Five Emerging Technologies That Are Changing The Photo Industry

MAY 16, 2011

By Dan Havlik

1. SHOOTING HIGH DEFINITION AND BEYOND

Why It Matters
When the first digital SLR that could shoot true high-definition video came out in 2008—Nikon’s D90—there were some who dismissed the concept as just a novelty. While skeptics still abound, it’s hard to ignore the effect HD has had on the photo industry. Along with 1080p-shooting HD-DSLRs which now run the gamut from entry-level cameras to serious professional models such as the Canon 1D Mark IV and Nikon D3s, photographers have been foaming at the mouth over über-HD 4K digital cinema cameras such as the much ballyhooed Red One and its soon-to-be released successors, the portable Red Scarlet and the 5K+ Red Epic system. Normally conservative Canon has even jumped on the bandwagon, showing off a prototype 4K consumer (!) camcorder at its Canon Expo event last fall.

What does all this mean to your photo business? Think of these new high-def technologies as potential sources of revenue, much the way the opportunities of digital surpassed the limits of film. With an endless variety of content-delivery systems out there—computers, HDTVs, tablets, the Internet—someone’s got to feed the HD beast. Why not you?

Is It Ready for Prime Time?
Ready for prime time? High-def broadcasts dominate prime time these days. Granted, just because a photographer knows how to take a decent photo doesn’t mean he or she will make a great cinematographer or director. But since HD has become a standard feature on most cameras these days, it doesn’t hurt to try, especially if you think there’s some way to sell it. And more and more photographers are coming up with ways to add high-def video to their offerings. If you want proof, look no further than our story in PDN last month on photographers who are selling video “fusions” to their wedding clients. If you shoot it well, they will come.


2. THE RISE OF 3D

Why It Matters
If James Cameron didn’t make a little movie called Avatar a couple of years ago, we’d be hard pressed to say that 3D imaging mattered at all these days. But Avatar was a raging success, both commercially and artistically, spawning a whole new subset of movies and imaging products hoping to ride the 3D wave. Unfortunately, many of these movies looked less like the 3D breakthrough of Avatar and more like typical, bloated Hollywood fare that had been retrofitted with 3D technology; 3D glasses and $20 movie tickets anyone? Zzz. . . .

The same can be said of some of the 3D imaging products that have turned up at trade shows and consumer electronic stores far and wide in recent years. (Both CES 2010 and 2011 were dominated by 3D HDTVs and assorted accessories.) While some of this gear is interesting—both Panasonic and Fuji have created viable 3D camera systems for consumers and hobbyists, for example—much of it is for early adopters only. So why does 3D matter to professional photographers? Once again, we have to go back to the success of Avatar. No, 3D imaging is not something you’re going to add to your photo business overnight but if you’re looking for a “wow” factor, there’s nothing more mind-blowing than 3D done right. Keep both eyes on this one.

Is It Ready for Prime Time?
Unless your name is James Cameron, probably not. As we already mentioned, professional 3D imaging products are so cutting edge, you need to be a digital samurai swordsman with big pockets to handle them. But let’s say you’re interested in getting your feet wet with 3D, aka “stereoscopic,” imaging and decide to purchase a Panasonic GH2 digital camera with a 3D lens; or a Fuji FinePix Real 3D camera. You’ll still need the 3D glasses, a 3D TV or viewer, and a client with an open mind to get something significant out of it. Sure, there have been some advancements in stereoscopy that don’t require the wearing of special glasses—such as the new Nintendo 3DS portable gaming system which employs a process called “autostereoscopy”—but it’s a ways off before it’s perfected.


3. THE GOLDEN AGE OF WIRELESS

Why It Matters
Look around you. Can you see it? Take a listen. Do you hear it? Yes, that’s the roar of information passing invisibly through the air with the help of radio signals, cellular transmissions and other wireless technology. It’s coming from your computer; it’s shooting out of your phone; it’s flying off your camera. Yes, from your camera, too, but with some crushing caveats.

The ubiquity of wireless technology and mobile communications promised to make this an era where we could ditch all those clumsy cables and cords and connect directly to the holy flow of information untethered. Ok, maybe that’s getting carried away a bit but, in many ways, it seemed that a golden age of wireless was upon us. So why has it, largely, bypassed professional photographers? Two main reasons: huge image file sizes and a lack of speedy throughput.

Yes, there are more and more ways to transmit your images wirelessly these days—Eye-Fi cards, wireless transmitters for DSLRs, mobile hotspots, just to name a few—but nothing is ideal. This was driven home recently in a short video we posted on PDNPulse.com about Sports Illustrated photographers covering the Super Bowl. While we expected to see many SI shooters wirelessly transmitting their images back to their photo editors, most of the “transmission” was done by memory card runners who would grab the CF cards from the photographer and high-tail it back to the edit desk, just like film runners in the “old days.” Yes, wireless technology is vital to photographers these days but swift feet and a card reader still get the job done more quickly. Someday, that will change. (We hope.)

Is It Ready for Prime Time?
Yes, it’s everywhere, but this golden age of wireless technology is mostly consumer driven at this point. Until someone figures out how to send a RAW image file or an HD video clip through the air in less than a second, professionals will still be looking for that magic bullet to help them cut their cords.

4. BIG, BIGGER, BIGGEST (SENSORS)

Why It Matters
Big imaging sensors in digital cameras mean better photo quality resulting in client-pleasing images that help you land that next big assignment, right? That’s the reason you bought that “full-frame” digital SLR from Canon or Nikon with their 35mm-sized CMOS sensors, or that budget-busting medium-format camera system from Phase One with its massive 54 x 40mm sensor. Or let’s say you want a camera designed like a DSLR but one that has a sensor on par to what’s in a medium-format camera. In that case, there’s the 37.5-megapixel Leica S2 with its 45 x 30mm imager. How far can all this go? Consider two chips we saw at Canon Expo that are currently in development: a serving tray sized, 300mm CMOS sensor and a 120-megapixel sensor. No, these items are not for sale yet but if Canon is already flaunting them, it can’t be long.

Is It Ready for Prime Time?
The flood of full-frame DSLRs we saw only a few years ago seems to have ebbed. Whether it’s because of the lingering recession or the fact that the meager yield that comes from producing full-frame chips is cost prohibitive for manufacturers—or likely a combination of both—the photo industry has not seen a new DSLR with a 35mm-sized chip in over a year. Have less expensive cameras with APS-C and Four Thirds/Micro Four Thirds sensors really caught up with image quality? Not at all, but they’re gaining. Meanwhile, the medium-format market continues to chug along with less expensive models (with thinner margins) catching the eye of cost-conscious photographers. So the question might not be whether bigger sensors are ready for prime time now but whether their moment may have already passed. The next few years will tell us more.


5. GET SOCIAL

Why It Matters
Got Facebook? Yeah, we’re sick of all this social networking crap too but that’s only because it rules every waking moment of our lives now. And that’s not just because we’re social networking addicts (though we may well be). It’s because as freelance contractors, things like Facebook, Twitter and all the rest are a big free opportunity for photographers to do “personal PR.” Best of all, it works! Whether it’s for showing off recent work, promoting projects, or to simply “socialize” and “network” with colleagues, friends and clients—both of which are good for business—online sharing sites may be the most overhyped and underestimated technology of the last five years. Ignore them at your peril.

Is It Ready for Prime Time?
Hell yes, and we don’t even have to explain why. The question is what’s next once the inevitable online burnout sets in. This is not the beginning of the end for social networking as it relates to marketing your business. It may not even be the beginning of the beginning.