I’m going to share some of an article I wrote a few years ago.
After a sort of frustrating discussion with a fellow that told me he was giving up photography because, in his words, “There is no art anymore. The camera does everything” So the following:
“Anyone can take a picture.”
That complaint was made by a young photographer worrying that his photographs would not stand out in against those taken by so many other picture takers in this popular, medium. His goal was his images should be visual statements of how he feels and he wants them to be more than just of document of something.
The medium of photography has become very accessible for everyone. The days when a photographer had to be an engineer and chemist are long gone. With modern technology today’s supercharged cameras with machine-gun-like shutters, and seemingly speed of light focusing I’ll agree that many photographers get away without any knowledge of basic photography.
I have met photographers holding their old 1970’s film camera that say, “all this digital isn’t real photography” Really?
Gosh, they don’t know that a few short years ago photography needed large glass plates, hazardous chemicals, bulky cameras and wagons to carry everything.
Photographers of the late 1800’s or early 1900’s probably weren’t interested in photography as a creative medium as much as they were interested in a way to document reality. People had to sit as still as possible for long time periods and unwieldy photographic equipment was a struggle on a cold mountaintop.
I expect many photographers like me that were thrilled with the advancements of the 1970’s and 1980’s would never have tried photography if it had remained like that.
There are those that are intent on complaining that with the end of film came the end of photography. It’s obvious that film isn’t going away any time soon. (Film is just one part of photography.) The big box outlets may not carry it much longer, but there are lots of specialty stores.
Yes, anyone can take a picture nowadays. That’s a good thing and not something to complain about. There are lots of nice photographs being taken and most of them fall into the category of documentary or snapshot photography. Sure, people may want visual memories and today’s cameras are perfect for that.
I look forward to seeing photographs made by that young photographer and others like him. My advice was to use all the exciting technological advancements (Photography has always been about technology) he can get to make his photographs more than just a picture. He will work hard producing images that can be visual statements about what he feels or wants to say and the technology will help with that.
There are many, myself included, who are interested in the resulting photos no matter how the image is produced as long as the final photograph has something to say, shows control over the technology used, and is visually exciting!
His critical comment “anyone can take a picture” shouldn’t make him worry about his photography. He should just look forward to and embrace the future of this exciting medium.
Stay safe and be creative. These are my thoughts for this week. Contact me at www.enmanscamera.com or emcam@telus.net.
