Photography is Changing
2022 and Beyond
January 1st, 2022.
Photography. The discipline of recording. An act of the moment. The frame of life.
Over the decades, photography has grown substantially not only as a profession but also as a hobby.
While many will see this as a good thing, others have yet to embrace the fanatic digitalization.
Change is often seen as inevitable. And while many know and agree with this, it's still a hard pill to swallow.
As the world continues to spin, influencers thrive, nfts arise, and film revives.
What does 2022 and the rest of the century have in store for photography?
Is photography a lost art? Or is this simply the new?
Excerpt from “Picturing the Century” by Bruce I. Bustard
The reportage of old.
I myself am no historian. I'm no professional. I do this for myself. I do this for fun.
But still, day by day I try to educate myself. More on the past and more on those that came before me.
Lately, I've been delving into archives of the 20th century. The biggest wars. The changing tides.
What struck me was how different photography was back then.
I'm not talking about the medium or the format or yadayada. I mean the perception.
When photography was in its early stages, it was slighted with low artistic value.
Photography was used as a means of recording and documentation.
And while this carries great importance and value as opposed to mainstream media nowadays, the photographer was not considered an artist like one is today.
An objective medium, with little room for expression.
Excerpt from “Daido Moriyama 55” by Kazuo Nishii
Daido Moriyama.
The later half of the century proved revolutionary for photography as an art.
Many up and coming photographers such as Moriyama began to prove that photography could serve - not only as reportage but as a true art.
Framelines. Exposures. Grain. Motion.
So many choices a photographer can make that ultimately dictates more than just the aesthetic.
Photography evolved as a means of self expression.
People began to follow the story of the photographer. Why he or she chose to take such picture in said way.
What thematic presence or implication makes this image speak to me?
How is this person creating what others cannot?
And why?
Today, we enjoy this luxury of self expression.
And perhaps tomorrow, this will change once again, leading us into a new era of photography.
The end of film. As we knew it.
For decades film served as the primary medium for photography.
A physical, novel, and beautiful way to capture life.
Until a presumably more convenient method of taking photos emerged.
No more developing, processing, scanning.
You can take an unlimited amount of photos and have them up on your computer in seconds.
The coming of digital cameras signaled the end of film.
There are many who'd disagree with this however, saying film is not dead.
Hipsters.
The loss of film has slowed thanks to a resurgence by many of the younger audience, myself included.
Those infatuted with retroism, love for mechanical operations, and being different has kept film standing.
Still, with each passing year comes a step closer to the finish line.
Stock continues to be discontinued, and cameras no longer made or operational.
Eventually the time will come where film is gone and forgotten.
Or perhaps some whale will pick up production and create a new line in a new way.
But it will be different, not the same as the film of old and not the same as the film of present.
Enter years of the film of future.
Accesibility.
Before, a camera wasn't for everyone. We didn't have phones the size of our wallets, much less ones that could capture stunning images as we do now.
To have a camera required need or money, usually both.
The technology revolution changed everything.
Now, you'd be hard pressed to find someone walking the streets without a phone.
Whether it be paintings or films, art has a consistent desire to become mainstream.
To show oneself to the world.
To be valued, appreciated, and understood.
To be recognized as the genius you presumably are.
But the accesibility of cameras comes with a price.
Dilution.
The addition of millions of quote on quote photographers means that anybody could take a photo.
What is so special about you if I can do the same thing?
You try to explain. "Well, the shutter, and the iso, and the..."
Dismissed. They don't care.
With the press of a button, the novelty turns off.
If everyone's a photographer, then no one's a photographer.
