The death of art [as we know it] has been creeping up on us for the last two decades. First came the music industry with the emergence of peer to peer file sharing and home recording; then came film and television with illegal streaming and the DSLR revolution; but not many people talk about the death of print photography…
The days of decorating our bedrooms with photographs, heading to Boots to get a film developed, and never knowing if the exposure and composition was right until the package was opened, are all but gone. Smartphones have had a major impact on the craft of photography. Now everyone can develop half decent images with nothing more than an iPhone an Instagram account. But is this really a bad thing?
If you have a love for the old ways, yet want the benefits of new technology, there's nothing wrong with fusing the two together.
We've Gotten Accustomed to Social Media
We are living in an increasingly paper-free world where most of us are at least mildly conscious of our environmental footprint.
Photographs simply seem wasteful when we have social media, especially when Instagram can turn a seemingly mediocre picture into something quite stunning. However, there's still nothing like having a few personal favourites to hold, hang up and enjoy.
One of the reasons why home photo printing never really gained much prominence back in the days when the most advanced tech gadget was a scanner/printer/fax machine hybrid, was because the technology simply wasn't good enough. Printers were never as sharp as the real thing, colours would get mixed up, and the image quality was grainy. But while the rest of the tech world has moved on, printing technology (excluding 3D printing) seems to have come to a standstill – or so it seemed.
The truth is, printing technology has made huge strides since the smartphone revolution – just look at the 3D printing business. And the latest iPhone photo printers not only deliver an incredibly sharp image, but can connect directly to applications, which makes the whole process extremely simple. No more confusing drivers to download or settings to adjust – something we've all encountered in the past.
Digital is Functional and Cheap
We are all human, and in a world driven by excessive consumerism, it's difficult to justify using analogue technology. Almost everybody has a smartphone with a half decent camera that'll automatically focus and expose to the conditions. It's simple, quick and functional, allowing us to capture those run-and-gun moments that would be impossible to catch if we had to affix new lenses and adjust settings every time we wanted to take a picture.
But the classic Polaroid and analogue cameras still have a charm that smartphones have been unable to replicate. However, smartphones are cheaper, and the cheaper option will usually win the war. Although there are certain industries where “real” photographers dominate, such as weddings, smartphones will always be one step ahead on a general consumer level.