A New Year...What is in store for us now?

I had a couple other blogs I had been working on to publish right before the new year and after. The holidays kept me quite busy with family and the kids, so many of my unfinished thoughts are swimming around in half full bottles on the windowsill.

Its 2010. Its amazing how much has happned in the past year. Let alone the past 9 years of this decade and the millenium. I wont bore you with a top 10 list of things that happened last year. There are plenty of those floating around the internet as it is. And I'm not going to make a list of predictions of what I think is to come (even though i will go on a tangent or two before I am done).

We are entering the last year of the first decade of the millenium. So much has happened and changed the world we live in. Technology and the internet has put the world at our finger tips and its hard to stay afloat of all the information we have available at times. Cameras have changed. Computers are faster. The internet has become this huge and vast library of so much information and misinformation. But is all this technology and the advancements a good or bad thing?

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For example, look at social media networking (which I will fully admit to being a tad green to it still). Is it really as effective as so many people have told us it is? We all use Twitter and Facebook, and other similar sites to keep up with friends, photographers, magazines, blogs, and many other inspirations including marketing and creativity outlets. But have you stopped to think how effective is all this time we spend online reading updates and updating our followers and readers? I am not too sure how effective this form of marketing really is anymore now that we are all doing it....all posting similar thoughts and rants.....all re-posting and re-tweeting the same links at different times of the day. Just food for thought, but I am starting to think that the original and more traditional methods of marketing are going to be more effective again.

And, while we are somewhat still on the subject of the internet lets talk about mass media. More and more newspapers and magazines are cutting back on staffers, losing pages and even sections, or just closing up completely. Mass multimedia will easily push most major publication to the edge of extinction. And this doesn't necessarily bode well for photographers. Remember when Time magazine ran a cover they purchased from Robert Lam through iStockPhoto for $30? It caused quite an internet commotion as photographers took sides and voiced their opinions. If you aren't familiar with this, a quick online search will give you lots to read and think about. And don't forget what just happened with the Washington Times and their decision to cut their entire Photo Dept, along with complete sections of the paper. You can read more about it here. David Hobby wrote a great letter to all the staffers that you can read here. It just makes me wonder what we as photographers need to do to ensure that we are still needed and wanted.

I think that we as photographers need to continue pushing ourselves creatively. I am talking dig deep down inside those wells of talent and creativity we have running through us. There are many amazing and talented photographers out there with the vision and experience to take risk and raise the bar. The scary part is that some of these photographers and visionaries are still only amateurs themselves. Go dig around and look through Flickr. Advertising agencies and art directors are looking...and taking note on what they are seeing. Go pick up the "Images of the year: 2009 issue of American Photo and take a look at the article on three once amateur-now professional photographers discovered through their photostream. Their is so much talent and creativity out there these days. Don't start to get too comfortable....there are millions of amateur photographers out there ready and willing to fill your shoes.

The industry is changing around us as we all scramble and hustle around to keep up with the constant ebb and flow of our trade, love and profession. I am not 100% sure of what this new year has in store for us....let alone me. But I do know that I am looking forward to the challenges and obstacles I am sure I will have to face and tackle. But the year is already off to a great start. Here is a toast to you all and may you have more continued success, happiness, and growth! Happy New Year!