Everyone's a photographer...

Just a quick thought...  I hear a lot of complaining these days about the profession of photography.  Technology has made it easier for amateurs to get decent pictures.  It has become so easy that many pros are worried about their client base disappearing.  "If my client can take the image, why should they pay me?"  

Here's the deal, in a nutshell.  Sure, more people are able to take great pictures on their own.  More marketing departments are buying a good digital camera and shooting their own PR events.  More families are shooting their own children and making portraits for family and friends.  More newspapers, magazines, and buyers of stock images are turning to Flickr for free content.  So what?!?  

Did restaurants start crying foul when the TV dinner was invented?  If they did, they were short-sighted.  I can cook at home, and often do.  But guess what...  I also eat out.  There are certain times that I want something I just can't make at home.  There are certain times that I could've made my meal at home, but just didn't want to.  There are certain times when the occasion is special enough that I WANT to eat at an expensive restaurant.  

People will continue paying for professional pictures, even though technology is closing the gap between the pro and the amateur.  There will still be plenty of jobs out there for us.  We might have to point out the reason why we are different/better than the do-it-yourself picture, but that ties in with my previous blog post.  Get proactive.  Go out and SHOW people why you are worth the money.