In your opinion, have computers improved photography as a hobby?

photo_net

Hey all,

New member here - really enjoyed reading some of the posts so far, seems like a great community to help each other develop our photography skills.

Please help me settle a debate I had recently with a friend!

In your opinion, have computers improved photography? I don't mean this just in terms of photo quality, as there's no dispute that the things we can do with digital imagery far surpass everything we could do before. But in general, do you think being a photographer today, with the availability of the internet, social media, forums like this one, camera phones, video tutorials, online markets to buy gear, etc., is more rewarding / enjoyable than it would have been 30 years ago?

It was once just all about capturing light, and the emotions that go with it. But now its so much more, and I'm wondering if it's a good thing

What are your thoughts?

pete4130

It has made it easier to capture an image, show an image to an audience, improve your image taking abilities at a faster rate.

It has not improved the quality of images.

CabanSail

The Good

It allows us to have the abilities for processing and editing which were only available to to those who had access to very expensive darkrooms before.

The Bad

Many people now are ignorant of the fundamentals. The building blocks on which photography is based.

Mister Vain

The good thing about digital photography is that anybody can do it. The bad thing about digital photography is that anybody can do it.

cowboyBuilder

AS mentioned, great for processing and speed.

Bad for large volumes of absolute tripe being uploaded - can you imagine historians wading through the trillions of facebook archived photos in the future ?


Quality in general hasn't improved - although the speed at which one can learn to take better photos has.

ScumLord

I'd say photography is better overall. The modern world is all about making expensive things available to the masses. We can do more now thanks to technology than we could in the past.

But I'd say photography has been hugely devalued by the fact anyone can do it now. A picture that would have impressed people 30 years ago would be simply mundane now. There are a lot more uneducated amateurs, but there are also a lot more experts out there that have a knowledge that would dwarf any experts in the past. Which also devalues the skills learned by those people.

I don't think anyone can get into photography expecting to make a career out of it these days. If you're lucky you might make some money, if you're exceptionally lucky you might become popular. But for the most part you'll be just one of thousands and if you're expecting anything more than an enjoyable hobby then you're going to be disappointed.

Mister Vain

ScumLord wrote: »

A picture that would have impressed people 30 years ago would be simply mundane now.

Well not necessarily. I think Steve McCurry's photos are still as powerful and thought provoking today as they were 30 years ago. Even nowadays we have photographers that still do that type of photography very well - I'd consider Joey L to be one of them for example. It's just with photo manipulation software, people have come to expect a certain amount of editing.

Perhaps the humble portrait is now overshadowed by the more elaborate and contrived images that wouldn't have been possible without Photoshop, but there are still plenty of photos that will always be timeless.

D.S.

Interesting debate!

You have asked two questions:

- Have computers improved photography?

In my view - the answer is it depends on what you mean by 'improved'. If you mean the standard of photography content - my opinion would be yes - V much so. The demand and access the public have to photography content (Internet, books, galleries etc etc) is now higher than ever and therefore, while there is a huge supply of content, to really stand out - i think photographers have to really push the boundaries of creativity to be heard. So personally I think that a v good photographer today has to be v different just to get their heads above the pulpit. And then when you look at the real artistic end of down (e.g. the Ai Wei Wei's, Nick Brandt's, Gregory Crewdson's etc), these artists have to be v special, creative/dedicated, using all the tools available to them to have their voice heard.

As a hobby - I generally think the standard is now higher overall (although I think it takes longer for people to reach a decent standard than it used to, given the differences in learning on film v digital).

That said - the sheer volume of photography content available means that there is now a huge amount of mediocrity and even rubbish that has devalued photography somewhat as a medium. So if we mean 'improved' as in how 'valued' is photography by society - i'd say it's valued less so as it's more available, less elusive.

- Your second question - is being a photographer more rewarding than it used to be?

I dunno really. From what I have read and who I have spoken to, I'd say there is a sizeable cohort of the older guard who are disappointed / disillusioned with where things have gotten to. To my mind, this group are mostly the traditional press / magazine / commercial photographers who have been crowded out and where the rules of the game have turned on it's head. But I know some older hobbiests who say the same. I know a few artistic folk and they seem to love things more than ever.

For the generation who have known nothing else - I think it's probably an exciting world where social media can get you ahead faster than it would have been in the old days, but where you need to work hard to make real money, or as a hobbiest to get noticed.

Overall - I think the top end of town is all about telling stories through capturing and valuing light, as a photographer. And nothing's much changed there. For everybody else, it depends on where you have come from.

blacon9

Agree with much of what D.S said.

I think most of the improvements are in the area of sharing. Social media, photo sharing sites and forums like this one give us the chance to not only share our work, but to talk to fellow minded people about our amazing hobby, which over time will make us all better photographers as we learn from each other.

Also - being able to store infinite amounts of photos on a hard drive or in the cloud is a really great thing.

The Ging and I

Is photography more rewarding now ?
Not remotely . When you took a colour slide- correct exposure-correct framing, that was the skill.