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The Future of Photography
The Future of Photography - Since
its birth and for around 100 years, photography hasn't really changed
that much if you think about it. You had a box with a lens attached
which streams light in and records it onto a film plane and now onto a
digital sensor.
In Ye Olde days of film cameras, the only things that
changed with regards to technology were the lens quality and the
mechanics of the camera itself, the shutter, the exposure system, the
speed etc, the recording media (film or emulsion) hasn't really changed
too much over time, especially towards the end, not when you compare it
to digital and its rapid advances.
Things were easy then although I didn't know it at the time.
You could have a top of the range pro SLR shooting
Fujichrome Velvia and you were set for years. If the quality of the
slide or film changed, you simply used that instead...no need to upgrade
the camera.
How different things are now and where will it end?
When will we see the introduction of cameras that have interchangeable
and upgradeable sensors? Sure it goes against the research and
development costs and the need to recoup them, but someone will do it,
one day, mark my words!
After all, the Red One
video system (Drooool) is simply a box of bolt on goodies (albeit an
amazing and expensive one) that is completely future proof, every
component is upgradeable so will DSLR's follow suit?
Lately I have been asking myself, well not literally,
that would make me quite mad, but I have been thinking about where
photography is going...the photography that we know now. Is my career
safe? The one I have been working on for over 25 years? The transition
to digital from film was too much for many "die-hard" film photographers
and they fell by the wayside in terms of keeping up in the business
world.
Is it still possible for newcomers to this
hobby/profession (and there are quite a few, believe me) to make a
living from photography?
Technology is still moving at an alarming rate and
new features and inventions that make our lives easier are appearing all
the time, are these features that can make a career in photography
accessible to anyone?
- High resolution, high quality camera phones
- Live view for DSLR's
- HDR (High Dynamic Range) to assist with high contrast scenarios and situations
- Extremely high quality at high ISO
- Rapid fire shutters and superb focussing systems that capture all the action
- High definition video that shoots 60 x 12mp (5D equivalent) frames per second
- All of the above becoming affordable to the masses
Also
- Will there be a need for wedding photographers in 5-10 years?
- Should I start thinking more about video and its possibilities as we enter and delve further into the high tech, high definition digital age?
- What about stock photography? Will we one day have magazines and newspapers made from paper thin plasma that show moving images rather than stills?
So, will there be room and opportunities for more "professional photographers" in the future?
Absolutely! After all, everyone in the 18th Century could afford a paint brush but not just anyone could "Master" it!
Even with all of this technology coupled with the
fact that DSLR sales are rising at an unfathomable rate, there are still
factors required to make a good image, not just the ability to
point-and-shoot your "Canonympusikontron Mark MCMLXXXVIII" camera and hope for the best:
- The ability and patience to learn the fundamentals of photography
- The patience to wait for that perfect nature shot or the perfect light for that stunning landscape
- Taking the time to learn Photoshop, Lightroom or any other digital imaging program, almost a pre-requisite these days I am afraid!
- The skill, professionalism and charm to acquire, understand and shoot the needs of the couple at a wedding
- Taking time to understand light and composition and how it affects each and every photograph we take
- Learning how to market and promote yourself to get started, and then continually re-invent yourself to keep a successful business operating
I remember talking to my wife a few of years ago
about music. I was saying that I thought music will hit a kind of
bottle-neck, or U-bend and start turning back on itself. I may be
completely wrong but how far can music go?
We have had:
- Sticks, bongos and bells
- Classical
- Rock
- Jazz
- Grunge, electro and all the other genres
- A mixture of rock and classical as well as just about every other mix possible
- A mixture of ancient tribal sounds with modern instruments proving that it is getting harder to create a "new" sound
What else is there? Now in 2007, we are seeing a huge
surge of "back to basic" rock bands with simple guitar-drums-singer
bands appearing more and more and becoming increasingly popular.
More bands from yesteryear are making comebacks from
the likes of Take That from the 1990s to the amazing Led Zeppelin from
the 1970s.
What is happening is that musicians now have to prove
themselves as skilled artists once again and not just "mix it up" with
some ropey old cover version, and I think this is what will happen with
photography!
Sure, everyone is jumping on the band wagon and
creating unreal/surreal/fake images with the use of their digital
imaging programs and advertising companies and movie makers are making
the most of this technology too.
Personally, I believe there will come a time where we
will all crave that "pure" basic form of photography and film-making
where you know damn well that the photographers or Videographers have
studied, learned about and waited patiently to get the perfect shot.
Fake will become old news and reality will strike once again maybe.
I think that new photographers having the foresight
to see these upcoming trends and maybe even influencing them will help
many people achieve their goals in the photography world.
Already I am seeing some amazingly talented and
realistic photographers emerge from all corners of the globe and it
motivates me greatly and emphasizes the fact that photography as we know
it is here to stay, much in the way that art, paintings and antiques
will be around forever...I hope!
Regardless of where technology takes us, I think
people will always have a penchant for beautiful things whether it is an
old painting, a photograph, a video clip or holographic digital
art...who knows?
Whereas the actual finished photograph will be around for years, will how we get that image stay the same or will we all be
- ...bursting off 1,000 high-resolution, 3 dimensional frames per second to capture the perfect shot in glorious 3D "without" the need for wearing those silly glasses?
- Or sitting in the comfort of our homes whilst our camera is tethered to a Wi-Fi enabled device on the other side of the world that is operated from our laptop in the UK, so that we can shoot the perfect wildlife shot in Africa whilst watching the 47th series of "Lost" and munching on a bag of Maltesers?
- Will the world and photographic stock libraries become saturated with images of business people shaking hands, or happy children running along the beach and will every city in the world be photographed to death from every angle?
So what is the Future of Photography? Ahhh who cares, I love it...now! Feel free to leave your comments below.
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What Others Have Said...
DOCTOR by Charles (Fl) - Probably 3D images that come from the camera without glasses and possibly virtual images(?)
Keepin it real...by Odelio (Dubai,UAE)
- I think as long as each and everyone in photography world will do
it's best to contribute and help things out.... it will go longer and
many of newbie in the world of photography like me, will benefit... and
for some people they will understand what is photography means....
How easy is photography now? by Nicky (Hertfordshire) -
When we first qualified as professional photographers, nearly 10 years
ago, after 3 years worth of training, we were so excited to of achieved
something that not many people we knew had done. Now, however, it seems
all to easy to become and start a photography business, where does that
leave people like us? We're not saying people shouldn't call themselves
photographers, but what we take offence to, is amateur photographers
selling their images for near to nothing fees.
We are unable to persue a career in wedding and
portraiture work, so fine art and stock work is what we specialise in.
As more publications pad out their pages with solicit free images from
amateurs, us professionals need to educate them into a mind set that if a
photo is worth publishing, it's worth paying for. If we were all to
take that approach, then maybe these big publications would realise we
are professionals, and for that they should pay for what we produce. For
the time we take to get the perfect shot, the time and money it took to
graduate and learn our field.
Right-on! by: Daniel K - You are hitting the nail right on the head Nicky! However, to try and change a publications editors mind on something he gets for free, is not so easy. Sure he, and we will say the quality is poor but so what? He will say he saved money! For the very same reason you mentioned I have not sold a lot of stock photos in recent times. I always try to do my best work, whether for myself or a client and I know he will be back because professional service and quality work will prevail in any good business.
3rd Dimension by Hamish (Wellington, NZ)
- I think photography will head in a multitude of ways. 3D images is
something that I believe is easily achievable, though it may not be
cheap initially. In terms of camera's, I think there will come a time
when you buy a body, sensor and lenses all separately and can replace
them with newer ones as needed, possibly even between brands. Prices
will also drop making high quality camera's available to everyone.
Though some may see this as a bad thing, I believe it
could be a good thing. It will open the industry up to more people, but
I think there will become a more defined line between a amateur and
semi-pro/pro photographer as professional photographers will look to
become more creative in how they shoot will still maintaining that high
quality perfect shot. Pro photographers have mastered the gear that they
use and are able to get any sort of shot that they like, whereas
amateurs are still learning what and how their camera works. I also
think we'll see pro photographers heading into more specialized fields
as DSLR's and high quality compacts become more readily available.
Arnie L. by Arnie (Canada) - Today
for some reason I just wanted to look up "the future of photography". I
did this because I have noticed in the last few years photography has
gone through many changes, advancements and is going in a new direction.
Then, I came across your site and read your insights. Wow! very
interesting stuff. Your views have got me thinking and excited about
photography now! My bottom line is: "Whatever tool and process a person
uses doesn't matter. It's the end result that matters." ciao, and thanks
for posting! Arnie
Two directions by Alexander (Guam) -
I am glad to see that someone else shares my opinions on the future of
photography. Personally I see two distinct trends developing. The first
being the current glitzy photojournalistic style, that has infected
everything from news and event, to commercial photography, will evolve
into a less surreal and more intimate style that is heavily based on
composition and "portraying" the feeling of the scene and NOT
"amplifying" it. Note, that I am not referring to objectivity in
pictures, just a more subtle and true subjectivity. The other trend I
see is the evolution of the narrative portrait.
Annie Leibovitz has really popularized this style of
picture through her commercial work. The development that I would
anticipate is a stringent refinement of this genre through stronger
content development and integration of more classic composition.
Simplification of a portrait through simple backgrounds will go by the
wayside and be replaced by complex and deep portraits that have many
elements. These days most pictures are worth one word: "pretty!"... In
the future, we will get back to a place where pictures will inspire
debate and truly be worth a thousand words again.
Basically most future trends will be driven by the
need for photographers to protect their art to survive. Much as you
mentioned, gear is no longer a distinguishing factor. So basically
anything that is not in the reach of amateurs will become more prevalent
within the art. Classic Composition can not be bought. Quality Natural
Lighting can not be bought... (Even moderate fill flash will become the
new mark of the prosumer!). Elaborate set design is outside the reach of
most amateurs.
Basically, by this point I am sure that you get the
point. Artist will differentiate themselves in any way possible. Highly
photoshopped pictures will be the "helvetica" of the photography
community, once an inspiring and new opportunity, but most are numb to
the "magic" of this genre due to the saturation of the market. So there
are my 1000 words, I guess I should have just posted a picture!
I 'm a beginner & enjoying every bit
- Reading is so important even for beginners,you observe what you read
then store it upstairs so when you're outdoors you get explain what
you've read. I've been with my camera 2 years now but still learning.
Film Is NOT Dead by James Hopps (Deltona,Florida,USA)
- I'm a Professional Photographer ...for many years ( 40 ), I still
shoot film and I always will. I hear just about every other day some one
feels the same as I do about Photography. They tell me things I already
know ..and that Information came from someone half across the world. I
can't get over people WHO CALL THEM "PHOTOGRAPHERS" with these digital
cell phone cameras ...Ha !!!!! It's like it was said in the artical in
the 1800's people were given brushes BUT very few could master a great
painting ...it takes YEARS to Master the art of Photography and you can
NOT get it with digital.
The only good thing about Digital photography is IF
your in the magazine business or news paper business it's fast BUT flat
and already half tone for printing in the Magazine. Also hearing a
statement half way around the world that digital photography does NOT
have depth of field it's flat. It's like the old saying goes ....."There
are artist who paint with light ( photographers ) and then there are
Artist who paint with a brush". These people are the real Masters of
Photography and Painting and to make one more point, you can't
digitalize heavy oil paintings...neither the REAL WORLD OF PHOTOGRAPHY
(film). Photographer James Hopps
YEP by: Anonymous - I agree i have an old 35 mm caamera and i use it almost every day and i lvoe it and i hate digital you cant set your one tones or xposer.
Degree Project by Craig (London, UK) -
I am researching my final major project for my degree and I am looking
at photography. Where is it going and what will be needed to facilitate
it. I am on the side of the facilitation rather than the photography
technology. My degree is in design for interaction and my final project
is on how we use photography and manage the images. My view is that
technology will allow the convergence of devices (as we are already
seeing) to the point that anyone, anywhere can take a great picture.
Then it does fall on the composition of the images and I agree that
'pure' images will be the 'true' photography. Having said this I
encourage the use of as many different ways to capture a moment. I guess
it all depends on why you're taking the picture in the first place.
Great article. Helped me a lot.
RE: Degree project by: Harry - I know how you feel, the extremely advancing technology is quickly making the latest camera obsolete. My DSLR with 6 MP that is less than 2 years old is so out of date...I cannot at this time afford any more equipment. So what do you do? I hope by the next I am ready to buy a component replaceable camera is on the market for those of us who don't have $10,000 budgets. I am interested in the course you are taking. Can you explain about it? Thanks
Photo Student by Cameron Bunce (Rock Hill SC) - Click For Comment
Thanks by Cathy (Sydney Australia) -
This webpage has been extremly helpfull for my research on photography.
Keep up the good work, this website is amazing and it is just what i
need when I'm trying to find out how to become a photographer. Cheers,
Catherine ;)
The Auto Mode by Alan (Malaysia) - You are right in many aspect but the Auto Mode is becoming more advanced, just as the 'lens' you mentioned.
CEO by S. Mercer (SC) - Click For Comment
Concerned Pro Photog - I must
support my family with photography, which I have successfully done for
the past 8 years. Right now is it really hard to make ends meet. I love
photography but I also love to have a way to pay my bills and feed my
kids, all the changes in photography are making the pros unnecessary
because good enough is great and free done by a friend or relative. I
cant compete with free or nearly free, I have overhead of a store front
to take care of unlike most new photogs.
Mrs - Apart from the factors you
mentioned above, the photographers ability to learn the fundamentals of
photography, taking time to learn the software needed etc one element
you didn't mention which I believe to exist among the thousands of
talented photographers both amateur and professional is the 'eye' for
it. Any artist in any medium stands out from the others by having a
certain artistic flair and this is also true in photography. I have seen
many a poorly shot photo or one that has been processed to the extreme
and there is no comparison between these shots (which alot of people
actually pay for!!) and one taken with real passion and flair.
An eye for it by: Don Ross - I would tend to disagree that one needs an eye for it. I know that in a few short years myself and lots of others have developed in both the shooting and post sides in large strides, but it does take more effort althoiugh certainly achievble.
Mr. Make it big one day... - Even if
photographic technology gets to the point where the camera/computer is
tethered to the photographer's eyeball(s), and all you have to do is
look in the right direction and absolutely everything is recorded, you
still need to know where to look from what angle and when to do it.
Even today there are photographers that are technically near perfect,
but couldn't fight their way out of the box.
I'm sure there have been many times throughout
history that a photographer thought "Oh no! The polaroid has come out!
This spells the end for me!", or "A camera with AUTO-EXPOSURE!? I'm done
for." That being said, it's not easy to make it, and never really has
been. I still make coffee for a living, but when I get work, it feeds my
photo career.
source:all-things-photography
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