I don't know where to post this, but considering everything that's happening with AI, I think it's pretty obvious there will be huge market issues in the next few years.
AI is replacing more and more standard photographers.
Stock image industry is practically dead.
Business headshots are now generated in ChatGPT.
Product photography is being obliterated by AI.
Fashion catalog photography is dying, being more and more replaced by AI.
These are massive chunks of photography market that are either already seriously feeling the AI squeeze or are about to collapse entirely.
What's going to happen to the camera market when the user base drops by 30%? Or 50%? Or maybe 70%?
Who is going to buy gear? And what's that gear going to look like? Why would you buy a 50mm f1.2 lens, when you can just take a selfie with a phone and get endless amount of "beautiful" AI generated professionally looking headshots. Why would you get a set of studio flashlights, with softboxes and modifiers and then spend a day shooting a wine bottle, when you can just drop a few smartphone photos into some online AI service and get hundreds of different sets of pro-level product shots?
I know some will say "yes, but the wedding / event / photojournalism photography is safe".
But is it?
If you're a wedding photographer, guess what all of these other photographers who just lost their jobs to AI might start doing? Many will say "ok, I'm going to do wedding photography too! I already have the gear, so why not!" And then it'll be race to the bottom... Because it won't really matter that you have any skill or any expensive gear to shoot a wedding. It will all end up being processed by AI in any style the clients want.
Finally, the kids nowdays are being brainwashed with AI slop. Where are the new enthusiasts going to come from in 10 years? You know, who's going to be that kid that bought an SLR and 1 lens in highschool, loved it and then ended up getting a second lens and then a new body and new lenses and then upgraded to a semi-professional model and then 15 years later is doing photography for a living?
Are we witnessing the end of photography as we know it? The more I look at what's happening and how fast it's happening, the more I'm convinced it's all already over.
AI is replacing more and more standard photographers.
Stock image industry is practically dead.
Business headshots are now generated in ChatGPT.
Product photography is being obliterated by AI.
Fashion catalog photography is dying, being more and more replaced by AI.
These are massive chunks of photography market that are either already seriously feeling the AI squeeze or are about to collapse entirely.
What's going to happen to the camera market when the user base drops by 30%? Or 50%? Or maybe 70%?
Who is going to buy gear? And what's that gear going to look like? Why would you buy a 50mm f1.2 lens, when you can just take a selfie with a phone and get endless amount of "beautiful" AI generated professionally looking headshots. Why would you get a set of studio flashlights, with softboxes and modifiers and then spend a day shooting a wine bottle, when you can just drop a few smartphone photos into some online AI service and get hundreds of different sets of pro-level product shots?
I know some will say "yes, but the wedding / event / photojournalism photography is safe".
But is it?
If you're a wedding photographer, guess what all of these other photographers who just lost their jobs to AI might start doing? Many will say "ok, I'm going to do wedding photography too! I already have the gear, so why not!" And then it'll be race to the bottom... Because it won't really matter that you have any skill or any expensive gear to shoot a wedding. It will all end up being processed by AI in any style the clients want.
Finally, the kids nowdays are being brainwashed with AI slop. Where are the new enthusiasts going to come from in 10 years? You know, who's going to be that kid that bought an SLR and 1 lens in highschool, loved it and then ended up getting a second lens and then a new body and new lenses and then upgraded to a semi-professional model and then 15 years later is doing photography for a living?
Are we witnessing the end of photography as we know it? The more I look at what's happening and how fast it's happening, the more I'm convinced it's all already over.
