Among the tips about when and where and how to buy new work, Hunt brought up an idea that informed the entire festival: that most of us already know more about photography than we think. “You’ve looked at tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of photographs in your life,” he said. “If you live in the Western world, you’re a very visual person. You know all about photographs. You know what the good ones are and the bad ones are. You may not be able to articulate that so easily, but you do know.”

A related idea, discussed at another panel the next day, is that we know not only how to look at photographs, but how to make them as well. (A quick glance around DUMBO this weekend proved the point. A majority of festivalgoers seemed to be toting their own Nikons and Canons and Leicas, snapping shots as they moved around the streets and exhibitions.) Panelists discussed today’s glut of images, the rise of “citizen journalism,” and the challenges that accompany them, namely, how photographers and photojournalists can remain relevant in an age when anyone with a camera and a computer can churn out – and publish online – decent photographs by the thousands.

Innovation is the key to remaining relevant, according to Parr, who led the panel, which included Paris Match photo editor Romain Lacroix and book dealer Markus Schaden. “One of the problems with photojournalism,” he says, “is that the images are very tired. We’ve all seen the pictures of the starving kids, of the war victims. People need to reinvent it. One of the great things about this festival is you can walk around and see many new ways of telling stories. This is where the future lies.”