In today’s class, we discussed the term ‘expanded photography’ and looked at what some social media platforms, like Instagram, mean for photography as art. In today’s day and age, everyone has access to a camera, whether that’s their phone, point and shoot or a DSLR camera, AND, arguably most importantly, we all have the ability to share the photos we take instantaneously from one side of the globe to the other. Coming from a time when you need to purchase a camera, purchase film, load up your camera, get the photos developed, taking photos used to take a lot of time and a lot of money to create, not only that, sharing these photo required galleries or newspaper spreads which was unrealistic for most. This meant that not everyone, in fact very few people, had the ability to create photos and share them with others. Many photographers nowadays are concerned about what the advancements in technology and social media might mean for photography as an art form. The industry is saturated with amateur photographers, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean that the use of photography is evolving more and more every day into a means of being social. I believe that the term “art” can mean a vast variety of different things to different people, and while artistic photography is drowning in a world of eggs on toast and selfies, I believe there will always be a time, a place and an audience for artistic photography. “No amount of camera technology will turn a mediocre photographer into a great one, nor, in conceptual terms, will it transform a bad idea into a good one.” (O’Hagan, 2018). I find myself dipping my toes in both pools of water as I’m sure many people these days do, and I don’t think that detracts from photography as a means of art.
References
Sean O’Hagan (2018), ‘What next for photography in the age of Instagram’, The Guardian, 14 October.