This past Thursday the newspaper and photo-journalism worlds witnessed a sudden sea change in how stories in the future will be reported upon and told. The Chicago Sun-Times editorial staff received this memo after 28 members of their photography staff were abruptly released: “In the coming days and weeks, we’ll be working with all the editorial employees to train and outfit you as much as possible to produce the content we need. These sessions will be mandatory and will concentrate on several areas: iPhone photography basics, video and basic editing, transmission and social media.” As Pulitzer Prize winning photographer John White states it was as if the newspaper had “pushed a button and deleted a whole culture of photo-journalism.” White had been with The Sun-Times for 44 years. And so the shift begins.

What IS this shift? How did it happen? Who is responsible? What can be done about it?  Well, “the shift” I’m referring to is what is now most commonly called “digital disruption.” As author James McQuivey writes in his new book Digital Disruption: Unleashing the Next Wave of Innovation “The distance between an idea and the digital realization of that idea is now so short, so cheap and so quick, that a bright twelve year old can do it.”  McQuivey would certainly not agree that a 12 year old can or should report on the news for The Sun-Times. He does believe that technology has reached a point where anyone can do just about anything from anywhere on their device of choice. Even their iPhone. And they are. Think about any of the most recent events from this past month. Videos and images of tornadoes taken from cell phones, their owners moments away from possible destruction. Scared tweets shared by folks trying to find shelter from yet another round of tornadoes. All coming to us through our favourite social networks in very real-time. Our ability and appetite to see and hear the news in an instant have become one and the same. We have entered the age of the citizen-journalist. It is unlikely we are turning back.

A number of emotionally hard-hitting articles have been published since Thursday’s Chicago Sun-Times news. You might imagine most in the industry feel badly for the photographers whose careers have abruptly ended. This is not a great economy to be searching for a new gig, even if you are talented. You can read Michael Miner’s insightful article here, and Digital Photography’s review here.

Perhaps Allen Murabayashi of Photoshelter sums up the immediate impact of this new era of digital disruption on photo-journalism best:

“This is the golden age of photography. More people are taking and consuming images than ever before, and it is truly a cause of celebration. But journalism (be it written or photos) has suffered immeasurably by the serialization of moments brought to you courtesy of “the crawl,” Twitter, Instagram and the like. The benefits of instant communication has led to a glut of information where photos go viral andgrumpy cats get agents, while “hard” news has been relegated to and become synonymous with “disaster,” rather than a discourse of often complex issues that affect the public.”

Indeed photo-journalism as a profession has taken a hit in this new “golden age of photography” but as other professions before it (music and publishing to name just two), there will be unfortunate casualties alongside scrappy innovators. This weekend, as the initial shock of the dismissals wore off, posts have gained an air of reflection. A bit of “we did see this coming, and we can do something about it!” One such article by Molly McHugh at Digital Trends looks at social media darling Instagram’s impact on photography in her article “Photographers Tussle Over Whether “Pro Instagrammers’ Are Visionaries or Hacks” with some keen insights on what it now means to be a professional photographer. She argues that rather than seeing mobile photography as a competitor to professional photography, photographers need to view the mobile phone as one more indispensable piece of kit in their camera bag. One that will ensure they remain timely, relevant and invaluable.

On Saturday I was lucky to meet one of the best local examples of this new breed of social photographer, Grace and Chris Hughes of A Nerd’s World in Toronto. In their funky and truly eclectic shop, Grace and Chris have combined a compelling love for photography’s other “golden age” (please see the photo above, taken in their shop) with the tech-savvy skills of a modern multi-media consultancy. Not only do they take amazing fine art portraits with the help of their many vintage cameras, they also provide contemporary graphic and web design services, while smartly sharing their love of photography through social channels like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I want to thank Grace for taking the time on a busy Saturday to tell me their story, let me sigh admiringly over their camera collection, and take a few snaps to help tell this story.

I hope for all of us photographers that we will see a happier ending to our stories as we face the challenges and opportunities that come our way in the days ahead. We cannot go too far wrong if we follow the advice of John White who reminds all of us to “use the camera of your heart.”