Is photography as a hobby dying?

kejago (Kev)

kejago (Kev)

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Kev
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Life happened. Mental health happened. I lost my mojo.

But now I am tentatively coming back. Old Flickr is still there. Browsing some photos... boy, is there some talent out there. Impressive. Really impressive.

Anyway, while looking around, I just had the feeling that photography as a hobby, as a passion, has dies somewhat. Am I alone in this? Flickr groups are no longer so active. Many I belong to, are dead. No more posts about photo-walks. Many of the folks I followed, just gone. No longer active. Accounts deleted. I seldom see a "DSLR" in the wild anymore.

Has social media, and cell phone technology killed "traditional" photography as we know it?

What are you thoughts? Have you gone long periods where you felt photography died for you? What brought you back? Where did you find inspiration again?

When I think about what a fantastic and diverse hobby photography can be, I wonder how I lost my way. What happened? What is happening?
 
Glad to hear that you are getting back your mojo
For me getting out the the camera is just part of it am into nature anyway
I would actually say that photography is becoming popular again certainly wildlife, nature and zoo photography that i do
Am seeing lots of new faces which is good and people are using high end gear as well as older DSLR setups
Modern gear is amazing especially mirrorless cameras for wildlife photography
 
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DSLR's have been superseded by Mirrorless (MiLC's) and people move on, die, or go elsewhere. Online forums and groups in them have in many cases gone west as other social media formats have grown, but mainly because their business model and modus operandi have not kept pace and they have not been as good at business as they have at their hobby.

Photography has a hobby changes over time, that's all. A new generation has become interested in film photography, albeit mostly with compacts and simple cameras at least initially. The overall market for new cameras has been relatively static or declining, but the second hand market is thriving.

I had a long - 30-odd years - break from photography as a hobby due to life work and other hobbies, but came back to it largely because of this very forum, with it's chat and challenges and support and encouragement. That's why I became a co-owner when the original owner retired. We aim to keep it going well into the future.
 
LCPete said:
people are using high end gear as well as older DSLR setups
Modern gear is amazing especially mirrorless cameras
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Cheers Pete. Do we call these new mirrorless marvels DSLRS still? :-)
I am moving from an old Nikon D700 to a Canon R5ii. So technology sure has progressed! :-o
 
lindsay said:
DSLR's have been superseded by Mirrorless (MiLC's)

Photography has a hobby changes over time, that's all. A new generation has become interested in film photography, albeit mostly with compacts and simple cameras at least initially. The overall market for new cameras has been relatively static or declining, but the second hand market is thriving.

I had a long - 30-odd years - break from photography as a hobby due to life work and other hobbies, but came back to it largely because of this very forum, with it's chat and challenges and support and encouragement. That's why I became a co-owner when the original owner retired. We aim to keep it going well into the future.
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So now I have a MILC instead of a DSLR! :D Thats tickles me. :)

Yeah, I suppose change is inevitable. I think mobile phone cameras also eroded more traditional forms of photography. But, you know, there is something to be said about holding a chunky beast and pressing real physical buttons.

This is one the best photography forums I have found. I just wish I could find a local community here for myself in Switzerland.
 
hi @kejago, greetings from Zurich. There are lots of photographers here too. Have you tried the Swiss Photo Club for example?
 
TimHughes said:
hi @kejago, greetings from Zurich. There are lots of photographers here too. Have you tried the Swiss Photo Club for example?
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Hi Tim :-)

My office is (or rather was) in Zurich, by Sihl City. Currently in talks to move back to Züri. :-)

I looked at the Swiss Photo club way back when. The Geneva group came across as very cliquish, and were trying to "sell" courses. It wasn't my cup of team. I was looking for something more casual and relaxed. It didn't quite gel with me.
 
I only have my perspective, but I think it's more popular than ever. I think where you go to ask questions, learn stuff, ann share work has changed.. so it might appear quieter.

Lot's of people take breaks or quit, but new folks start up - so you can get the impression that it's quieter if you're looking at your old connections
 
A lot of casual photographers now just use their mobiles. I find it's OK for "Us in the pub" shots but I want a proper camera, haven't switched to mirrorless as my present kit is still doing what I want, though perhaps weight is an issue as I get older. Whilst shooting the eclipse recently a number of my neighbours came out to take a look, virtually all of them were looking at the screen as opposed to the viewfinder, the same happened when I asked someone to take a shot of me when out for my recent birthday, "No use the viewfinder"
 
I don't think photography is dying, but it's definitely changing.

I do though think that Flickr is a shadow of its former self. I've switched to glass.photo now, and I much prefer it; I won't be renewing my Flickr Pro this year.
 
kejago (Kev) said:
Hi Tim :-)

My office is (or rather was) in Zurich, by Sihl City. Currently in talks to move back to Züri. :-)

I looked at the Swiss Photo club way back when. The Geneva group came across as very cliquish, and were trying to "sell" courses. It wasn't my cup of team. I was looking for something more casual and relaxed. It didn't quite gel with me.
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Let me know when you're back :)
 
They don't call it the 'Tik-Tok Generation' for nothing! :(
When I first joined this forum, not that many years ago, it was thriving and there were some truly excellent stills photographers but many of them have moved on.
Times change and people change, not always for the better.
 
...and just to add context to my earlier post, I was always a enter fan when shooting oilm, with various SLR's and ultimately the MZ3. When I came back to the hobby in about 2015, I was on this site for a good while before going for Nikon, fist APS-C with the D500 then later a D850, two of the best DSLRs in the market and still superb cameras. Later, for travel togging and general carry-with-me shooting, I went for the Olympus OMD EM1ii which is of course Micro Four Thirds and Mirrorless. Definitely smaller and lighter, the OM Systems OM2 is now the latest of these. Meanwhile Nikon and Canon have gone down the full frame (and other formats) mirrorless line as well, such that DSLRs are considered old and heavy and slightly less feature-rich by those who buy the latest gear. But it's horses for courses etc and all about cost vs utility, so you pays your money and makes your choice. Your D700 DSLR still has a lot of capability.
 
Hobby photography is 'alive' and well here on the Isle of Wight, several clubs and lots of fun things to photograph. I often see 5-6 people out and about and club meets often in double figures and more. As to the mirrorless ( yes I have a Z8) discussion I still see more DSLR's than mirrorless and only the other week sold and old DSLR to an enthusiastic newcomer to wildlife photography. This weekend I shall be out to the Round the Island Powerboat race and expect to see several hundred people out with Camera's of all sorts, from phones to 600mm F4. And when an Osprey was spotted here, it was a positive crowd of snappers, with some well expensive kit, many form the 'north' island.

Perhaps look to a local club to help with your MOJO (IMHO we all loose it occasionally) ......
 
I think I'm right in saying more pictures are taken now than ever before. Some may dismiss phone use as snap shots but it could be argued that a snapshot can contain or evoke happy memories for the taker and of course your photographs can be shared around the world seconds after you've taken them these days.

So no, photography isn't dying, I think it's more accessable than ever.
 
skullfunkerry said:
I don't think photography is dying, but it's definitely changing.

I do though think that Flickr is a shadow of its former self. I've switched to glass.photo now, and I much prefer it; I won't be renewing my Flickr Pro this year.
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Yeah, spot on about Flickr being a former shadow of itself. This is what I have noticed. Thanks for the glass.photo tip. Signed up.. looks good... but a bit clunky as a free version :)
 
woof woof said:
I think I'm right in saying more pictures are taken now than ever before. Some may dismiss phone use as snap shots but it could be argued that a snapshot can contain or evoke happy memories for the taker and of course your photographs can be shared around the world seconds after you've taken them these days.

So no, photography isn't dying, I think it's more accessable than ever.
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Yeah, you are right. phone cameras are definitely responsible for more photos being taken now than ever. I was more referring to dedicated camera type of photography. This nuance got lost in my post.
 
artyman said:
...but I want a proper camera,
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I wish I knew what "a proper camera" is.

Does the description apply to the Pentacon FM I used in the 1960s, the Linhof Technika IV I used in the 1970s or the Nikon F4s I used in the 1990s? Is my tiny Canon iXus a proper camera or not? What about my iPhone or my old Sony Picturebook (with which I captured this not very sharp image, during a boring train journey) ...

Woman using a laptop on train.jpg
 
kejago (Kev) said:
Yeah, spot on about Flickr being a former shadow of itself. This is what I have noticed. Thanks for the glass.photo tip. Signed up.. looks good... but a bit clunky as a free version :)
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I think I only used the free option for a few days before I signed up. I like that it doesn't just allow me to upload hundreds of shots mindlessly, I have to think about which ones I really want to share. The quality of other people's work on there is very high, too.
 
I do not think photography is dying. Membership at my club is holding steady at around 120. We have many outings and some are just social though most to take photographs. Last Sunday we had a visit to a local micro brewery which included a BBQ. The previous week we attend a circus photography event. However, what we are finding is that many do not want to join clubs (not just photography). All clubs are finding that many, particularly those under 50 cant be bothered (what a dull life they lead). Next week we have helicopter flights over the Cotswolds but I will be away on holiday. One member is organising a safari trip to Africa next year.

Dave
 
Hi Kev @kejago (Kev), many of the things you listed are aspects of a changing social media rather than photography or photographers. People network differently and connect in different places. TP is unusual in that it's stayed relevant and active when many other traditional forums have gone under.

In terms of kit, pretty much all modern interchangeable lens cameras are capable of good pictures these days. It's important to find what suits you and just use it. Processing has become a bit more complicated, with greater possibilities, but also requiring more care to get the result wanted.

Anyway welcome back to TP from (presently) the Morvan.
 
I don't think photography is dying at all, But as a "hobby" maybe. What I mean by that, is that with modern phones able to take some fantastic shots and built in editing as well, is there any need to "learn the art"?
 
kejago (Kev) said:
Yeah, you are right. phone cameras are definitely responsible for more photos being taken now than ever. I was more referring to dedicated camera type of photography. This nuance got lost in my post.
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I can sort of see your point but as in all things there are different ways of doing things and many people just don't see the need to have stuff that appeals to a what is a niche crowd and costs an amount of money they can't justify. I think this has always been the case in photography and other things. Back in the film days when we had to have a camera if we wanted to take photos many people had the cheapest one they could get. My parents had compacts and a Diana, there were no Nikons, Canons or Leicas in my family. Although I rant about mobile phone photography and how poor the results are TBH a lot of pictures taken with a phone are probably better quality than people got with dedicated cameras decades ago.

One good thing about just about everyone having a thing capable of taking pictures with them pretty much all the time is that some will get interested and be tempted to get further into photography.
 
munch said:
...is there any need to "learn the art"?
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Doesn't that depend on exactly what you mean by that?

I've always regarded photography as a system for recording and communicating images. It seems to me that the tools you use are secondary to the purpose for which you use them.
 
hI KEV

You by what you have posted got into that "blank" spot regards photography. Not exactly lost interest but more in deciding what would stimulate you again. Having been there myself for some time I decided to take it up again, but not with what I used as the camera and lenses were more or less out of date, ie Nikon D810
So I decided to start afresh with different make and different format. Also weight played a huge part in my decision. In the end I went over to Panasonic and Micro Four Thirds (MFT) ' started off with the G9 and later on also the G9ii later version.
It was like coming out of the dark ages with how cameras have evolved over the years. To be honest came as a bit of a shock and pleasantly surprised. Gone in P/X all my old Nikon gear and gave me a good start with the new.
It was a completely new leaning curve (still getting to grips with it) features in the menu never had before.
Running along side that renewed interest in video work (the G9ii is excellent by the way for videos) so back with the Panasonic HC-X1500 camcorder. for a different type of photography

There comes a time when the saying "stuck in a rut" applies to photography as well. I am not suggesting you get the same as me as that is a personal choice, it just suits me.
 
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You still have to plan to be in the right place at the right time(season) and recognise "the decisive moment". Just seeing "the picture" in a view is not always obvious. Some types of photography require setting up and interaction with the subject and knowledge of lighting (e.g. studio work).

Dave
 
woof woof said:
I can sort of see your point but as in all things there are different ways of doing things and many people just don't see the need to have stuff that appeals to a what is a niche crowd and costs an amount of money they can't justify. I think this has always been the case in photography and other things. Back in the film days when we had to have a camera if we wanted to take photos many people had the cheapest one they could get. My parents had compacts and a Diana, there were no Nikons, Canons or Leicas in my family. Although I rant about mobile phone photography and how poor the results are TBH a lot of pictures taken with a phone are probably better quality than people got with dedicated cameras decades ago.

One good thing about just about everyone having a thing capable of taking pictures with them pretty much all the time is that some will get interested and be tempted to get further into photography.
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How much is an iPhone now?

The phone I have had for the last couple of years cost me just over £100. A G9 and decent lens isn't that much now.

I have a feeling cost is not a major factor in the decision making.
 
I'm not sure photography is dying. People will always take pleasure in taking pictures. But it is pricing itself out of the market.
 
Flickr - I was spurred into action by a credit card change that meant they were emailing me about payment failure, so that's the end of Flickr Pro for me :banana:

Is photography dying? Not sure. More people can take technically good photos than ever before - phones have done that. The difference between the output of an Instamatic and a phone camera is astounding.

The difference between an Instamatic and an SLR was always big, but nowadays the difference between a phone camera and a DSLR/MILC is not so great, except for specialisms like macro or wildlife or sport.

There's plenty of good photography out there. Probably too much. Overwhelming.
 
Photography on the whole has never been more popular imo, however it’s mostly for socials, gotta look good for the gram and all that ;)

I think there are less enthusiasts, probably as a result of people using phones and being content with that.

I wouldn’t have thought there’s a drop in pro togs, maybe there’s more of a need now due to social media.
 
image recording has certainly increased almost exponentially - the number of images on what's app I get in one day is almost equal to a roll of old film .......... and that's at my old age of nearly 80 years
 
gramps said:
Greed, shrinking customer base, or...
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Well, that's a good question. I think it gets a bit murky. They are pretty much locked in to making all singing, all dancing cameras for an apparently declining market and have to make it pay. It's a bit of a vicious circle, it seems to me. I think, personally, that they need to get back to basics, because you're probably not going to invest north of 2k for family snaps. They have to row it back somehow.
 
kejago (Kev) said:
Life happened. Mental health happened. I lost my mojo.

But now I am tentatively coming back. Old Flickr is still there. Browsing some photos... boy, is there some talent out there. Impressive. Really impressive.

Anyway, while looking around, I just had the feeling that photography as a hobby, as a passion, has dies somewhat. Am I alone in this? Flickr groups are no longer so active. Many I belong to, are dead. No more posts about photo-walks. Many of the folks I followed, just gone. No longer active. Accounts deleted. I seldom see a "DSLR" in the wild anymore.

Has social media, and cell phone technology killed "traditional" photography as we know it?

What are you thoughts? Have you gone long periods where you felt photography died for you? What brought you back? Where did you find inspiration again?

When I think about what a fantastic and diverse hobby photography can be, I wonder how I lost my way. What happened? What is happening?
Click to expand...
Flickr itself has probably lost a lot of traffic since it switched to the paid-only option for people with more than a set number of uploads. Pricing people out of your platform when there are hundreds of alternatives (like here) is a questionable approach. I know that I, personally, haven't uploaded anything to Flickr for a long time and was actually searching it today for some examples from certain lenses and got zero results which is surprising.

As someone who builds cameras for the predominantly hobbyist (analogue) market I'd say that it's growing if anything, although more so in North America than Europe.
 
stevelmx5 said:
Flickr itself has probably lost a lot of traffic since it switched to the paid-only option for people with more than a set number of uploads. Pricing people out of your platform when there are hundreds of alternatives (like here) is a questionable approach. I know that I, personally, haven't uploaded anything to Flickr for a long time and was actually searching it today for some examples from certain lenses and got zero results which is surprising.

As someone who builds cameras for the predominantly hobbyist market I'd say that it's growing if anything, although more so in North America than Europe.
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I still use Flickr, but that's just habit and I can't be bothered to transfer all of my photos to another platform. I use Flickr as a 'cloud backup' for my photos as well as the ones I post for others to view.
 
I was actually wondering about this today. It used to be that you needed enthusiasts to get great shots, record events etc etc. the days of could you bring your camera along have long gone as everyone has a camera.
But there is and always will be a difference between taking photos and being a photographer.
Is it dieing, I don’t think so, but I do think the audience is shrinking as we have image overload
So us enthusiasts do it for our pleasure. Which is probably the best way. Do it for the joy of it, don’t worry about the rest of it
 
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