The professional photographers' market - France

It's important to understand that these different market segments remain porous, particularly from the point of view of photographers, who rarely specialize in just one sector. According to ARCOM, 80% of photographers operate in several market segments. In addition to these players, there are alsoancillary activities such as photographic development and printing, networking between professionals and customers (Meero), photo restoration and retouching (retouchephoto.fr), for example. In France, photography has enjoyed rapid growth since the 2000s, with the practice becoming much more democratic. Thearrival of digital photography, which developed particularly strongly in the 2000s, and the subsequent surge in smartphone sales and the increasing quality of their cameras, have led to a radical transformation in the market for professional photographers. The professionalization of amateurs, the profusion of images and their massive communication have fuelled growing difficulties for photographers to add value to their business. The main effects have been a drop in rates and therefore in remuneration, the widespread use of the auto-entrepreneur status, an increase in copyright infringement and the trivialization of free photography. Professional photographers are thus facing new challenges, but can nonetheless count on significant growth levers. The main growth drivers are digital tools that facilitate communication, but also the massive segment of digital corporate communication.