I've just been to the dentist, and spent an interesting fifteen minutes reading magazines. There was an interesting article by a studio photographer who was responding to the rise in use of digital photography and the consequent impact on "professionals". He pointed out that there was a crisis of confidence in the industry, with redundancies, resentment and worry.
He then argued that professional photographers can provide a better service and made his point extremely forcefully. He was particulalrly upset at the tendency to DIY or get a friend to provide informal shots. He then claimed that most people were upset with the result.
As someone who deals with Wedding Photographers a lot, I would say that there are photographers who are 100% diamonds - who can capture the feel of the event, provide really special pictures and manage to do this without becoming the event themselves! On the other hand, there are also many photogrpahers who do just the oposite and leave couples regretting their decision. I was particularly upset at our wedding photographer who did the one thing I had asked him not to do, which was to stop us in the aisle on the way out and hold an impromptue photo shoot. The pictures were frankly poor and he stopped us enjoying the moment - leaving the church as husband and wife.
How many are good, how many poor? I wouldn't like to say. But I do feel that the writer of this article was protesting too loudly about the quality of "professionals". They are, unfortunately, not always that good, and a good quality (perhaps even lucky) amateur shot can often be vastley superiour.
So why am I talking about Wedding Photos in this blog. The issue is, obviously, change.
The photography industry is reelling because a small change in technology has revelutionised and democratised its product. It is becoming more and more difficult for a group of "professionals" to control the production and distribution of images. This has an effect on the economics of photography and therefore also on the way the photographic industry will function in the future.
It's then interesting to see how ther industry responds to this challenge. In the article I read, a professional photographer berates the ammaturs, familes and wedding couples for the decisions they have made. Complains about changes in society and technology that have created this situation and campaigns for people to "come back" to the old style studios where a traditional approach will deliver (or so he claims) what they want - as long as they are prepared to want a traditional style photo.
This is so familiar from a Church context. During the twentieth century, the church experienced massive changes in culture, society and technology that renderred its traditional method of "delivering product" either anachronistic or irrelevant. A more educated and "liberated" society had more access to leisure time, information and mobility. Different forms of communication created new forms of loose community, and so on and so on... (Our "product" had also become quite poor quality compared to what people could get elsewhere...)
The church has had a tendency to respond in a similar way to the Professional Photographer in the article. We complain about the changes in society, attempt to improve our product and call the public to "come back" and rediscover a "tradition" which we expect them to appreciate...
The truth is that it is not the quality of our services, or our advertising that is the problem. It is simply that a different context requires a completely different approach. We need to look deeper...
How should the Wedding Industry repsond?
- Consultancy to those who want to DIY?
- Provide training for how to use digital images?
- Create space for personal creativity (Venture Style)?
- Provide services for camera users?
I'm not sure, but then I'm not working in that industry. On the other hand, I am working with churches and I think a similar question needs to be asked.
What do people today need, to help them in their walk with God?
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