Is Photography going to change?

[Pickett Wilson]

"Art Photography" has already changed beyond recognition. Crewdson and conceptual photography have taken care of that.

 

[oftheherd]

Yup, yes, and of course! Why? Because photography is more than a mechanical/optical/chemical/physical process. It's also an artistic endeavor, a way to express yourself, tell stories, stimulate memories, and more. Cameras and lenses will change as will film and digital capture and storage. People will still be concerned about composition, lighting, and all the other things that intrigue and enchant us today.

That I think is the key. All the things mentioned, bokeh, DoF (so aperture independent of light needs), shutter speed (slow for blur or fast for none), and anything else that contributes to the photo taker's idea of the right look, will still be needed. Aperture of .0025, speed of 1/1,000,000, and 20zones (including the 11th secret zone AA never told anybody about 😀) may give more photo ops, but "the look" is still going to be king.

 

[Lilserenity]

Absolutely it will change.

But the end result will be what I remain interested in.

I'd like to think in 2060 I'd still be able to take a picture with my then-102 year old M2 but we will have to see!!

 

[aniMal]

Yup, yes, and of course! Why? Because photography is more than a mechanical/optical/chemical/physical process. It's also an artistic endeavor, a way to express yourself, tell stories, stimulate memories, and more. Cameras and lenses will change as will film and digital capture and storage. People will still be concerned about composition, lighting, and all the other things that intrigue and enchant us today.

This is what is great with the development that is happening, when the barriers to getting all kind of pictures without having to worry about the technology, the focus will be on the expression, story and content!

10-15 years ago it was all different, it took a lot of effort to learn the technology, and well trained photographers had a clear advantage. Now it is all more democratic, but the ones who stand out still know how to create powerful images - and sometimes it is with a point and shoot at flickr.

What will not change ever, I think, is the need to master any technology to use its features as a way of expressing something. I guess that as technology improves, so will the sales of holgas, film, or anything that gives a certain feel to an image.

Interesting times it is, today I have been testing out my new Sony A900 with an 85 1.4 and image stabilization - gear that outperforms anything that I could even imagine just 10 years ago. It is inspiring, and it turns out high quality images at a high rate - but it still depends 100% on my own creativity of course!

 

[Al Kaplan]

No, it depends on the electronics and programming inside the camera's "brain", not yours. When you depend on somebody else, or someTHING else, you're limited to their capabilities. You should have enough pride in yourself so you don't regress to the level of trying to decide who gets to make your decisions for you.

 

[btgc]

Everything might be short video clips on flexible paper thin display screens.

I guess next big thing will be 3D-projected holographic ima....images? scenes, to say.

And if in 2060 here still will be conditions to take pictures (any - analogue, digital or what), I will say, it's worth living.

 

[Chris101]

Ringworld. Larry Niven. Wireheads. ...

Like flying cars and cool epaulets on the shoulders of our form fit suits, I am still waiting for a droud! Drugs are getting old.

"Art Photography" has already changed beyond recognition. Crewdson and conceptual photography have taken care of that.

Gregory Crewdson, right? Punk rocker turned still photography director? Aside from the fact that his work has become totally formulaic, what has he revolutionized besides hiring a hundred specialists for every operation from set design and construction, to lighting, to operation of his 8x10 film camera to editing to printing and to marketing?

I do like his pictures though.

No, I don't see photography changing that much in the next 40-50 years that is left of my life. They will probably get memory playback up-and-running in a couple hundred years though.

Or so.

 

[fergus]

Geez I'm still waiting for the flying cars that are only fifty years late.

Well, two options can be found here and here.

edit: and the best one yet is here: http://www.moller.com/

I agree it's not quite like they promised us with that "Jetsons" cartoon... 🙂