14 Photographers On What They Would Change About the Industry

© Tyler Shields

Tyler Shields: Nothing.

Gretchen Robinette: One thing I would like to change is the major news outlets constantly seeking out free photo/videos on Instagram on groundbreaking news stories. It’s a way to not hire or pay any real photographers. I see constantly as a comment, “Hi, this is WNBC. Can we use your photo on all platforms for credit? Reply ‘yes.'” And some non-professional photographer thinks this leads to work eventually, or it’s just cool to have a photo on a news site. It’s not cool because its reducing the quality of news content and taking work away from professionals. Instagram has made it too easy for companies to get free photography, and the average person has no idea what this is doing to the photo industry.

Muir Vidler: The fees! I’ve always loved doing editorial work, and I still do a lot of it. One of the best things about shooting portraits and reportage for magazines is that you get to go to some really interesting places and meet very interesting people. But the money’s worse now than it was when I started. There are of course other fields of photography that pay well, but it’s a shame that it’s now pretty hard to make a good living with just editorial work.

© Brent Stapelkamp

Brent Stapelkamp: I’d like to see more ways that wildlife photographers can donate their images for educational and inspirational projects. I understand the need to protect your copyright to earn a living, but wildlife and the environment could do with a boost from all the amazing photography out there, which NGOs, etc. probably don’t have a budget for.

Erwin Olaf: There should be more focus on the roots and the technique of photography.

Lissa Rivera: I wish that their wasn’t such a disconnect between photography and other mediums. It seems like very few artists are using the photographic medium break through into larger inclusion in the fine art world.

Henry Hargreaves: That every other talented photographer would turn down the gigs I want! Also if we could all smile a bit more. It’s an awesome industry to be in, so remember that.

Soul © Traer Scott

Traer Scott: I feel like we are in a place historically with photography where literally every corner of the world, every emotion, practically every breath is being documented by someone, somewhere. The sheer volume of work being produced is overwhelming in and of itself, but the access we have to it is unprecedented.

So much more work is getting seen, and we (the public) are flooded with imagery 24 hours a day, both amateur and professional. The information and insight about our world that it provides is a wonderful thing, but the flip side for professional photographers is that bodies of work that took years, even lifetimes, to produce seem to have such a shorter “life” in the industry and public eye now. With an insatiable lust for “content,” there is constant demand for newness. A lot of very mediocre work gets seen that never would have 10 years ago, and a lot of profound work only has a few minutes in the sun. With attention spans so short, it’s hard to secure a place of permanence for your work.

© Ari Seth Cohen, author of Advanced Style: Older & Wiser

Ari Seth Cohen: These days many of my photos have gone viral online, and they are never properly credited or attributed to me.

Benjamin Fredrickson: That it’s an industry. I don’t think I’m really a part of it, and my experiences have always been on the fringes of it. I would like to see the photo industry take more risks and make room for new ideas and more diverse perspectives. Embrace the people that are creating exciting work today and honor talent without the need for creating “celebrity” and placing people on pedestals. A broader and more inclusive community.

Lori Nix: I wish there was more money floating around for photographers creating content for all the media outlets.

Tamara Staples: I wish there was more accessibility to curators, art directors and others that matter to professionals. More and more, you are asked to pay for that access, either through photography submission contests or portfolio reviews that can be pricey when combined with travel. I understand that these people are busy and cannot possibly make time for everyone, so I have to be more creative in getting my work in front of the people who might be like-minded.

Anna Fox: I wish there were more successful women photographers – it is a macho world.

Brian Finke: Nothing. If I wasn’t into it, I’d be doing something else. I mean, I get to make pictures for a living. That’s pretty rad.

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