Photography

Photography in the Twenty First Century

            Photography is a growing industry.  An industry that ten to twenty years ago was not very profitable or popular.  Prior to digital cameras photography was done all by hand with analog cameras and a wet lab. 

            The process of developing and printing film is very time consuming and expensive.  One must first capture the desired image on a sheet of film.  After the image has been acquired it is necessary to keep the film light tight as not to over expose the already exposed film.  The film must be processed using chemistry and then washed and dried shortly after.  As one of the final steps, one must enlarge the thumbnail negative into a viewable print size.  This is the most time consuming step next to actually capturing the image.  One can expect to spend several hours on a single darkroom setting.  Sometimes it’s a two or three day process if the negative does not have a perfect exposure to begin with. 

            The world of digital photography has brought on a whole new aspect to the playing field.  It has made photography easier for the average consumer.  In some ways this is a truly amazing thing.  It has allowed photography to become involved in the quickly growing world of digital media.  Just as one can update there Facebook status or write a blog one can also share a photograph instantly.  With recent worldwide events such as Occupy Wall Street and political elections digital photography can be uploaded to the Internet so quickly it’s almost as if you, the viewer, are there.  Digital photography has also helped to bring a certain “checks and balances” into the political world.  With the rise of smart phones everyone now has access to an affordable digital camera.  Even if you aren’t a photographer you are armed with a camera lens.  This means that most political figures including police officers and other employees representing our government are in the spotlight almost all the time.  Even when they are off the clock they are subject to being photographed.  This sometimes makes them think twice before acting inappropriately.  Even if the presence of a camera doesn’t change the way one acts at least there will be photographic evidence of their actions.

            On the other hand digital photography has also made it more difficult for real photographers to find jobs.  Now that digital photography has advanced to the point it’s at now anyone can figure out how to use a camera.  Skill is still required to operate and get a nice image, however it has definitely increased the number of people looking to pursue a career in photography.  In many situations a company will hire someone without a proper photography background over a well-qualified photographer just because it’s cheaper.  Digital photography is very necessary in the commercial world due to time and expenses but one must be able to do the same work on film if necessary.

            Given the few obstacles that digital photography has created for the professional world, it is still an amazing medium to work with and embraced by most photographers.