
Great post. Makes one think.
But without stock sites, I would still be a photographer. Nowadays, I consider myself to be a "double" photographer. The more stock related stuff can be found on DT, the more arty-farty stuff is posted on sites like FlickR for non-commercial purposes. For mere pleasure, actually, but trying in a way to find a market for those. I don't bother to submit most of them to DT anymore, since they usually got rejected ;-) So I understand your point about "pretty" pictures not selling.
Having said this, 2 more things:
- I still consider myself to be an amateur. Still lots and lots and lots to learn. Subjects, composition, lighting, editing, ...
- DT has broadened my range of subjects and techniques drastically. I learned so very much here. Still learn everyday from the pictures and photographers on this site. I used to shoot only landscapes and low-light pictures, so to speak. DT has changed that. Now I shoot everything ;-)
sincerely,
and keep up the great work,
Alain.
posted in If STOCK did not exist...would you still be a photographer?