•With the presence of new digital cameras
and phones, professional photographers
are kissing their jobs goodbye

By Cosmas Omegoh

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Commercial photography in the country is struggling to survive. Some people believe that the sector is going down the cliff.
They express regret that fewer numbers of entrants are embracing professional photography, unlike before when many made their living on the job. Now, things have changed and so has the industry.
Now, a large number of people have hand-held devices capable of taking instant, crisp pictures. This new culture is driving the final nail into the coffin of professional photography. People anytime and anywhere, are better able to take their own photographs without recourse to professional photographers.
Some people might say that it is not surprising that professional photography is suffering this cruel fate. They believe that, like some other industries, it is facing the bitter test of change; change brought about by time. Time, it is often said, changes everything. Many believe that time’s eternal waters can incredibly bring down anything. Solid memories of the past had at some point been erased by time.
Technology too proves capable of erasing the gains of the past. Advances in technology, it has been noted, are believed to have enhanced and at the same time diminished the progress of professional photographers.
Since the invention of the camera according to Wikipeadia, by a certain Thomas Wedgwood about the year 1800, photography has been evolving.
But today, commercial photography appears to be suffering a serious setback. The arrival of camera phones capable of taking, storing and transmitting photographs have dealt some deadly blows on professional photographers and their trade; they have been forced to take the back seat. Photographers who were doing well in the trade some years ago are now watching the sector descending the valleys. They are merely fighting to make a living from it in the face of dwindling patronage. Their efforts centre on retaining the patronage of those still in need of their services.
However, there is this new tribe of professional photographers determined to re-invent the mill; this lot is striving to take the act some notches higher than earlier known levels. Their effort is currently being bolstered by the thriving movie industry always in need of improved, still photographs with the right appeal.
But has this new spirit been able to draw professional photography anywhere out of the woods? The answer is in the negative, as two professional photographers stated in their recent encounters with Daily Sun.
Jossy Ademulegun, aka Sir Jossy Photos, and Chima Ashamole (Chimaria Photos), have been active professionals since the early 1980s. They have seen it all. And so, when they lamented that the trade, which still fetches them their daily meal, was in steady decline, they needed to be taken seriously.
“I love photography,” Ademulegun said. “For me, photography is a passion. I went into it largely because it is such a neat job; it compels you to dress well; it helps you to meet people, you attend to well-dressed people.
“To be honest with you, this job has taken me to places; it has helped me to meet very important people; I have worked for the high and mighty. Otunba Gbenga Daniel, former governor of Ogun State is one of them.
“But the truth right now is that photography is facing serious challenges. The coming of computers and Information Communication Technology (ICT), has in some ways positively enhanced our job but have affected it for worse.
“I learnt photography with analogue cameras. That was in 1980. Ever since, I have had 16 apprentices, who learnt the trade from me.
“One of them is now vast in the use of digital cameras and the application of computers in photo production. Because I didn’t want to be left behind, I had to approach him some time ago to learn new developments in the trade, not minding that he is my boy. What I’m saying here is that computers have changed the face of everything. I have even had to read computer books to be abreast of the developments in our work.
“But at the same time, these new developments have shrunk our business. In fact, ICT has affected us more adversely. See for instance, everyone now has their own camera phones with which they take their own pictures.
“Long before now, if you wanted to take photographs, you simply went to a studio and had a few shots taken.
“I had a friend and customer who, each time he wanted to take photographs of the equipment which he sent overseas, he always invited me. But since the coming of computers and camera phones, he doesn’t invite me anymore. He probably does the job by himself.
“What I’m saying here is that we have been losing customers. This trend has increasingly affected our income. Even nowadays, we hardly have new entrants. Some of our colleagues are closing shop.
“But I still love this job. This is what I know to do best; I can’t begin to ride okada at this age or drive Keke Marwa,” he lamented.
When the reporter asked Ashamole if time and technology had affected his business, his response was not different. “Computers and camera phones are really affecting our business. They are biting us real hard. We are feeling it.
“Before the advent of these devices, people used to call us to take photographs of accidents and scenes they wanted to present as evidence before the police.
“Now, we are only being invited when people have occasions like weddings, housewarming, burials and other very important ceremonies whose memories they cannot afford to lose just like that.
“What that means is that we are no longer making as much money as we used to make before this time.
“However, in this era, we have seen tremendous improvement in professional photography. For instance, I can take photographs now and print them right from my printer and deliver them in minutes. We no longer use ink in printing and have long discarded the darkroom. We no longer make use of 36-exposure films; we now use SD cards and compact memories which contain as many as 900 exposures that can even be recycled.”
Aside from the onslaught of time and technology, Ademulegun said the activities of quacks had contributed to the problem. He lamented that quacks were taking their jobs and spoiling the trade at the same time.
“Some of the young people going about with cameras nowadays are doing so for lack of jobs. They are frustrated and simply need something to latch unto. They are the real ones spoiling our job. When you attend occasions like weddings, you see them in their numbers. You can identify them by the way they handle their cameras; their prints too are amateurish.”
He disclosed that although commercial photography was going through a rough patch, the real professionals like him were still striving.
“To hang unto this trade, one has to have a good camera capable of taking quality, professional photographs. As for me, having excellent customer-relationship strategy is key. I have long learnt to treat my customers well such that they have no reason to leave me. I ensure that I deliver their photographs right on time; that alone helps me to solidify the existing bond between us. When some challenges come between us – as they sometimes do – I don’t waste time to explain things to them.”
Ashamole too said he usually went the extra mile to survive the hard times.
He noted: “If the photography union is strong, it can help to salvage the situation. But someone like me cannot sit down to wait until that happens. Yes, we are going through serious challenges, but I believe that whatever happens will not harm me because what is mine will always be mine.
“However, in order to survive, I do a whole lot of things: photo albums, photo books and other forms of packaging.
“I will continue to survive in this job as long as I do it well. Those who know their job well enough capitalise on it and don’t bother about what others are doing.
“Even now, those people who take photographs with their phones still come to me to print them. Those photographs are ever locked up in their phones. So they come here to get them out for a fee equivalent to taking the photographs myself.”
Now the question is ‘what are the new generation photographers doing to ensure that the industry does not die eventually?’ Lauren Akpan, a Nollywood photographer, is one of the new faces of the industry in the country.
“We are bringing in new ideas to capture the new age,” he informed the reporter. “Right now, we are doing all that we can to ensure that we stand out from this pack of ‘unofficial photographers.’
“Everywhere you go, you see them. They are too many nowadays. The advent of user-friendly cameras has contributed to the number of this army of self-appointed photographers.
“You recall that the world has now shifted from analogue cameras to digital cameras. Even camera phones are capable of doing so much these days. With these devices, non photographers are killing photography; it is a fact.”