Filling up space isn’t what photographers are commissioned for anymore. As artist rep Maren Levinson explains,
“Now with amazing consumer cameras, Instagram, Flickr, you don’t need to pay a professional to fill a space. There are lot of ways to fill a space.”
So, what does a professional photographer get commissioned for?
She explains,
“The only reason to hire a professional and pay the rates that allow them to make a living is if they can offer something that you cannot get anywhere else.”
Inherently she emphasizes that the industry now hires a professional because s/he has a vision that’s unique, which has changed dramatically over the years.
“It used to be that somebody that could light and show up and make a portrait was of value. That person is of no value anymore.”
It also is that the industry now hires photographers whose own vision matches with that of a brand.
Eventually the dynamics of the industry will reduce a professional to a single sentence. It’s the job of the professional to define that sentence.
Social media is fueling artists’ engagements, as well. There’s a lot more happening than there used to be before. Photographers, who themselves have a healthy following, are being commissioned to shoot Instagram photos of brands.
It’s an interesting conversation indeed, and gives a lot of insight into what’s happening in the industry.
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I think it is a lot more than she says. Namely, the age of the digital camera, and the ability to take many shots to get one or two good ones, for a low price, has replaced the professional. Skill has become a secondary issue in our culture today. If you can at least frame a shot, then the computer will do everything else for you, and thus the new “Pro” is more of a computer wiz, than someone skilled with a camera.