It is becoming increasingly difficult for professional photographers to make a living from their work. This is mainly because there are more and more amateur photographers who do extra work at a much lower rate. Many photographers have disappeared from permanent employment and therefore no longer have a fixed salary. They work as freelancers. There are various courses that help people become professional photographers. It is becoming increasingly difficult for photographers to make a living from their work. There are several reasons for this. An important reason is that more and more amateur photographers have started to do the work of professional photographers with a good camera. They often receive a certain amount for this, but that is much lower than that of a professional photographer. Because professional photographers are relatively expensive, it is very attractive to ask an amateur photographer. As a result, it often happens that photographs are taken at events by a family member or that company portraits are taken by someone at the company with an SLR. There have been so many amateur photographers in recent years because the barrier has become much smaller due to all the new digital developments. Previously, all photos had to be developed in a dark room and only a limited number of photos could be taken because the costs were high later. Nowadays, photographers are no longer limited by this.
Cutbacks on photography
Many organizations have also started cutting back on photographers in recent years. This also partly applies to news organizations. This is partly because bystanders are increasingly providing photos. Nowadays the quality of more and more cameras is so good that these photos are also easy to print. The advantage of bystanders is that they are almost always quicker to the scene than photographers. Furthermore, permanent photographers cost relatively much. The employer also bears the risks if, for example, they become ill. As a result, at many news organizations, photographers are removed from the organizations and hired as freelancers. A good example of this is the ANP, which dismissed its last permanent photographers in 2012 and from now on only started working with freelancers.
Working as a photographer
There are different directions within photography. Many photographers have their own specialization. For example, there are sports photographers who mainly focus on sports competitions or athletes. There are also fashion or portrait photographers. For example, they take photos for magazines or advertising brochures, but many of them also take school photos. Other photographs from certain directions within photography include medical photographers and police photographers. Medical photographers take photos in hospitals to record for the file how serious certain injuries are. The work of a photographer consists of different parts. For example, it is important for a photographer to maintain good contact with the clients. They often have several options for asking photographers, so it is important that they know you well. Furthermore, a lot of time is often spent looking for a location and reading up on the person you are going to photograph. Finally, photographers also spend a lot of time selecting photos and possibly editing them using Photoshop.
Train to become a photographer
Anyone who wants to train as a photographer can go to the Fotovakschool or the Fotoacademie. HBO courses are offered there, both part-time and full-time. It is also possible to train as a photographer at an academy for the visual arts. There are four of them in the Netherlands and they all offer Photography as a separate direction. It is difficult to say exactly what a photographer earns, precisely because the rates vary so much. The average salary of an employed photographer is around 2300 euros.