In the summer, at the end of August, the professional photography industry was weathering a storm of uncertainty. The “digital disruption” was no longer a prediction; it was a daily reality. Across the globe, seasoned pros were closing their doors, overwhelmed by a race-to-the-bottom in pricing and a flooded market of “shoot-and-burn” hobbyists. The prevailing sentiment in online forums was grim: the era of the great American portrait studio was ending.