"Pain Point" of Photography

Hey everyone! I am working on a business project to solve what the pain points are for photographers. By "pain points," I mean, what is a difficulty in photography that you wished could be solved? For example, the cost of buying lenses or buying equipment that never gets used. What is something in photography that causes stress that you wish could be solved? I would appreciate any input.

Much more so now than pre-digital is the constant bombardment of the newest latest greatest digital body that renders all previous models to the status of paperweight. I know there have been many advances in the technology and battery capabilities but the question that was often asked around here is what do you need to do that you can't do with what you have. Honest answer is not much yet new models come out constantly. I just ordered new batteries for my old D1X that has been used to cover anything from weddings to sports to mischief murder and mayhem. Same old camera still covers everything just fine. I've been tempted of late to buy an upgrade for my pair of D200 bodies but they also do everything I ask of them. My pain point seems to be parting with $2-6K for the next camera when I just don't need a new one. I sure am tempted by the full frame Nikons though....

 

RIck H.

No pain points for me. I just take photos with my 35mm camera and do not really need to purchase anything. Gear is all fine.

The biggest for me is the number of other photographers that turn up to key sites; especially in the USA but spreading to other countries . Locations like Ox-Bow Bend, the major overlooks in the national parks, Maroon Bells and many more are lost to a photographer who values the ability to set up and move around at will and photograph in conditions that allow you to enjoy peace and quiet and not be part of a zoo in which photographers line up, shoulder to shoulder. People say "find your own spots " and of course I do, but there's no getting away from the fact that the spots from which the best photographs are often available are mostly rammed. Barring a major economic downturn, or a large reduction in the USA's attraction for tourists, and a reduction in the volume of "photo tours" I can't see a resolution. Many of the sites with great potential are lost.

The biggest for me is the number of other photographers that turn up to key sites

I particularly like the ones that show up in all haste AFTER one has set up for a shot at such a location and then yell at everyone already there to get the %$#! out of THEIR shot. Or the "photo tour/workshop" that sets up their impressively long line of tripods about five feet from their tour vehicle preventing everyone else from selecting a spot anywhere but behind them and then waiting for instructions on which focal length to use and what parameters to set on their cameras to get the "shot of a lifetime" while preventing everybody else from getting theirs and with the light already fading before they are all done.<br><br>

 

Pain points: camera makers not paying attention to ergonomics of their camera control layout, not creating sensible menus, not providing direct access to often needed parameters or making it more difficult than necessary to set the camera up optimally, or not providing technical details on camera or lens features so that one can make educated choices without having to do extensive testing on how something is supposed to work. In short, camera makers designing cameras the way they think they should look and operate instead of how the customer wants them to function. Camera makers holding back a feature or intentionally crippling a camera, then releasing a new model within a year of the previous model's release that includes those features or remedies the crippling while at the same time causing the resale value of the previous model to drop precipitously. Not providing firmware updates past a certain date or at all. Or not including a feature in the firmware update of one model that is included in another (generally higher priced).<br><br>

 

Camera makers swamping the market with grey imports to boost their bottom line, then refusing to repair those very same products under all circumstances (short of sending them back to the country of origin).<br><br>

 

(Physical) pain point: shrinking cameras to the point that they become almost impossible to hold while at the same time increasing the size of the attached lenses to complete the ergonomic nightmare. The small camera size necessitates small batteries, forcing the user to carry a handful along, in turn negating any weight or size saving that prompted the reduction in camera size to begin with.<br><br>

I make snaps with my phone. No pain points here.

Physically, down from a Nikon D300 with an18-200mm zoom to a Fuji XE1 with a 27mm most of the time. The Fuji combination is as small and light as I can get and still have a quality picture maker. I miss opportunities but one successful photo a day should be enough. The secret is lowered expectations.

Thank you all for your feedback so far! It will help me greatly in my research to aid photographers!

The cost of scanning film at labs, and the use of the wrong kind of scanners. This means higher costs and lower quality results. Cine scanners are designed properly, and do not exaggerate graininess. And they scan relatively quickly.

 

There are no domestic scanners under $500 that I would want to buy. The old Pakon F135+ used to sell for $200, now they are over $1,000 - if you can find one. It had good resolution, colour and speed. Ideal for domestic use, although scans were grainy.

Carrying 22kg of MF or LF kit into the wilds and back, intact!

I am not troubled by practical considerations such as cost, insurance or the production of images for print. The real stress and pain is in the back!!

• It is hard to hand hold a heavy lens extremely steady zoomed at 600mm or 840mm.
  
• Big lenses with low f-stops are very expensive.
  
• All the lenses I want are very expensive.
  
• low light high ISO noise, it's gotten better but it still exists.
  
• cameras still can't handle white balance between sunlight and shadow like the human eye.
  
• Why shutter counts matter on DSLRs, they just should not wear out.
  
• Getting all the camera gear I want to take on a plane to fit into the carry-on bag.
  
• Hot days and sweating while shooting.
  
• Cold days and freezing while shooting.
  
• Rainy days and shooting.
  
• Wildlife spooks easily and runs or flys away.
  
• miss placing a piece of equipment, filter, charger, battery, cards...
  
• seeing something while driving so cool you want to get a photo of it, but there is no safe place to pull off to stop.
  
• That team of specialists that make sure there are ugly signs, utility poles and wires cluttering any view of beautiful locations and landmarks.
  
• Seeing gear drop to a reasonable price after I bought it for $400 more.
  
• Trying to sell a used piece of gear for half what I bought it for, then seeing B&H selling a new one for less. Where are those prices when I buy gear?
  
• Visiting a destination site to photograph and the entire city seems to be under construction.
  
• Orange cones, they are everywhere cluttering up the country.
  
• trash cluttering nature areas and waterways.
  
• Having WiFi and GPS turned on in my camera sucks battery life.
  
• locations that prohibit photography.
  

Not the complete list.

Was I only supposed to list one?

Batteries. If there was a way to make them last a few months, that would make things a lot easier.

I'm tall, interested in average people and missing technology to shoot cameras at my subjects' eye levels or a bit lower like belt buckle height. - There are a few modern mid range cameras with a screen that flips out but isn't really visible in sun light. I wish there were add ons like the chimney finders of old MF cameras to be used with modern mirrorless, maybe even tethered to these cameras. Great Add on EVFs for DSLRs like EOSrd would be nice to have too. Modern digital cameras that mechanically integrate the various orphan lens mounts fully and for example operate the apertures in these lenses would be nice to have too.

Pain point #1 for me: wedding guests with iPhones getting into my frame when I'm shooting a wedding.