The emergence of technology took most people by surprise especially the uneducated. Before this present era of technology, it has always been a game of numbers in the labour market. We humans had so much pride in the fact that our skill set will definitely be the reason people in need of it will seek us out but things changed, I bet they never saw it coming. In those days, before the advent of technology there were some courses that were consider tangible based on the rate at which people possessing the qualification or skill set are being needed but nowadays those courses are barely relevant.
Thinking about this prompt the first course that came to my mind was photography, you wouldn't believe that there was a time people actually went to school to study photography, now it is not even considered a course anymore but more like a borrow course for other disciplines. In those days the demand for photographers was great especially in the aspect of event coverage, the truth is when it comes to throwing crowded parties, no one is as good as our mothers and fathers in those days. The most funny thing about them is that they always feel the need to capture those moments and keep them in photo albums, how many people still keep track of photo albums these days when all your pictures can be stored in your drive or cloud account.
The downfall of those that studied photography as a course was not something that happened instantly but gradually. The first nemesis they encountered was the advent of smart phones with amazing camara. It was this same technology that brought about cameras but gradually better Camaras were integrated into smartphones. In this present era most people prefer to just take pictures with their smartphones instead of requesting for the service of a photographer, especially iPhone and Samsung users.
When I was in camp I needed to take some pictures, I used my phone for most of the pictures that I took, I only decided to make use of a photographer on my passing out day and frankly there isn't much difference, the only difference was that the photographer used photoshop to apply some effects which is something I can still do on my phone, I mean there are hundreds of image editors out there available for mobile phones. Eventually I felt like I wasted my money opting for a photographer when I could have just used my phone.
Same applies to skit makers, majority of the skit makers we see today record their skit scenes on their phones before going home to edit it, in fact there are apps available on mobile that can be used to edit quality videos. I mean how many people on hive blog make use of the service of photographers to record their tutorial videos? How many hivers request the service of a photographer before editing their videos? All this service has become something everyone could easily do themselves with the use of technology and artificial intelligence. You edit your videos and photographs the way you want without requesting for the service of a photographer, so what does that mean for those who study photography as a course?
What about the broadcast industry, the one place photographers are still considered to be highly relevant. Imagine being a photographer in a broadcast industry, depending on the kind of shots that will be taken either outdoor or indoor broadcasting this will determine the numbers of photographers that will be on set. Knowing that numbers are needed in order for the show to be successfully especially outdoor recording like television documentaries. An average photographer will definitely feel proud as usual, this will give him/her an upper hand while bargaining for the prize of his/her service.
The pressure to reduce the cost of his/her service is never a constant one but then suddenly we now have devices such as drones which is capable of reducing human labour by 65%. The integration of drone usage in broadcasting is also a product of technology in the aim of creating effective tools to ease the struggle of camera coverage. Now rewind for a sec to being in the shoes of that same photographer whose source of pride is the confidence he/she has in the contribution of human Labour or skills necessary to get the job done.
Being aware of the new technology in broadcasting called drone, at the back of his/her mind he/she already lost his/her bargaining power. Instead of being able to negotiate, now the photographer has to beg to have a spot on the show knowing fully well the capabilities of a drone usage which is capable of taking all kind of shots from different angles except enclosed CS {Close shot} which is considered a little bit risky. For jobs that usually requires a large number of photographers all that is needed now is one drone driver.
Most of those who study photography now feel the need to learn other skills in order to remain relevant, skills such as cinematography, graphics design, animation e.t.c which is the one thing that I consider a solution for those that find themselves in this situation. I mean instead of holding unto the few skills learnt in school as a photographer that would only earn you peanuts or nothing, why not dive into other divisions with similar qualities to photography.
This write-up was inspired by weekly featured content titled "Not needed" in hive learners community.
Cover image - 𝖣𝖾𝗌𝗂𝗀𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝗎𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖼𝖺𝗇𝗏𝖺
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