Ah, I remember COVID – the pandemic that saw us wearing masks, sitting at home with "un" loved ones, walking the dog while taking the fear of death in our stride, or trying to pass the time with new hobbies (some of which have turned into full-scale habits). I refuse to mention my sim racing habit and the money (I don’t have) that I spent on it. Whoops.
The impact of the socially distancing flu was immeasurable. Production seemed to stop on just about everything, and no marketing money was being spent either. Well, that was true for a while, until marketing and the challenge of working from home seemed to figure out how to get work done.
What changed for the photographer was that large projects seemed to dry up. Shipping a photographer by plane from point A to B became more difficult, and the cost of any production was higher (assuming someone was willing to come into contact with other people at all). Moreover, the restrictions on some businesses opening to support production were also a massive hurdle to overcome.
Marketing departments then figured out that they could hire local (cheaper) photographers to do the job, and said photographers were more willing to take the risks. Branding went "local", so to speak. Budgets that were tight then became a bit more fluid and, as time went by, the benefit of going local seemed to help the budgets go further than before. Why pay one photographer when you can get two and generate twice as much, with less? Productions went from large to micro.
COVID is now being lived with, we understand its impact, and time has moved on. Marketing departments have moved on and learned, too, and carried on in the direction of hiring locals to do the work they otherwise would have used a conventional process for pre-COVID. So much so that my favorite studio in Brooklyn closed down, as it just couldn't maintain the costs and loss of income, and it’s not alone. Many of my peers have struggled to keep their commercial businesses going. A few have thrived, of course, as they have been in the right place to benefit from the "local" effect.
As the photography and content industry seems to be divided, with the haves and have-nots, the script is getting flipped with those working and making money, but the income is nowhere near pre-pandemic levels. I understand that things changed, but the industry does seem to race to the bottom on price in nearly every genre and sector – and if the locals think they are doing great, well, yes they are, but they are also being exploited.
I do wish there was some kind of regulation for the photography industry, a governing body if you will. Almost like a kind of trade licensing program that helps protect the industry as a whole. Maybe that's overkill, and who wants more red tape? I think I would welcome it.
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