So, I was just on someone’s real estate site, and saw that their latest blog entry was 10 months old. I started thinking snide thoughts, and realized that I’m the pot, calling the kettle black. Bad blogger, me.

What’s on my mind, then…

I just bought a used light from an older photographer. He was kind of bitter about how bad the photo business has become – and it has, for a lot of photographers. With cell phones that shoot 12 mega-pixel pictures, and the newest computers-with-lenses from Canon & Nikon, the perceived ‘need’ for a professional shooter is getting smaller and smaller all the time. Consumer photo printing is dying – when was the last time you had vacation pictures made at a lab? But am I worried about the headshot business?

A little, to be honest, but not that much. Maybe I have my head in the sand, but I believe that there will always be a need for photographers that know how to shoot quality headshots (see previous blog entries for what makes a good headshot).

Of course the delivery method for headshots will most certainly change. How much longer will anyone be submitting an 8×10 glossy print? Some day soon, digital headshots will be distributed via email or other methods. Maybe we’ll all have a big casting version of Facebook with our own pages that Casting Agents can easily search. Have you seen that used car commercial where the buyers keep narrowing their criteria to get to the one they want? Picture the same kind of process for performers… ” I want males, 6’2″, dark hair, 180-212 lbs, age 38-41, within 18.5 miles of 32801″ – and page of headshots populates, then just pick and choose who gets invited for an audition. Maybe the process will look different, but it will definitely evolve.

But you’ll still need great headshots, shot by professional photographers. Maybe even more so! A marginal headshot might look okay on its own, but now put it side-by-side against a well-shot photo, and it looks bad by comparison.

Rambling done for now. Scot out!