Image used for representation only.
The digitalisation of society and availability of sophisticated yet handy gadgets are turning some old and attractive professions obsolete.
"Why pay someone to do something that I can easily do myself and have fun doing it at the same time?” is the attitude that is leaving professional photographers stranded.
Professional photography and the studio industry took a huge hit. Talking to The Peninsula, studio employees pointed out number of customers that showed up in a studio on a particular day had decreased significantly as technology swept the industry at an ever- increasing pace.
Amateur photographers say that they now load their cameras with memory cards and do not have to agonise about film expiry dates, the number of exposures on a roll, and how many rolls they have used. Technology has made their jobs easier, they believe. Whereas professional photographers told The Peninsula that shift in technology had made their job harder as they feel that an instantaneous global replacement of films and negatives with memory cards have left them in the midst of a rampant global rat race.
Some photographers say photography has turned into a fun activity and this meant they didn’t particularly have to hire someone for their hobby.
“Photography skill is developed through practice. The more you clicked, the better you got at it. This meant that anyone with a camera could shoot and shoot and will eventually get there. The inflow of casual photographers has left the professional photographers stranded,” Aryan, an amateur photographer, said. Kurian, a professional photographer working at a photo studio, said: "Back in the days, professional photography and running a studio was toilsome yet a rewarding task as the competition was limited to geographical constraint and skill.”
He observed that cheap digital photography had almost pushed them out of business. “The attitude of the population is not in our hands. Studios have now changed into archaic unnecessary buildings.”
“People just come to us for editing their mobile photos or for passport size photos. We mostly thrive by opening other services along with this," Kurian added.
