They’re all closing down

This past week I’ve been bombarded with messages from photographers in Australia wondering about the mass closure of some of the industry’s most established studios, agents and printers.

If you’re elsewhere in the world, you’ve probably seen many companies like this close down in the last few years.

I have to admit I don’t think I have ever seen a body of businesses close in such a tight time period, and it’s terrifying, I know, for many lens based image makers, especially if you are a bit quiet at the moment.

It’s easy to default to; “I might as well hang up the camera now and start my renovation business.”

And if that’s what you actually want to do, go for your life. I’m serious!

But if you love your job, and all the aspects of it; the collaborations, the people you meet along the way, the incredible crew you get to work with, the places you discover, the things you learn and the problems you solve, and of course the gorgeous photography and motion that you get to make, I’d like to suggest you refrain from panicking, breathe and look at this in perspective.

We do not know the real reasons each of these companies has closed it’s doors.

Personally, when I closed my photographers agency, The Collective Force I had just had my best year ever, with the biggest jobs and income from ad agencies in USA, Canada, Asia and the Southern Hemisphere.

But I had my own reasons for closing the doors. You can read about it here in this post I wrote 12 years ago when the business sold, and it had nothing to do with external factors – just my own need for change.

I’m not going to ignore the fact that all of us have survived a pandemic, and the global economy over last year or two has not facilitated an easy recovery. Some businesses just didn’t make it. And some may have scraped through, only to find themselves lacking the motivation to keep going.

But to be honest I am hearing regularly from photographers I’ve worked with who’ve had their best year yet, Australians included.

At the end of the day, if businesses, especially photo reps, close their doors they create space.

Space for new businesses to start, with fresh ‘hungry’ people at the helm who are highly motivated and excited to make things work, whatever the global economy.

Space for new business models and different ways of working.

As it happens I know that the agents still thriving in Australia are excited about the new talent they can now take on to manage the work that will naturally shift to them.

Meanwhile, keep going, one step at a time, one connection at a time, and don’t stop because someone else did. You’re on your own path and they on theirs.

I cannot wait to see where yours’ leads you.

If you are one of those photographers who loves your job but is concerned about what steps to take next, I have opened up applications to work with me in the second half of 2024. Apply for a free call with me here and we’ll get clear on your direction, identify the areas you need to work on and discuss next steps.

Thank you to Australian photographer Will Hartl for this gorgeous image from the series ‘Enduring Hope’, created on my mentoring program. It feels very prescient.