You're Asking the Wrong Question About Photography Part 01

Is photography dead? The short answer is no, but that's the wrong question. After 40 years in commercial photography, I watched an entire industry collapse. Not because of digital cameras, smartphones, or AI. It was the CD-ROM, a piece of plastic the size of a coaster, that killed the catalogue photography business model and took half the commercial studios in Toronto with it. In Part 1, we start with Eaton's, the department store catalog that once fed an entire generation of commercial photographers. When the catalog died, the ecosystem went with it. This is the story of how a single client's pivot to CD-ROM distribution erased an entire production model, and what that teaches every photographer working today. The death of a business model is not the death of a profession — it's a filter. CHAPTERS 0:00 — Is photography dead? 0:20 — The trade show floor, 1995 1:34 — The real killer: CD-ROM, not digital 2:31 — The Client didn't need Perfect. They needed fast and cheap 4:00 — You are still asking the wrong question 4:52 – What is dying right now is the generic photographer 6:09 – The death of a business model is not the death of a profession - it's a filter 6:54 — What never died: the photographer with something to say 8:13 — The profession has never been more alive Wrong Side of the Camera documents the history, reality, and vanished world of high-production commercial photography, from someone who lived it. 40+ years of workflow, lighting, large format, and film photography knowledge, preserved before it disappears. Subscribe and hit the bell so you don't miss Parts 2 and 3. #photography #commercialphotography #filmphotography #photographycareer #photographyhistory #documentary #storytelling #photographytips