Cameras are the New Pencil
[by Renee Rosensteel]
It occurred to me as I was having lunch with a PRSA member that we, as media makers, need to prove our relevance to the emerging group of consumers who use cameras as part of their everyday language. Today, everyone takes pictures to express ideas the way people used to scribble drawings on napkins. Like writers or illustrators, photo/video-graphers need to be able to do the things that everyone else does except in a way that is qualitatively better. Better because of our use of professional tools, because our images are more inspiring, and because the flow is more organized.
The people hiring professional photographers seek powerful messaging and an effortless experience. Instantaneous time-to-market is a given. Quality is simply expected. Differentiation lies in providing additional value such as helping exploit social media and other web functions.
Our new mantra as media makers needs to be “I will provide great images immediately that you can seamlessly use in many ways. I will make your job easier.”
Renee Rosensteel attended SB3 Philadelphia. You can see her work at Rosensteel.com, find her on Facebook as Renee Rosensteel or follow her on Twitter: ReneeRosensteel
