How Adaptable Are You Willing To Be?

I was reading some great quotes this morning when I ran across this one, which, at the risk of sounding like I'm preaching, is perfect for a blog post setting the stage for the new year:

"Anything you're rigid about, sooner or later, 
the rug is going to get pulled out from under you."
Alan Arkin

Although I like to believe I'm a young thinker, technically, by many of your standards, I'm an old fart. Well, being an old fart is something I'm pretty proud of.  It gives me an advantage many of you don't have.  I've got an amazing collection of classic moments in this industry to learn from.  Here are some examples that tie directly to Alan Arkin's quote.

• When digital photography came on the scene there were a lot of photographers who felt the industry was simply going to hell and NOTHING was going to replace film. Check back through their gene pool and they probably have a relative who screamed the same thing when we went from black and white to color...sorry, I'm not old enough to remember that one! LOL
• I remember a Calumet campaign fighting it out with Nikon. At that time Calumet was one of the biggest professional photography retailers in the country. When Nikon announced they were no longer going to manufacture non-autofocus lenses, Calumet dropped the line. They actually had a special graphic that showed a Nikon with a red circle and bar through it. Six months later they caved, along with the industry's acceptance of autofocus technology.

• As president of Hasselblad, back in the mid 90's I was asked to be the moderator of a WPPI platform program, then billed as the "Battle of the Century". It was between Monte Zucker and a "radical" photographer, Denis Reggie. The battle was over the issue of wedding photojournalism and traditional photography and it got ugly. In fact, the two of them spent the first fifteen minutes throwing grenades at each other as did the audience. The room was completely divided, like the bride and groom's family at a wedding. Within a year or two it was a moot point, yet there are still a few diehards out there who will still, give the opportunity, raise the issue.
• Then there are changes in the industry that happen because management isn't listening. Polaroid had 21,000 employees when I was there and twenty years later went bankrupt. Kodak's problems have become legendary. PPA and WPPI battled it for years and now ShutterFest is setting a new standard for building a community together with a trade show and magazine.

• Here's one more that's current. It's about those of you who want to battle it out over Canon vs. Nikon. With mirrorless technology it's no longer even relevant. Panasonic, Sony, Samsung and Fujifilm are all creating some amazing products. As an example, check out the images and photographers who make up Panasonic's Luminaries. They're a remarkable group and they'e using LUMIX gear to set an incredibly high standard, including 4K video and the list goes on and on.

So, here's my point this morning...every day there's another paradigm shift in technology, consumer trends, business and social media. I'm not suggesting you abandon your beliefs or support for anything, just keep an open mind and remember that survival is no longer about the most fit, but about the most creative and adaptable.