Is Photography Industry Dead in Canada?

Slow economy, recession in sight, cell phone rise and almost three years of pandemic restrictions, many believe have put the final nail in already fragile photography industry.

Photography industry has flourished with the rise of digital SLR cameras. Many experienced and novice photographers could offer more affordable alternative to analog film photography. Editing and turnaround was revolutionized, rise of photoshop and other editing software was astonishing. Digital photography has opened a very new doorway to creativity, imagination and all that widely available and affordable. Many new photographers rose put to the task of photographing wildlife, family events and even weddings. A golden age of photography was born.

But the golden age did not last long! One could say it lasted only about 10 years. While digital photography revolutionized the industry it also singled the downfall of the very same art. Cellphone cameras and editing apps available on every new phone started to puncture holes in photography bubble. Professional cameras could not keep up with changing environment or better to say, photographers could not buy enough new equipment the way consumer level cameras advanced. One professional digital SLR camera was priced from $3500 to $15000 for body only! A luxury for many photographers. While consumer level cameras increased in quality, professional photographers struggled to upgrade their equipment on annual basis. Every year this misbalance was greater and harder for professional photographers to justify. Many photographers started to cut on their expanses, many store owners had to close their store front because all their investment went toward upgrading equipment. Photography store fronts disappeared almost entirely from Canadian soil. Many photographers were forced to move into basement or garage of their private homes just to be able to keep afloat.

To make matters worse, 2020 and the start of pandemic has decimated this already hurt industry. Lockdowns and other restrictions have disabled photographers from working and creating. Canadian Government helped many, but that help was not enough to pay for the living. Toughest optimists and hard knock enthusiasts were forced to replace their equipment after two years of collecting dust. Two year old equipment was not up to date with fast paste technology advancement.

Influencer and Blogger Industry

It does not take a scientist to realize that after hard times and tough decisions photographers went through, a new rising industry was choice for many. One could argue that photography industry did not die, it did only change. Perhaps they are right, it is for sure decimated to the lowest level since professional photography was available to many. One of the hardest hit photography directions was for sure wedding industry. Two year wedding cancelations has ruined many. Whoever had the financial back bone to survive pandemic years, new economic challenges simply don’t leave much room for optimism. Rise of consumer level cameras, lower demand for high quality photography and recession in sight for 2023 might be the final nail in the coffin for SLR and Mirrorless professionals.

It is upsetting that too many of these failed professional photographers are highly talented individuals.They have great camera skills, are able to produce wonderful images, but it was just too big of a load to carry.