At the moment, many people own smartphones with decent, modern cameras; despite this fact, I believe that professional photographers are still needed, for a number of reasons.
To begin with, professional photographers not only own cameras that are superior to even the best smartphone cameras, but also know how to use them properly and effectively. As a matter of fact, the whole process of taking pictures is very difficult and demanding because, for a good photograph, the light in the room must be correctly adjusted. Moreover, on the camera, depending on many factors, one has to set the correct settings and place the person in the correct position. After the photo shoot, the photos, no matter how masterfully they were taken, need to be edited for a long time and enhanced in every possible way, with different effects and filters applied. Speaking objectively, an ordinary user is simply not able to do this because he has not got such skills and, more often than not, any training.
Admittedly, one should not forget that, when mobile phones appeared, the uniqueness of photographs dropped significantly, and, if previously photographs could only be taken by photographers, now, this is not the case. Of course, photographers will take much better photos than an ordinary person employing an average phone can; however, some people may simply have no need in photos of ideal quality. For example, the quality of a camera on a typical budget phone objectively suffices for one’s daily life and almost all needs, although it is not that fantastic. Furthermore, as for me, now is the best time for the real development of photography, inasmuch as, these days, many people indeed are desirous of impeccable quality photos, especially when it comes to special occasions, and they are willing to pay a lot for the services of an expert photographer, who can proficiently immortalize some precious moments of their lives. Yet, if a person just needs to take photos of a bus schedule or a grocery list, then they perfectly can take them by themselves, and this will not underestimate the role of gurus of photography.
In conclusion, I can say that I disagree with the opinion that photographers are almost useless in our time, while it is really true that now every person can capture a photo whenever and wherever they want, with ease. Such convenience has nothing to do with professional photography and the specialists in this sphere.