![\"eric-kim-street-photography-kodak-tri-x-1600-1149\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/eric-kim-street-photography-kodak-tri-x-1600-1149.jpg?resize=1180%2C782\")
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I see the future of photography being the following: either you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re an amateur shooting for free, or you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a high-end photographer catering to rich clients.<\/p>\n
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My prediction is in the future, the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153middle-class\u00e2\u20ac\u009d photographers will die off. I consider a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153middle-class\u00e2\u20ac\u009d photographer as a professional photographer who makes a living charging \u00e2\u20ac\u0153medium\u00e2\u20ac\u009d amounts for their services.<\/p>\n
The reason I think that demand for these \u00e2\u20ac\u0153middle-priced\u00e2\u20ac\u009d photographers will die off is because of technology.<\/p>\n
Think about the technological trend:<\/p>\n
That means in the future, iPhones will have amazing image quality. Most amateurs will be able to make beautiful images by themselves.<\/p>\n
And for people who still want high-end wedding photos, they will hire someone with a big DSLR. I imagine the successful photographers will be the ones charging big bucks for their services.<\/p>\n
And on the other end, there will be tons of photographers offering their photography services (and photographs) for free. Because once again, social media, the internet, and cheap cameras are making photography essentially \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcfree.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n
How are you going to be successful as a photographer in the future?<\/p>\n
Simple: avoid the middle<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Either do your work for free, or charge a lot of money for it. Avoid \u00e2\u20ac\u0153medium-priced\u00e2\u20ac\u009d services. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t become a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Wal-mart\u00e2\u20ac\u009d photographer.<\/p>\n A lot of people say it is bad to do work for free. I disagree.<\/p>\n Doing work for free is a good way to get started. To gain experience, without the guilt of not doing a good job (you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not getting paid, after all).<\/p>\n But once you have enough confidence in yourself, your skills, and your portfolio \u00e2\u20ac\u201d charge more<\/em> than you think you \u00e2\u20ac\u0153should.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n I think we always under-sell ourselves. This comes from fear, or lack of self-confidence.<\/p>\n So as a rule of thumb, if you lack self-confidence, practice valuing yourself more<\/em> than you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re used to. Charge more<\/em> for your photography gigs (than you think you should). If someone asks to buy a print from you, charge 25% more<\/em> than you think you should. If they say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153no\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d that is fine, you weed out lower-paying customers, and focus only on those who really care about your work to pay higher-end prices.<\/p>\n For me, this is how I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve incorporated \u00e2\u20ac\u0153avoiding the middle\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in terms of my services\u00e2\u20ac\u201d I give away all of my information for free, and charge a lot of money for workshops. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d rather do this than try to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153nickel and dime\u00e2\u20ac\u009d my viewers on each of my articles, e-books, and videos.<\/p>\n This has ended up being a more profitable strategy as well \u00e2\u20ac\u201d that has increased more access to information on this blog. And a better workshop experience for those who are more financially well-off.<\/p>\n If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re starting off, the hardest thing to do is to build an audience, to build followers, and get people to look at your work. So start \u00e2\u20ac\u0153free\u00e2\u20ac\u009d when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re starting off. But when you reach a certain point where you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re confident in your work, start charging premium bucks for your work.<\/p>\n Avoid selling yourself short, or offering \u00e2\u20ac\u0153cheap\u00e2\u20ac\u009d prices for your photo-services.<\/p>\n If you avoid the middle, you won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t die.<\/p>\n My main idea for this theory\/philosophy comes from Nassim Taleb\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153barbell\u00e2\u20ac\u009d strategy \u00e2\u20ac\u201d embracing both extremes, like the weights on a barbell. If you want to learn more, I highly recommend reading his book: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Antifragile.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n These are just some of my predictions and thoughts about the future of photography.<\/p>\n If you want to become a wedding or commercial photographer, just take a look at rates. You either have tons of photography students offering to shoot weddings and commercials for free (or nearly free), or you have lots of high-end wedding\/commercial photographers charging thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n I see demand for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153moderately\u00e2\u20ac\u009d-priced photographers to die off. And I just want to help give you advice that will prevent you from dying off in the future, and to prosper.<\/p>\nThe benefits of working for free<\/h2>\n
Charge more than you think you should<\/h2>\n
How I do it<\/h2>\n
Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t die<\/h2>\n
The \u00e2\u20ac\u0153barbell\u00e2\u20ac\u009d strategy<\/h2>\n
Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take this as truth<\/h2>\n
Strategy<\/h2>\n