BRACING FOR – OR EMBRACING – THE FUTURE?
Right now, it’s impossible to tell what the world of professional photography will look like when we eventually emerge from the COViD-19 pandemic and its after-effects, except that it will have changed… again!
It’s the economic impact – potentially likely to be more severe in the long-term than the virus – that will be keenly felt by photographers who rely largely on another industry for their livelihoods. We have to recognise the current hardships for people directly employed in areas such as travel and tourism, hospitality and fashion, but the knock-on effects from these contractions is also less work available for photographers. Likewise, with smaller weddings and social events still a reality, the budget for photography and video is likely to be one of the first expenses to be trimmed accordingly.
Professional photography has had to weather dramatic changes to all areas of practice, especially during the transition from film to digital and its technological two-edged sword. Yes, it enabled us to work more efficiently and achieve creative outcomes more easily, but it also opened the door for more people to call themselves professionals and compete for business. Of course, it’s a free market, but the influx of what we might call semi-professionals has had an effect in terms of both the value and volume of available commissions or bookings. Faced with a reduced potential for income, a great many longer-term professionals have had to restructure their operations – for example, moving out of big studios to home offices and probably foregoing the luxury of an assistant (or, at least, a paid one) even on a big job. It’s taken the profession of photography quite a while to adjust to the massive changes that have followed the arrival of digital imaging and we’re still in something of a state of flux. I’ve said it here before, but it’s worth repeating that, in my humble opinion, no other artistic endeavour – and its supporting industry – has undergone such fundamental and wholesale changes to its practices and processes imposed by a new technology as photography has as the result of the digital imaging revolution.
It may be a free market, but in Australia it’s also a free-for-all, which makes the idea of some sort of mandated professional certification probably worth revisiting. A more regulated profession would, it seems to me, undoubtedly be a stronger one… or is that too controversial a consideration?
The Australian Institute Of Professional Photography (AIPP) already has a reasonably rigorous program of certifying its members, but membership is voluntary and not a requirement for running a photography business. The
AIPP is also making a concerted effort to bring part-time operators ‘into the fold’ as far as professional standards are concerned, although there are plenty who will already be meeting these requirements through their own professionalism. Nevertheless, a governing body overseeing a fully accredited industry might be better able to manage a far-reaching crisis – such as we have now – when it comes along. As it is, it’s currently down to the individual and whatever government assistance they might be eligible for. For some freelancers right now, this might well be nothing, especially if they’re not an ABN company registered for GST.
Regardless of how the whole COVID-19 thing pans out for professional photography, the key attributes for the future are probably flexibility and versatility. As freelance sports and news photographer, Darrian Traynor, points out in his profile in this issue, “In the future, I don’t think you can simply be a specialist in one area as a freelancer”. I think this is going to be true for just about everybody – given most of us are now technically freelancers in one way or another – and across other disciplines too, such as video-making and many even CGI. Yes, more photographers able to do just about anything are going to make the market much more competitive, but this is where more effective marketing and promotion will play a part.
And, dare I say it, where a national certification scheme might be beneficial too. Food for thought.
In the meantime, if you’re still cooling your heels waiting for the next job, mastering some new techniques and skills, considering more innovative or different ways of doing business, or maybe working on a personal project to help recharge the creative batteries will make us better able to adjust to whatever might lie ahead in professional photography.