Well, here we are. The last year of a decade filled with innovation and stagnation, amazing highs and devastating lows. We enter the second decade of the 2000’s in 365 days. A year of endings and beginnings, 2010 may be a defining year in so many photographers careers. Things are moving very quickly, and occasionally erratically. Even those who are trying to keep up find it challenging to know which way to go – or even to go at all.

I didn’t want to do a “predictions” sort of thing, and I definitely do not want to list any ‘Top Ten’ or anything like that. There are some really good lists out there.

I just wanted to tell you a what I have been thinking about regarding the next year and where we are. Photographically speaking, the world has changed.

I think the pixel wars are coming to an end. There just seems to be a limit that we may be reaching where having another couple of million pixels just may not be necessary. Media is turning more and more electronic, and the print quality of the images being created by today’s cameras more than meet the ability to put ink on paper. So many things have changed dramatically… ISO’s are no longer an issue, so the purchase of lenses is no longer based on getting one more stop in the sweet spot.

Books, self-published and traditional, will thrive for the next couple of years at least. More photographers will create books, both image based and long form story. LuLu, Blurb and other self-publishing houses will become a major part of photographers marketing and creative outlets.

Photographers will form strategic alliances with other photographers, designers, and creatives to become more diverse in their offerings. Challenging the traditional makeup of the agency/photographer relationship, these alliances will become a more agile, and more profitable. Larger firms will find it more difficult to compete.

Media will change dramatically. Long form, multimedia work will replace the major newspapers. This will be both a blessing and a curse for many people in the traditional media… and for photographers as well. Mainstream, paper-based dailies will become extinct. Kindle’s, netbooks, smartphones, handheld devices will be the chosen media delivery method. And stuff we haven’t even considered yet. Remember what we didn’t have way back in 2000? Imagine what we will have in 2020.

Photographers will have to reach for the highest levels of creativity to keep working. There are a great many wonderful photographers out there. And millions of amateurs who believe they are ready for the challenge. Maybe they are. Micro-stock used to be somewhat of a bellweather, but that seems to not be the case anymore. And for the record… I hate micro-stock.

Social Media will have to start paying off in some sort of dividend for those who work that area. Facebook, Twitter, Plaxo. Linked In… they will have to show tangible results. Already I see photographers becoming less interested, and returning to the traditional ways of marketing.

Direct Mail, books, even the phone will become more important than they have been in recent years. Email marketing seems to be waning… for now. And we will see what the new reading devices will bring us. Do you have an online portfolio that can be seen on iPhones and Blackberries? You will.

Traditional portfolios will become more important than they have been for many… remember, it will be about personal brand, and setting yourself off from the other people doing what you do. If everyone is zigging, zagging may be a pretty cool thing to consider.

One last thing… I see a lot more shooters quietly adding film to their arsenal. Digital is great… but it has also become a ‘look’ – and one that is easily cloned and copied. Film is a little more one-off and requires a different, and somewhat expanded set of tools. Do I see a return to a lot of 35MM film usage… probably not, but the medium format and larger formats most assuredly.

Lighting Essentials will changing it up a bit as well. More articles on what is working, more interviews, and more challenges to be met. We will start with some pragmatic planning for portfolio building, and carry it through to the creation of marketing plans for photographers at each end of the spectrum.

So… see you soon with some more ideas, articles and useful information for emerging photographers.