on the various social sites, that krappe becomes the norm. Perhaps it is even more than that, and krappe is what people expect and strive for! But let's face it, there are a lot fewer really rotten photographs being displayed now than in the film days simply because the cameras do most of the work. So the standards are changing, and with time I expect them to rise. 4. Also, a LOT of people are becoming visual technicians via Photoshop and similar programs. They start with a mediocre photo, run a few filters or suchlike on the image, and they wind up with a True Masterpiece. While this may not be a good idea in photojournalism, the new breed of citizen-photojournalists don't realize that "photojournalism" and "ethics" can be used in the same sentence. It is simply not in their experience. That is not a good thing. 5. More people are taking pride in their creation abilities and want to do it themselves simply for the pride, the ego factor, and because they can. Long story short, we are just now entering the golden age of photography because the craft is now being handed over to the masses. Maybe it's good, maybe it's not. But it is reality. My $0.02 worth. Peace, rand
