Do I suck or does the industry? The end of still life.

I met with the photo editor today of one of the large local magazine syndicates (the kind that have a dozen local magazines across the us).  The interview was great.  I performed well, was thoughtful, a good listener and even threw in a few jokes.  The photo editor really liked the photography, said it was some "great work".  

Then he explained how they didn't really have a place for still life work in his magazine.  Most of the stuff is supplied by the companies that manufacture the products, like jewelry or cosmetics for example.  I was expecting this because it's pretty much the same response I got last month from another photo editor.

Then we started talking about the still life photography industry.  He went into how after 9/11 the industry changed and most companies started going to stock where they could for stuff like still life or taking it in house or using bargain photography agencies.  His theory is that this current economic slow down might be another beating on the still life section of the industry and it might not recover.  

He pretty much said what i was thinking, but to afraid to put into words.  The signs are all over the place.  Working photographers that specialize in still life are dead, some not having work for months at a time, while working people photographers seem to be slower but not as severely.   Which makes sense and heres why.

Products don't change unless you change them, people do.  If you under the gun to cut budgets, its easy to pull out last years image of a product for an ad and photoshop it up and send it out.  People noticeably change and so does last years fashion which is worn by people.

Also, it's fairly easy to CGI a product but not a person.  

Photographers beware, don't specialize in still life.