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What are some problems photographers face when it comes to business and competition?

Obviously there's issues with the commercial availability of photographers, the availability of high resolution cameras, and software that allows the average person to edit photographs and make them professional quality, but what are some more issues photographers/photography faces?

Public Comments

1. The market seems to be highly driven by word of mouth marketing. Reputation means a lot. You need to be a people person that gets the job done without too much fuss. The customers want amazing photographs and sometimes the conditions you have to work in can be harsh on them, you, your equipment, etc. You have to be able to adapt to the situation and move forward as best you can. Competition can be fierce and critical. For me, I love the job and its all about learning more and improving what I do. I look at what other photographers do well and not so well and I do my best to emulate what I like.
2. There is a h u g e misconception here. The professional quality images are produced in conjunction with the camera and photographer. Software has nothing to do with making professional quality images. This issues facing photographer is having the ability to produce images that are perfectly exposed and composed so the end user (client, photo editor or art director) does not have to make any changes in what cames out of the camera. This takes a lot of experience and at least a few years of formal education (unless you want to end up in front of a computer trying to correct mistakes made in the camera). The largest two problems we pros face are these: The cost of supporting digital photography is huge when compared to shooting film. Film cameras can provide professional quality images for decades as can the lenses. Digital cameras have to be replaced every three to four years ... at nearly five times the cost of the 35mm camera it is replacing ... and we don't only have one to replace. The other is new art directors and photo editors (those who have less than ten year experience in their field) have the mistaken idea that digital photography should cost them less to use. You can see where this is headed. My overhead is going up and some of my clients want to pay less for my work. They don’t seem to understand is the vision of the photographer they are buying, not a particular medium
3. One of the biggest challenges is people who believe that "software allows average people to make professional quality images". That's just absurd. A few others? -- Reliance on stock photography. How many computer ads have the same guy sitting with the same laptop in the same lounge of the same office building? -- UGC (User Generated Content). With millions of people walking around with video-capable cell phones, who needs photojournalists? -- RPWD (Retired People With Digitals). Hey, I'll shoot your event for a free baseball cap and a beer! -- The In-House Syndrome. The receptionist isn't doing much -- she can do the photography (and design the Web site and the database and wash my car too). In other words, times change...adapt or die. HTH V2K1
4. When you speak of the availability of photographers, and equipment I am not quite sure what you are saying because certainly there is no lack of people working in the photographic industry(which perhaps is what you are addressing) but nor is there a lack of access to photographic equipment: cameras, lighting, software, computers etc... If by the availability of photographers you mean the glut of people working as commercial photographers, this is not so much of a problem at least in terms of bids on larger jobs. Perhaps it is in terms of wedding photography, but not in terms of general product photography. The world of commercial photography is small and the world of art directors is even smaller, and news spreads like wild fires if you are good, and exponentially faster if you are bad. You have to realize that with big jobs it is not just the photographer who is on the line but the art director as well, and you better believe that the director isn't going to choose joe schmoe who just bought himself a new digital camera over photographer x who invested x amount of years in a top photographic school and who has not only proven to produce top quality imagery (because there are a lot of good photographers who produce good photos who dont get the jobs) but who has also built a good reputation for reliability and professionalism over the last 20 years. Now in terms of problems with the digital revolution is how to charge we go about charging for equipment use/materials. For instance we used to charge for, and we still do charge for rolls or sheets of film used (of course adding a markup on the film). On the other hand how do we charge for digital imagery. Do we charge by image shot? Do we charge per megabyte? Do we charge for storage? The other problem is that if we give a digital image to a customer, it is almost like giving a negative or chrome away, and for many photographers including myself it just doesnt sit right because as photographers we typically dont give the original to the client so as to control what the client does with the image.
5. I agree with what the others have had to say, but I would like to add, I think the market is absolutely saturated with photographers, or at least those who think they are professionals.