Listening to computer based image makers that know little about the history of photography always sends me away thinking about ways to help them understand where this new medium will eventually fit in the history annals.There has always been a "pop" side and an "art" side to most art forms. Eastman Kodak insured that the pop side of photography flourished starting with the box camera in the late 1800's. No muss, no fuss, and no thinking about pesky things like the artistic process---just snap, snap, snap.
With the onslaught of computer based (marketing hype says digital) image making devices such as cell phones, iPads, helmet cams, pen cams, and I'm sure somewhere watches comes the completion of Eastman Kodak's original vision of popularizing picture making.
But what of the "art" side. So far computer based images are still a mere echo of true photographic processes. The most recent analogy to come to me is that of comparing a grand piano to an electronic keyboard. After about 40 years of heavy investment in advancing electronic keyboards they can produce sound that is truly unique, yet they do not come close to reproducing the timeless sound of the piano.
So embrace the new medium of computer based imaging for what it is and work towards producing art using this new tool. Don't be caught looking back and trying to mimic a photograph. That is a fools errand!
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