The Sad (but true) State of the Photography Industry: A Long Overdue Opine

The Sad (but true) State of the Photography Industry: A Long Overdue Opine

November 5th, Carl Garrard

So, I was on ebay the other day. Saw this listing of a D300s and two lenses for about $425.00. It's brand new, 600 shots on the camera, lenses hardly used. It's such a good deal, I grab it. And then I start to reflect. The more I dig into it, the more I see the picture, a picture and story I've seen a thousand times or more since I got into digital photography...

A photographer buys a brand new D300S, throws away the box, buys two new lenses, puts 600 shots on the camera puts it down and lets the kit sit in a closet for who knows how long, never to be touched again. Years later he or she sells it to a retailer at some point. The camera was neglected so long that the original battery goes bad. The seller adds a third party battery to the kit out of his own pocket and puts it up on ebay for a profit. Sellers take a 10% hit automatically from Ebay, and with free shipping they pay that expense too. 

So in order for it to all be worth a sellers time, you can pretty much guaranty they paid half or less for the listing price. If they are lucky, they got $200.00 for the sale. The seller will profit even less. An original investment of about $2,500.00 new, sold for pennies in comparison.

It's hard to know how exactly how this camera got to the seller, but I'll speculate. 

The seller probably found this kit at a garage sale or a spouse of a deceased wants to get whatever they can for it, or much worse, whoever bought the kit just decided photography was too hard and gave up on it.  Who knows the backstory. But I've seen this happen time and time again.

But I always wonder why people give up on photography so quickly. If it's death of course I understand that. But other than that, it's terribly sad to see someone have a dream, a desire, and then give up on it so quickly. 600 shots, that's a decent day or two shooting at best.  

Then it occurred to me about how little the art, the hobby, and the profession of photography is promoted by companies. Only the products are promoted. 

There's little to NO promotion from camera companies about how rewarding photography can be, as a hobby, or as a profession. From a photographers perspective. They don't try to educate or otherwise promote the main draw that keeps people going, only the product. There's no heart in what they do, only profit. 

What little they promote that people are lucky to see at all are cheap unrealistic and fake ads that are completely disconnected from real life. For those even lucky enough, they have seen all the hired models and actors in all of those terrible disconnected-from-reality adverts.

It's a real black eye of the industry, completely disconnected from our experiences. And those "reviewers" you see on YouTube or websites, well they are just extensions of that machine. They are ALL in denial about the fact that the are being used as extensive marketing. Honest reviews, right. 

At the end of the day we go to other photographers for honesty, not shills. 

Wouldn't it be nice to start a camera company run by passionate and business savvy photographers? Think of the potential here, how connected photographers of all kinds would feel to a company that really cares about the hobby/art/profession of photography. One that shares the experiences and knowledge as being the most motivating reasons to pursue it in the first place. Not the gear.

This is what drives me to write articles about used gear. Photographers shouldn't be supporting corporate greed. As negative as that sounds, its the reality Companies have painted and created themselves, and it's all surrounded by beautiful looking framing to distract you from the truth.

That's what photographers need. Not some rich martini sipping CEO at the helm who sold his soul long ago by serving shareholders interest. All they do now is squeeze everything they can in order to get a few more pennies of profit. Making uninspiring cheaply made products that aren't fun, challenging, or pleasurable to use, at exorbitant prices.

The business part of the industry is going backwards, not forwards. Photographers are taking things into their own hands though. Film has been on the rise for years (instant film especially), the used market continues to grow, people are selling brand new mirrorless kits to used retailers in droves. All the warning signs are on the wall. 

Photographers are tired of their wants and gear needs falling on deaf ears. These companies give them no reason to spend the time giving their opinions because they don't listen to anything but how to profit more. They don't promote photography. They don't listen to the very customers that pay them their wages.

They have laid off thousands of workers with irreplaceable knowledge and passion. Some have been brought back as consultants to help new projects (Ricoh). Companies have been backing themselves into a corner because they fail to see things from a photographer's perspective. 

Time is running out for them. Spend your money wisely. When you pay them you are promoting what they are doing to the industry. Send a signal that you are tired of it.

"Remember, remember, the fifth of November..."

Stay Focused,

Carl