Personal ambition vs the photographers ego.

Us photographers are a strange breed we?  The very nature of our work usually means we work closely with members of the public.  Yet sometimes we get very protective of our skills and way of working.  At least this was how it was in the old days.

Digital has changed the whole industry and now there is so much more onus on the post production much of the time, the focus has changed.

A saturated market has meant that many established photographers who have regular clients may have seen the competitiveness of the industry affecting the amount of work they are getting.

What this has done is created a culture, aided by YouTube  of photographers that see value in their skills and knowledge that perhaps ten years ago was better served hidden in the depths of their heads.

Photographers used to keep their USP (unique selling point) guarded as they knew this was what made them what they were.  This was perhaps wise.  Now there is such a creative element to photography that makes the whole thing so much more exciting, that for every USP there are another dozen that are almost identical and as soon as a new look in created others will try to replicate it.

This all ensures an exciting process of continual development.

As a result photographers who may have been quite guarded with their skills are now selling their knowledge, it is another part of their income and can make quite a bit of revenue.  Examples of these (and there are many) are Kevin Kubota and Joel Grimes.  These guys are well worth a visit but beware, it could get expensive.

There is of course no harm in learning new skills, in fact it is encouraged, but the ultimate goal must be to place your own spin or angle on it.  To do that though you first need to learn the skills.