Are modern photographers getting worse?

It seems like as time passes the sheer volume of photos circulating online increases, but the overall quality decreases.

This can be due to a multitude of reasons:

• the accessibility as a whole has gone up

• social media has changed the game

• people simply use photography for different reasons

And the perception of what people think of when they hear the word “photographer” now has a whole new meaning.

Today we’re going to explore these different ideas to see if we can understand this a bit better.

Let’s begin.

Everyone’s a “Photographer”

Within the past few decades, the shape of photography has changed dramatically.

From your box cameras, to your 35mm SLRs, to disposable film cameras, to digital point and shoots, cameras have come a long long way.

And although cameras have been a thing for quite some time now, not everyone had one.

However, with the invention of the smartphone, any and everyone has a camera, from your 90 year old grandma to your 4 year old infant.

And thus, the lines have blurred.

Accessibility is one of the main reasons why it feels like photography is getting “worse”.

The sheer volume of people taking photos has increased, and proportionally, the number of bad photos as well.

Similarly, when any and everyone is taking the same exact photo, that picture loses any sense of distinctiveness.

I felt this large bit of irony a few months ago when I visited Japan.

I had taken a day trip to explore the coastal city of Kamakura and was surprised with just how many tourists there were.

The city is known for it’s seaside views but more especially, it’s aesthetic green train.

There’s a famous spot in particular by the ocean that was featured in the anime “Slam Dunk”.

And there were dozens and dozens of people there, trying to get the same photo for their social media posts.

I spent maybe 30 minutes there before I left, because it was just too crowded for my taste.

People were waiting in line to take the same photo of the same thing for the same social media post.

And I could’ve waited my turn as well, but what would have been the point?

We’ll go into more detail of my photography experience in the Kamakura video, but here’s what I’m getting at.

There used to be a group of photographers who either:

• documented things

• shot for newspapers or magazines

• were artists immersed in the craft of photography

They saw photography for what it was, respected the art of it, and created many iconic photos that you’d think of when you thought of “professional photography”.

These people still exist, but the number is dwindling, the public cares less, and now a new group has emerged entirely.

This new group, by definition, are still “photographers” (people who take photos), but are different from the photographers above.

They take pictures for different reasons and do different things with their photography.

And no hate, at times I’m one of them.

I’ll take a selfie here and there to prove my existence because I don’t wanna look back later and think “why don’t I have any pictures of myself on that trip?”

But the point is, this new group, emerging from the accessibility of technology, does a different kind of photography.

It’s not about getting better photos.

It’s not about documenting or telling a story.

It’s about social proof and validation, and very little about photography.

This has made it seem like photography has been getting worse.

If you and 500 people take the same photo, there’s going to be nothing special about it, and it’ll lose it’s flavor.

If you and a billion other people aren’t trying to “take better photos” as many photographers once did, but are rather trying to capture a portrait in an attempt to preserve your fleeting existence, then of course it’s going to seem like photography is getting “worse”.

That’s one of the many sad realities of digitalization and the modern era.

Because everyone’s a photographer, no one’s a photographer.

Now what if we ignore this new group of photographers and focus on the “serious” photographers?

The ones who care about photography, are more intentional with their photos, and make stuff with.

Are they still getting worse?

The Modern “Serious” Photographer

Perhaps the second reason why modern photography seems like its getting worse is because of this new direction the world has entered.

Newspapers, television, radio, are all things of the past.

They still exist, but aren’t as widely consumed, and many things have changed.

Social media, YouTube, and podcasts have all taken their grasp on our attention, and there is little we can do about it.

So it would make sense that the direction of photography has shifted as well.

Along with the “smartphone consumer photographer”, exists another new group.

This new age “serious” photographer is the photographer that might have gone into journalism, documentary photography, or independent street photography had they been born half a century ago.

But because it’s 2025, there isn’t nearly as much interest or opportunity in those areas.

Therefore, many of these people have chosen a different format: most notably social media and YouTube.

Unironically, I’m one of them.

Social media allows and presents an opportunity for more serious creators to make a living doing what they love, independent of organizations that seek their share of the pie.

The only problem is: this changes the type of photos we take and share as well.

Because making content is so outwardly focused, many online photographers have to make content about things that will get them views.

This usually means more videos about camera gear and less on photography itself.

This also means less showing of quality photos, and more scrapping together whatever we have.

Because the harsh reality is: content is not photography.

They are two completely different things, even if you’re making content about photography.

Because of this, many photographers spend most of their time making content, not doing photography.

Because let’s face it, good photography takes time.

And when publishing to a content schedule, you don’t have time.

You simply have to use what you have, and the quality of your work suffers for it.

I’m not arguing for or against it, that’s just what I’ve learned in my time making content.

So what does this mean?

This means that the second reason why it feels like photography nowadays is getting worse is because of the nature of the format.

Many photographers are going the creator route.

And the creator route has constraints of its own, making it difficult to create not only good content but good photography.

Furthermore, the space is so heavily fixated on the latest and greatest camera gear, that very little is about photography.

With everyone, creator and consumer alike, so fixated on which camera they should buy instead of taking more better photos, it’s no wonder photography is getting “worse”.

I’m guilty of some of this myself - I make many videos on gear, although I’ve changed how I do it now.

There’s no way I could sit down and go down a long list of specs and upgrades.

That would kill me.

Instead, I use the reviews to capture attention and make the videos about my experiences with the gear, tying it to photography as much as I can.

That or accepting it for what it is, and treating it as content.

That’s the nature of the beast.

The Death of Print

Few photographers printed their work before, even less do now.

Because of my time printing my own photos, I’ll always encourage other photographers to print their work.

I think there’s an intrinsic value there that can’t be replicated by showing your photos off online.

This includes making a zine or a photobook - these have taught me a lot about photography and have helped me get better.

It’s unfortunate then, that less and less photographers will ever print their work.

Why go through all the trouble when you could just press post?

Well, I’ll tell you why.

There’s something intrinsically satisfying to see your photos on paper in a physical form.

Maybe not in a dramatic enlightenment sort of way, but I think it changes the way you view and approach photography.

Print takes time, it costs money, and it forces you to choose between the many photos you like.

This process of elimination creates a filter between you and the photos you print.

In that effort to find a “print worthy photo”, you approach photography with more care, and you get better as a result.

Plus, with the challenges of making a larger project like a zine or photobook, you have to think bigger picture.

It’s not simply just taking nice looking photos.

But now it’s more about: how do these photos connect and relate to one another and the underlying theme of what I’m trying to make?

All of these lessons and learnings are lost when you stop printing.

Sure you could argue that an Instagram carousel or a YouTube video have filters of their own.

You still have to pick which photos do or do not make the cut.

But the money factor plays a big role here.

Social media is free.

Printing your work can cost a pretty penny.

And anything that costs us money we’ll take more seriously.

Not only that, printing as an outlet is more true to your nature as a photographer.

When you post a lot of content on social media, in a sense you’re being groomed by the algorithm.

You’re bound to get more likes on certain videos and photos, and thus your future actions will be in an effort to replicate that.

Therefore, the shape of your photography becomes:

“What will other people like?”, rather than “what is the best photo for whatever I’m trying to express?”.

Again, big difference.

You could argue that, “But Andre I don’t care what other people think and everything I post is my own free will.”

But I think subconsciously the algorithm plays a much bigger influence on our actions than we realize.

I’ve found this to be true in my experience.

I’m more hesitant about posting because I’m worried about people not liking it.

Even photos that I like or are objectively good, aren’t the same as the photos that do well on social media, and my actions change because of it.

So why does this matter?

The shift in photography away from print could be a reason why photography is “getting worse”.

I’m just speculating here.

Less print and more social media means less detail and less care in the craft.

Plus, outside opinions and likes begin to shape the nature of the photos you find yourself taking.

This creates photography work that is less true to oneself, the nature of you as an artist, and becomes the algorithm’s photo, not yours.

All of that combines to create less diversity in photography and more of what everyone else wants.

Less diversity, less experimentation, less innovation.

Is my point in a nutshell.

Making Photography “Better”?

Well, I’ve talked a lot about why photography might be getting worse, but I don’t want you to think that’s the whole story.

Much of this is just speculation and for all I know, photography could be getting “better”, in it’s own way.

My first point was that more accessibility leads to more of the same silly photos and a lower quality overall.

But you could easily argue that more accessibility leads to more people getting into photography, and better photos overall.

My second point was that more serious photographers are leaning into making content rather than other fields, and good content isn’t necessarily good photography.

But again, you could argue that everyone does photography for different reasons, good is subjective, and the expanding field of photography is worth the trade-off.

My third point was that the dying medium of print leads to less investment and detail oriented photography and an algorithm curated catalog.

And you can always say that that’s not a bad thing, because it shows us what people really want.

So what am I saying here?

After thinking and writing about this, I’ve come to the simple conclusion that photography is changing, not necessarily getting worse.

People will have all sorts of opinions and thoughts about what they think photography should or should not be.

And because photography has changed so much in the past few decades, it can definitely seem like we are pulling away from what made photography so great in the past.

But part of moving on to the future is accepting that: things have changed.

Photography is different than it used to be.

The world is different than it used to be.

Whether that’s a good or bad thing, that’s up to you to decide.

I personally don’t think it matters - it was fun to write about though.

If you’re concerned about this topic, my advice is to find what photography is for you.

If you think the world is getting clogged with crappy Instagram posts of lackluster photography, take initiative to make something unique and different with your photography.

Find the things that drives you internally as an artist, focus on that, and just keep making stuff.

If enough people do that, I think the shape of things will once again change.

And, maybe I’ll be back in 20 years to see if it does.

Thank you for reading, I hope you found this interesting.

If you’d like to learn more and build a solid foundation with photography, go to Photography Essentials - it’s free.

If you wanna help support me, add to the travel fund or grab a copy of my first photography zine “The Sinking Sun”.

Thanks again, have a great rest of the day.