The Biggest Change of All

For the first time in history, photography is a meritocracy. The time has now arrived when people can buy a camera for less than $100, take as many photographs as they like, develop them on their own computer, and then publish them to a place where they can and will be seen by others. If a photographer wants to push boundaries and do something different, there is nothing to stop them—there is no gatekeeper to say no or to preach caution.

Contrast this with how things used to be. The camera may have cost about the same, but taking a lot of photographs was prohibitively expensive unless someone else was paying for the developing, and to have a future someone had to see and approve your work before you could reach a wider audience. This meant that the system was geared toward maintaining the status quo, and consequently the conservative visual approach was likely to be the most successful one.

The new world of photography is still in its early days, and it will be interesting to see how it develops. There are forces at play such as the old guard that wants to put photography back in its box, to make it safe and predictable. I suspect that will no longer be possible, thanks to the thousands of people picking up and experimenting with a camera who now have the means to flourish.

In short, there has never been a better time to be a photographer.