The Old Photographer
As some who read these pages may remember, my wife and I have a small "alternative" art gallery, here in our hometown. Since this place is a bit of a tourist venue, we get to meet lots of interesting people in the course of our days.
Yesterday, a gentleman probably in his 80's came into the shop, accompanied by what I presumed to be his two granddaughters.
Purple thistle in bloom, California
Somehow we got to talking, and the conversation drifted onto the evolution and development of art and photography.
Although the camera around his neck was clearly digital, he allowed as how he really preferred to shoot on old-fashioned film.
"There are things you can do with film that you just can't do with digital work."
He lamented that the whole idea of being a professional photographer has much less meaning in the modern digital age where every person on the street has access to "perfectly acceptable" photographs with their smartphone.
"You no longer NEED a lot of skill to get a great photo," he said, "pretty much anyone can shoot 300 digital shots of their dog and get that one incredible shot, especially with a little Photoshop help. As a photographer, I could probably get that shot in 12-15 attempts, because I know my tools. But today? Who knows the difference? It's like a lottery vs. actual skill."
I thought about this, a bit, and asked him whether he thought this was better or worse, in the overall sense.
California coast sunset with fog in the distance
"It's certainly not better if you're trying to make a living from photography!" he replied, "but I'm retired now, so I don't really care. But I sure wouldn't want to try to make a living from pictures, these days!"
The conversation made me think about the many inventions of the digital/technological age that have taken what once was a "skilled trade" and put it into the hands of everyone.
What do YOU think? Are we actually better off, as a result of technology being available that puts previously difficult tasks within the reach of everyone? Does it seem like a whole group of professions are slowly dying out, because of technology... from typesetting to photography? Leave a comment and share your insight-- start the conversation!
(As always, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Many years ago I had a part-time job teaching Photoshop (it was Photoshop 2.0 back then)
I had a couple of professional photographers in the class and one embraced the the technology saying it made his job easier, whereas one was threatened by it predicting a future where everyone would become a photographer and the job of being a professional would become a lot harder.
A friend of mine who is a journalist also told me that "the world is saturated with images and thus their value is being diminished"
I guess we find a way to deal with and evolve with technology, we have no choice really as their is no going back. In the end we ourselves decided what is of value and hat is not.
Just as with here on Steemit, I had been forced to re-look at the idea of "value". A one image cartoon can make over $100 whereas a long carefully written interesting blog can make $2. At first I thought this was shocking but now I have come to to terms with the idea that value is relative depending on the environment you are in. If you are posting a serious blog in an environment that prefers comedy then your post will not be valued and get less money and the same would be true vice versa. Thus is how life is a constant ever-changing place. Good job we can evolve with it but as with the man you spoke with, there does seem to come to a point were we become at an age were he wish things would NOT change.
Interesting post @denmarkguy
Thanks for your thoughtful comment. Pondered what you said for a bit, and came back to something I believe we have been seeing for some decades, which is a trend towards "easy money." Looking at "value" and "what is valued" we seems to be in an age where the "quick and fun $2 throwaway" holds more attention than something of lasting value. It's the "twitter world;" it's short, fast and moves on. We even see it at the gallery where sales of originals continue to decline, while sales of $25 unsigned prints grows 20% or more, year over year.
Well said and I completely agree. You captured it spot on here - "twitter world"
I have thought on this for many years and believe that is a consequence of the invention of the computer and the internet.
The computer became ever faster as we human beings found it harder to keep up, especially as we ourselves get older and so slower and technology gets ever more faster. And so it becomes a world only fit for the young who will always embrace the new.
I realized this when I worked in the graphics industry. Before computers the profession of a graphic designer did not alter for decades and you had to have real skill. Suddenly computers made it so easy that anyone could do it.
But even then, I found myself having to constantly having to relearn graphics programs because they kept on evolving. It came to a point were I just got so tired of the program updates that I decided to get out of the industry altogether.
Yes the young love the new and embrace it and so it is now more their world than ever before- however, the problem now is that the time distance between technology updates is getting shorter and shorter. Eventually, there will come a point were a students degree in technology will already be out-of-date by the time they finish their education.
I see this in the world of cryptocurrency too. I had just got used to the idea of DASH being the next Bitcoin and then suddenly comes an offshoot of DASH, called PIVX, and now DASH is already seen as out of date.
It is impossible to keep up. Literally impossible.
I too have noticed an increase in the sales of prints in my own gallery.
I never did prints because I thought they diluted my work but the demand became so high I gave in. But honestly what is the point?
Personally I think that one day this will all turn back in our faces.
I mean, in my country in Norway, they have finally realized that robots of all kinds will eliminate 85% of all jobs. So what then?
Thus the idea of a national wage is being talked about. But is that the answer.
Look at Detroit in the US, one of the most devastated cities in the world and yet it has rebuilt itself as an urban farming paradise. Even drug gansters have become farmers.
This mankind will find a way out of this mess.
This lead me to wonder - where does this leave art and artists - what role will they have in this future world?
Eventually I came to the conclusion that artists will become the new priests. But unlike priests they will not "preach" wisdom but instead "share" wisdom.
For wisdom can only come from real life experience and sometimes only an image or a piece of music can capture a wisdom or message that can not be put into words. Thus the artist can touch people on a deeper level in a world made shallow. I do not know if I am right on this but this is what I believe and is the reason why I paint the way I do. For one day, long after I have left this world, my work will still have the power to make people feel something rather than nothing, being merely a piece of decoration on the wall that matches someones sofa. I could easily create a style that would be "popular" and just for selling but then what does that make me.
We talk about value, in the the end we have decide what value we place upon ourselves. Either everything matters or nothing does.
If we divide up value into percentages then we must accept that the value we put on ourselves is also a percentage. I choose to value life and the human race as 100% valuable. That means I treat myself as such and so I will treat all other human beings as such. I am not religious at all, but I believe in the idea that human beings are divine creatures. After all, we are the only creatures in the universe (as far as we know) that know that we and the universe even exists. Thus divine.
Sorry I went on a bit my friend, I guess it is only that I respect and value your mind greatly and thus reply with this in mind.
Wow... and thanks!
I like what you said about artists becoming like the new priests, but sharing wisdom rather than preaching it. Intuitively, it feels like you're onto something, there. As I sat with that... it extended out in my mind to becoming that artists, musicians, writers, poets... will eventually end up as the "experiencers" of life who share it with the majority, who have become "observers" and hence are in danger of losing touch with the essence of their humanity.
In recent years, my wife and I have watched a number of "utopia" type films-- from "The Giver" to "Elysium" and beyond... perhaps starting back at 1998's "Pleasantville." There's always a common thread in these films... namely that perfect societies tend to become very "sterile," and there's an element of human nature that craves-- for lack of a better term-- a bit of "dirt." Maybe it's just a statement that extremes don't functionally work... dystopian scenarios end up craving light; utopian crave dark. As a result of which I always end back at the long term realization that I must be a "closet Buddhist," always looking for middle way.
Again I agree. Ive watched "The Giver" too and it is a good reference for your point here.
Ha ha "closet Buddhist" like that. Actually, that brings to mind the modern philosopher and atheist, Sam Harris, who recently has been heading towards Buddhism.
Not heard of that "Pleasantville" I will have to look that up.
Always a pleasure chatting with you my friend 😃
Yes, we should use our nature skill and technology in equal way. Nice ? :)
I think digital is more accessible to people, you don't need a dark room for a start. I stopped doing dark room photography about 10 years ago, the costs became too much and I didn't have a dark room in my new house. I still have the equipment so maybe one day I'll take it up again. It is definitely a skilled artform, just look at the time spent getting contrast right in a darkroom to the time spent taking a digital photo and editing. Saying all that though, I still have traditional photography in my heart, I think that's why I create cyanotypes. It's that feeling of not fully knowing what the final result will be to the image has developed, that can be frustrating but it's also exciting too.
I definitely appreciate not having the costs of film and lab work anymore... and I'm guessing I shot my last roll of film maybe 8 years ago; and although I do do some "manipulation" of digital images with the intent of creating something hopefully "artistic" from time to time... my overall interest in the art of photography has somewhat waned in the last ten years. But I appreciate those who-- like you-- still find inspiration in it!
The innovation in technology helped people to improve some of their skill (or to learn new skills) for more time, but now I'm watching another phenomenon: people (especially the new generation) have lost the curiosity about how innovations works in favour of a quick, fast way to do everythings. The difference is not in the innovations, the difference is in the approach that people have to it ;) Sorry, I don't know if I explained well my thought ;)
I got the point!
Yes, the quick and easy choice... as I said in my comment to @arthuradamson, we live in "the world of twitter" today... a kind of "short, quick, easy, what's next...?" mindset. Not suggesting this is "good" or "bad;" it simply IS.
I agree with you: it simply IS.
PS: here in Italy, for the young generation, twitter is "too old" (=too slow), the young italians use just facebook (posting pics and typing acronyms) or telegram on their smartphone ^_^
As a kid I was in the camera club at school and I learned to process film in the dark, make contact prints and to pick out the best pictures to actually enlarge and develop. It was a mysterious and wonderful science of mixing chemicals and having almost secret knowledge! Watching the pictures emerge was magic!
At college I studied photography and enjoyed using the manual f stops and shutter speeds to get the artistic shots that I wanted for my portfolio!
I LOVED the skill and knowledge needed to take good pictures but I must admit that I enjoy whipping out my phone to get pictures for my blog! On top of that photography was slow and expensive when I shot rolls of film.
Have you seen the documentary Finding Vivian Maier? It was great and if you haven't seen it I think that you'd enjoy it.
Keep up the great articles @denmarkguy!
@kus-knee, thanks for sharing your thoughts! I have not seen that documentary... I will check it out.
I don't miss the cost of film and developing, and waiting a week or more for something to go to the Kodak labs and come back. These days, we live in a faster world... but maybe every older generation says that about the younger generation in front of it?
For me, the slight sadness comes in considering that maybe something is being "lost;" that skill you loved having; that I enjoyed learning... such skills are being replaced by clever technology... seems like it somehow takes away from the incentive to "learn something" by people in the world, as a whole. "Why bother to learn about photography, my phone does it FOR me." Technology is great as it replaces boring menial tasks we used to have to do... but what will it do to us as a species when it replaces the need to "think" and "figure things out?"
You have been visited by droomits
That looks like the clover from bambi. Either way, it's a pretty shot :)
very beautiful flower & photos..good jobs :)
Thank you!
Nice post. Resteemed :-)
Thank you for the comment and resteem!
You are very welcome :-)
I like the photo of a thistle.
Thank you!