In recent years, due to the progression of the internet and social media, we’ve seen photography evolve tremendously, yet some people, including myself, believe that this has led to the downfall of the art of photography. Even though places like Instagram are a great way to share pictures and for professional photographers to receive business, the attitudes of the general public and mainstream media towards what photography is has shifted dramatically since these social media platforms began to take over.
So, what is it that is making people’s interpretations of photography change so drastically?
In the last 50 years, we have seen the incredible development of digital cameras, as opposed to film, witnessed some of the most compelling cinematography in movies such as ‘Parasite’, ‘1917’, and ‘Star Wars’ and watched photography evolve from an under-appreciated art form to one of the most popular forms of media we’ve ever seen. People have higher expectations for photography and film based on the brilliant standards set by professionals, but, even though these expectations are set high, people have found ways to meet and fulfil them themselves.
The media, when talking about photography, has made themselves clear that with modern technology “anybody can be a photographer.” This statement, whilst true for the most part, may have a much larger effect on photographers and film makers. Nowadays, smartphone cameras are almost as good at capturing shots as DSLR’s or bridge cameras. This creates competition for photographers as a well-thought, organised photoshoot with an expensive, professional camera could be replicated by someone with an iPhone. And it’s not only phones which are putting pressure onto these skilled and experienced people.
A usual photograph may include some form of technique to make the picture more appealing or interesting to look at. Recently, editing apps such as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom have become far more popular, especially around the younger generation as a way of experimenting and playing around with all sorts of effects and filters. In my opinion, special effects and manipulating photography strays more into the art sector as it is seen, by me, as more than just taking a photo. I think filters ruin perfectly good photographs that could be salvaged with a few tweaks of its brightness or exposure. Even though filters don’t appeal to me and what I think makes a good photograph, there are many other ways a photograph can be improved. One of my favourite techniques is double-exposure, which affiliates two or more photos into one by layering different exposures over one another. It, whilst being a form of editing, doesn’t ‘ruin’ the photographs. Instead, it creates what could be described as a collage of similar or polar opposite events, a perfect possible form of contrast. There is a fine line between art and photography which I think is blurred around editing.
Even though in my opinion photography is better off left alone, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some phenomenal photographers who use editing to create amazing pieces of work. Some of these people include Lisa Kokin, who could also be considered an artist with her collages of old pictures that she has linked beautifully, and Gerard Richter, a German visual artist who combines the medias of photography and paint to make contemporary pieces. I strongly urge you to have a look at the work of both of these people as it really shows how far photography has evolved and how it has changed for the better.
Different people have different opinions on what makes a good photograph. There isn’t one photo that everybody is going to like, just as there won’t be any that everybody takes a disliking to. The photographers of the 21st Century are some of the most talented people in the creative industry and places like the internet have sometimes made it far more difficult for their work to be seen and appreciated.
We all need to pay more attention to the world around us and how it is changing, just as photography is.
By Felix Wiseman
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