The Evolution of Digital Photography - The Rise of the DSLR

During the past 5 years, there have been awesome advances in the Digital SLR, along with this came the great leap for Photography. It used to be that only professionals could afford to buy a DSLR, during the era of the D1 and D1X, those were considered the pinnacle and at a huge premium as well. It was easy for photographers to charge a good amount of money and make a decent living out of his/her talents. The release of the D100 and eventually the D70 (prompted by Canon's own 300D) started a revolution and made DSLRs accessible for start up photographers who didn't want to invest too much but still it was a sizable investment. Now, with the D40/D40X and the newest D60 DSLRs are made affordable to the enthusiast. Digital SLRs and Digital Photography in general have been great for photography, you can view the shots in an instant, see what adjustments are needed, make those adjustments and viola the results speak for themselves. Long gone are the times when you had to nail the settings or else make endless adjustments at the darkroom. It has made the learning curve of striving photographers much easier. The Digital SLR has become more than a tool but a status symbol as well. Digital SLRs now are not only cheaper but produce the best image quality ever and that has been great for amateurs and enthusiasts but it has also been a real bane for professionals.

With the cost coming down on DSLRs and entry level DSLRs being able to produce just as good (to the untrained eye) images as the top of the line DSLRs, more and more amateurs are taking away jobs from professionals. Why? Its simple. Amateurs hardly charge anything and for most the experience is the reward in itself, which is not exactly evil but the fact that this is happening means that the pro is almost obliged to lower prices just to be considered by some clients. And to be honest there are a lot of these kinds of clients in our country; why pay more when you can get it for much less or even for free. I have even heard of amateurs taking away jobs from known fashion photographers at a lingerie show, for the price of an admission ticket. Photography is starting to be taken very lightly and skill is not anymore a gauge of worth, clients are measuring worth as they would in divisoria, the cheapest with good enough value wins.

This I feel is really bad for the industry and even worse for professionals. The photography business was really good back when the DSLRs were reserved for the professionals. But I do not blame the success of the DSLR rather the mentality of the people who feel like they're saving a lot because they are hiring a much 'cheaper' amateur. For the amateur its an easy decision, get experience and then charge once they feel they are good enough, but whose to say that they are. As with most disciplines, having a proper mentor or teacher is the best way to learn. I advise amateurs to get with a professional photographer for a shoot (most will let you come and help, some will even allow you to shoot). Learn the trade and proper pricing and respect those who have established themselves as some of the best in the country. Lets not drive pricing for photography services down. The perception is that Digital is free, no film, no prints required, but skill and experience are also factors and it seems that the rise of the DSLR has masked this.