There has never been more to look at. Every day brings another wave of images and it will only grow. Even perfect photographs feel common when there are thousands like them a swipe away. The result is simple. Viewers get tired. Attention thins out. It becomes harder for any single frame to land and stay.

I’m borrowing “abundance” from Diamandis and Kotler. Their point was simple: when technology lowers cost and widens access, scarcity fades. Photography followed that path. Cameras went into our pockets, storage got cheap, and images multiplied. What matters now is not the ability to make a photo but the judgment to see, select, and say why it matters.

I took this photo of a home some years ago which was later demolished.
When I posted this on instagram, some one from the family recognized it and wrote
“My Nana’s house… our childhood memories”.

So what does that mean for photography. I do not work as a professional so I cannot speak for the industry. My sense is that photography still has a clear place when it is tied to people and their own lives. Weddings. Family portraits. Personal milestones. Fine art made from a client’s own photographs. Those pictures carry meaning that no stock image or Ai can replace.

Other work may struggle to stand out. My own street photography is likely to be lost in the sea of images already online. I still do it because it calms me. I enjoy the walk and the act of looking. I have the freedom to keep it as a hobby and to make pictures for myself rather than for reach. But street photography records history. For that alone it still has value, though how anyone will find it is another matter.

Famous photographers and those with a large online following will likely ride this out. They already have a known voice and an audience. My thoughts here are for people considering photography as a career today. The field is crowded and the pace is fast. You need a clear niche, strong relationships and a plan that goes beyond posting to be seen.

I have experimented with fine art portraits of my children. I start with a photograph and then paint over it in Procreate on the iPad using digital paints and brush strokes. I keep these private so I cannot share them here. If I offered similar portraits for clients I think there would be interest, at least for a while. How long that market will last, I really don’t know.

For me the path is quiet and personal. Make photographs I care about. Print the ones that matter. Share what feels honest and let the rest stay in a folder. That is enough.

Related Note: No body cares about your photography & Documenting the disappearing Lahore