Photographers: How to Avoid Obsolescence

We need an overview of the industry and beyond it to be able to make decisions on how to proceed in building a successful business model that is sustainable.

Three elements in visual communication:

1. Message
2. Messenger
3. Audience

Message: There are many ways this can exist. This could be everything thing from an individual person, a group of people, a topic, an industry to many descriptors.

Messenger: For this blog we are talking about he Photographer or Visual Communicator

Audience: This is the group for which the images are being created to communicate the message.

My advice is to explore each of these three for all the possibilities. 

Become an expert on the subject—This can be everything from a formal education on the subject to immersion into the subject. The more you know about the subject the better you will be at finding those tiny bits of information that is important to an audience.

Become an expert on the audience—The more you know about your audience you understand what they need and want. It will be much easier for you to plug your subject into the audience when you know how it impacts them in their daily lives.

Become an expert messenger—You master not just photography but all the possible communication tools to help you reach the audience with the message and vice versa.

Common Mistakes

In response to my earlier blog “Photographers are becoming obsolete, unless ...” many of the comments were way to linear and short sighted.

Here is one comment that was typical of others:

“… the only thing saving us professionals is a better ability to understand/use composition and lighting.”

The key thing I want to point out is how too many people are focusing on one thing, which is in my opinion what is a sure way to obsolescence.

Just taking this comment I can see the person has no clue as to understanding anything about the subjects they are taking photos of or the audience. Making an incredible photo of a subject that the audience has no interest is not sustainable.

I believe there are a few things that will happen over the career of the extremely successful visual communicator. As they grow in understanding of subjects, visual communication tools and their audience they will make changes.

Changes you may need to make

Message—I want you to think of this as your subject of the photograph. Over time you may discover that the subject has a shrinking market. In other words you will discover from your expertise on your audiences that few people have an interest in your subject. This is when you need to find another subject or subjects to sustain your career.

Audience—Some great examples of how this is changing is just looking at how the web has impacted communication outlets. You may have only been able to shoot for a local newspaper in the past and today you may have a very successful worldwide audience due to online blogs, forums or social media outlets. Some of the publications [audiences] have gone out of business and therefore you must change.

Messenger/Medium—You as a professional visual communicator need to make changes due to the mediums we have available are changing. You made changes from film to digital and now are making changes from older digital devices to newer ones.

Mediums and Audience are blurring 

Just a few years ago a professional visual communicator would consider a publication as an audience. This is because they didn’t have control over it. Today blogs are a great example of how the medium is now closer to you and thus bringing audiences ever closer to you. You are able to interact in a dialogue with your audience.

Today the connectivity we have between all of this is opening up new avenues for communication. It is no longer one way as in the past. Your audience will tell you what they want and comment on what you are giving them in real time. You don’t have to do focus groups to find out what the readership thinks—they are commenting in the social media and if you allow it on your packages online.

If you are focusing on mastering photography and how to light things and compositionally capture something alone, then you are on your way to obsolescence.

Those who are growing their business are expanding their horizons and learning more about the world in which they live. They are becoming experts on subjects and learning more about what people are interested.

As you grow in your knowledge of the message, the messenger and the audience you will have eureka moments like Steve Jobs, who brought us devices we didn’t even know we needed.

Bicycle Wheel as a Metaphor

I like to think in visuals and so my visual for going forward is a bicycle wheel. My focus is on the spokes that when are equal and have the appropriate tension help keep the wheel true and wobble free.

I see each of the spokes as another way you can strengthen your business. 

How many spokes?

The number of spokes in a bicycle affects its performance. Fewer spokes tend to have aerodynamic advantages. More spokes usually means more strength and durability.

I see those new faces in the industry that are getting a lot of visibility as having fewer strokes. I am seeing those who have long sustaining careers as those with more spokes.

My advice

Master a subject. Master a medium. Master an audience.

After you have done this then add another subject, medium and audience.

If life is pretty wobbly right now your spokes may need some adjustment.