As a passionate and well-informed student of Photographic History, I’m almost certain that the legends of history-past would be green with envy over the simplicity, quality, and convenience of shooting photographs today, especially with Phone cameras.
The Golden Age of Commercial Photographers has, most definitely, come and gone
The “Golden Age” of photography is a subjective term that can vary depending on the context. However, many consider the late 19th and early 20th centuries to be a significant period in the development and popularization of photography. This era saw advancements in photographic technology, techniques, and artistic expression, as well as the emergence of influential photographers such as Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, and Ansel Adams. The period roughly spans from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s, encompassing various movements such as Pictorialism and Modernism, which significantly contributed to the evolution of photography as an art form.
But here’s the amazing this. We, right now, today, are living in The Golden Age of Consumer Photography.
Photography, given the ubiquity of phone cameras has democratized photography, forever, for the masses.
The iPhone camera is the New Brownie. Apple is the new Kodak. And Steve Jobs is the new George Eastman.
Over 90% of the worldwide photos we take, as a planet, year after year, are shot, exclusively on smartphone cameras, not dedicated cameras. Incredible”
As I look at my own photographs, coming out of my new iPhone 15 Pro Max, I’m often humbly speechless. Seriously. WTF.
How can a pocket camera, like this, be so good and powerful and exacting?
How can it be so easy and convenient and simple to shoot high-quality photos and video, frame after frame?
What a glorious time to be alive as a photographer-persoanlly and professionally.
We proudly stand on the shoulders of giants and geniuses. Thank you.
Click.
Jack
