Our industry is clearly in a state of upheaval, so trend watching is an important part of long-term strategic planing. As the media landscape changes, the business models for hiring photographers also change. New skills, new clients and new services are all part of the mix. So how do we keep tabs on this?
I’ve just returned from my third trip to South by Southwest Interactive, the technology portion of the venerable music and film festival. As with the previous two visits, I’m energized and full of hope for the future of photography. While much about media and communication is changing, the importance of the photographic image remains.
The importance and the future value of photography is linked to a concept that ran through many of the presentations – visual storytelling. Old and new media operations alike emphasized the opportunities that visual storytelling provides. Engagement and communication are increasingly being powered by images as new media forms are created for mobile communication platforms. And, photography is at the center of many of these platforms.
Of course, many of the components of visual storytelling are changing. The companies are new or newly remade. The language of photography is changing as it becomes a vernacular spoken by nearly everyone. To take advantage of this, we old-school photographers need to embrace the way people use photos. You must look at the explosion of photographic communication as an opportunity, not a threat.
I don’t mean to downplay the difficulties of running a photo business in such a volatile era. It’s hard and risky and nerve-wracking at times. But it’s also a new golden age of visual storytelling – one that some photographers are well-suited to take advantage of.
If some of this sounds like you – interested in blending photography, media, technology, along with an understanding of photography as a language and the ability to tell stories, then I suggest you head down to Austin next March and immerse yourself in SXSW. You’ll have fun, you’ll be overwhelmed, but most importantly you can see where the media is headed, and make plans for the new opportunities.