The world of photography has dramatically changed over the last 10 years! The digital camera became the disruptive technology that changed the entire photography landscape!
Once upon a time, there was a thing called film. Photographers had to use it in order to create pictures. You could buy print film, slide film, fast film, slow film, film with vibrant colors perfect for nature images, film color balanced for portraits, even black and white film. You had to be careful when you went through the airport with fast ISO film that the XRay machines did not harm your film, etc.
I grew up with film. My high school photography class taught me how to develop it and print it in the darkroom. One of my first jobs was working in a darkroom. I would smell the developing chemicals for hours after I left work.
There is an entire generation that have never seen a film canister and never will.
Digital is the choice of the new generation. There are digital cameras built into cell phones, into binoculars, and even into pens – Just like the old James Bond movies. The quality of these cameras built into other devices is poor, but give it time. I can imagine a day when you will be able to purchase a pair of sunglasses with a built in 10 Megapixel camera that will automatically download the images to your computer when you get in range.
The distribution mechanism is changing as well. There used to be family pictures blown up and mounted on the wall of the family room. Now they are one of 1,000 pictures that are displayed on the wireless digital frame mounted on the wall.
Photos are uploaded to Facebook, flickr, even on to your digital phone. When the proud father is showing off his children, he doesn’t pull out his wallet anymore…he reaches for his cell phone or PDA.
The newest trend that will hit the market with a bang will be HD video. Canon’s newest (and most expensive) camera has an HD video camera built in. You can shoot HD quality video using Canon Glass which is an amazing feature!
Internet video sharing sites, i.e. YouTube and Google Video will continue to grow as new video becomes easier to make, edit, and publish.
Memory cards are getting bigger and faster. A 1G CF card used to cost $250. Now you can buy one for $20.
The photography world is changing and I like it. Just get in, hold on, and enjoy the ride!
