Epidemic: Seasons in the trend

Everybody want to be a photographer

Well, its nothing to be surprise anymore.. the significant of lens and SLR camera.

It is a new professional career epidemic for Malaysian youth. Like what we used to see 7 years ago, when web design, fashion design, graphic design and IT was always the first choice for the 18 years old teenager to complete the form. Now 2009 or rather from late 2008, photography is like a new age for those youth. Passion of own one of the SLR even the low grade its like a must, or maybe it just like "If i got one, i get more friend, I'm not going for professional, it just a hobby".

Talk about hobby, what happen to Tamiya? Action figure? Electronics gadget? Graffiti? Skateboarding? Inline? Bikes? Break dance? Bands? SLR owned them. For understanding, yes! everyone want to be creative and artistic but in which terms of their value of it?

I'm not a photographer, even not really familiar with camera it self, not kind of like taking picture even for my self. For 24 years i walk to a lot of era, I see Malaysian is really good at doing a new things. I see a lot people holding SLR now days, and population state that most of them not even a photography student. Positive angle of mine said they do great and even all the picture taken are very impressive, but still positive never stand alone, negative side is they are killing the real photographer.

Why they killing the professional? It is simple, most of technical part can be learn from the student, friends, internet, research and books, and so they can do adaption and learn just to take the nice shot but not understanding on how u can take a very nice shot and do it again. Malaysian is very familiar with the habits of "Just Do It", when they got the good result, they will compare with the professional student and came to a conclusion of "I don't even need a class, but still i can capture a great picture".

Mathematically, if you got 30 professional photographer who makes living out of it, giving their client the best service with the reliable payment that they get, and plus 70 non-professional photographer just doing it as a hobby but still if anybody want to get a wedding picture or bands picture still they can do it for them for free or just a little token would help, which group will the customer or client looking forward to? For sure the free and cheap price.

So now with 100 of pro and non pro photographer in the same line, but only got 40 people want to get a nice photo BUT don't mind if it is a pro works or not as long it is nice, what would happen to the other out of 40 demanding sector?

My point of view not to provoke all this photography activities as it is a positive hobby or works. But it not just happen in photography era, its happen to all era. It is an epidemic of "Seasons in the trend" or what we used to called it "Trendy".

Lets check back the time line 5 years ago, one band came up with Indie concept, 6 month later all the new Indie came up like a mushrooms. Most to most they killed the professional musician, not just that they killed the opportunity of music student it self as most of the Indie bands are not do for music terms, it just a trend.

Lets take a bit more, 10 years ago, one hip hop group came up and really make a real deal, after 6 month there are like 100's of hip hop group came up with different kind of style, but what the point of starting a things but never get done? Just to be a passerby.

Lets take another 2 years back, IT experts, hacker, computer technician, interior design, printing design and a lot more in the early days of multimedia, i bet all of your friends who are 21 and above are graduate in the same department.

Don't take all my opinion for rejection, i didn't say it was a lousy evolution, a lot of them create a new whole thing in this, but also do question your self, are u a killer to the professional? or you want to be professional it self?

Most of our people, our generation, never finish their job when they start it, tell me now do you got a friend who keep on trying to do anything but non of it get done? When there is something new trend came in, he change side ASAP, but never master the previous things he done. True or not?

I like all the arts and creativity they made no matter if it is professional or not. But please to remember one thing, stop exploiting things for granted, stop being a passerby, support all out the things you like, make a healthy community beside than being a stiff hardcore competitors, don't be an asshole, don't do for attention and please my dearest friend, support those people who giving an a big effort and spending to what they live for, don't kill em. They just want to have satisfaction in their passion, nothing more nothing less.

Before i end this, ask your self, "Am I a Fucken Trendy?"

P/s: Let see if after SLR era ends, is it an Era of Video making after this? I can see the baby are little now.