The End Of Newspaper Photographers?

Alan D. Mutter at Reflections of a Newsosaur ponders whether newspaper photographers will be replaced by reporters or even "citizen shooters". The photo at the top was taken by a citizen and posted to Flickr whilst the bottom photo was taken by a professional photographer working for the SF Chronicle. Even though the photos are small, the top one looks just as good as the bottom photo. [via]

Comments

[Dan McGee]

Both photos are quite good. And yes, at times amateurs do take just as good photographs as do some professionals.
The catch is that the pro is always asked to do exactly that. As one I can tell you it's not easy to do on a daily basis.
You can't equate one good shot as meaning that the professional doesn't have a future. It he, or she that will go the extra mile and over time get the better photographs.
This is actually a foolish comparison even if both photographs are great in their own right.

[Ringo Broadway]

In the Queen Mary / Golden Gate scenario, there are two main spots that people can view the Golden Gate. The Flickr.com one is on the San Francisco side of things, and the Chronicle's contribution came from the Marin County side. Personally, I think the Chronicle's photo is more impressive, showing the full scope of activity. Also, having viewed their site that day, I can tell you they had more than one shot up there!

Just my two cents on that particular comparison.