The Demise of the Professional Photojournalist: The pros have a problem. They can?t possibly compete in the media-sphere of the future. We?re entering a world of ubiquitous media creation and access. When the tools of creation and access are so profoundly democratized, and when updated business models connect the best creators with potential customers, many if not most of the pros will fight a losing battle to save their careers. [...]
To the rest of us, as long as we get the trustworthy news we need, the trend is more positive.
Remember, there was once a fairly healthy community of portrait painters. When photography came along, a lot of them had to find other work; or at least their ranks were not refilled when they retired. Professional portrait photographers, similarly, are less in demand today than a generation ago. But portraits have survived ? and thrived.
The photojournalist?s job may be history before long. But photojournalism has never been more important, or more widespread.
