Aye, there's some trend here, indeed. Pro photographers were the only ones capable of providing images once. Now it's like typing or writing. There are still pro writers who know how to say stuff more convincingly, in a more interesting way, etc. But being a photographer has become as difficult as being a writer. We're in Strugglingland now ;)

Unlike our grandfather photographers? I don't think so. Everything done well was always difficult, I believe. And that's the fun part.