Several accepted facts about photography have been proven false over the years. Just as beliefs in seemingly impossible attitudes have eroded over time, so too do the things we believe to be true now. Are my predictions about the future unpleasant or will you accept the changes?
Reading through a book from 1987, A Field Guide to Photographing Birds in England and Western Europe by Dr Mike Hill and Gordon Langsbury, it says:
Modern SLR cameras come with an amazing array of extras, many of which are rarely used for bird photography.
While that may have been true 35 years ago, it is now an outdated view. Improvements in exposure, autofocus and tracking, image stabilization, and other technologies have revolutionized bird photography.
For example, bird AI Object Detection is available in new OM-1 mirrorless camera. This has been hailed by many as a huge step forward for bird photographers. Back in the early 1980s, I remember wildlife photography being seen as exotic and sentimental. Despite the latter, a picture of a bird or deer would be considered by many to be suitable for a greeting card but not much more. Wildlife photography is now associated with the conservation movement, and the skill required to capture a good bird photo is much appreciated.
Wedding photography is not always taken seriously, as shown by the following comment from Wedding Photography as revealed by Jacqueline Tobin:
Wedding Photographers are considered to be the feeders of this industry.
Not many people have that opinion now, and wedding photography is a genre that is regarded by most as one of the most challenging.
Of course, the marketing practices of camera manufacturers also influence our opinion. Take, for example, the use of the term “full-frame”. It was originally used by videographers to describe the port size of 35mm film cameras, a size pioneered in 1892 by Thomas Edison and William Dickson. Canon used the term to advertise the machine. my 35mm digital sensor image. There’s a degree of snobbery with some full-frame photographers looking down their noses in smaller formats. However, How To Make Great Photos 1948 – The Kodak Guide for Amateur Photographers says this:
So-called ‘miniature’ cameras are generally defined as cameras that give negatives 2¼ x 2¼ or smaller… another popular type of miniature camera is the 35mm camera.
Full frame cameras were once considered miniature!
When digital photography was in its infancy, no self-respecting photographer would attempt to submit digital images to their publisher. But that started happening in 2002, and by 2003, digital camera sales were on par with film sales. By 2020, Nikon is killing off the F6, their last film camera, two years after Canon discontinued the EOS-1V. Ironically, interest in film photography began to re-emerge around the same time. As a result, sales of used film SLRs are booming.
It may not seem that long ago when mobile phone cameras were considered a laughing stock by “serious” photographers – whatever they were – but by 2013, their impact was thought to be the cause of the market failure. Interchangeable lens (ILC) cameras are halved. plummeted since then. The decline from around 31 million units sold in 2012 to 5.2 million units in 2020. Sales of fixed-lens cameras, mainly compact and bridge models, have been nearly wiped out compared to same period.
Seeing such dramatic changes in the past, one can only assume that the future will also bring changes in the world of photography. Of course, no one can predict exactly what the future might bring, but here are five predictions for the future.
Prediction 1: Micro-thirds will grow and prosper
As I mentioned before, I think the ILC camera drop is not only due to mobile phones. I believe it is also due to the greedy approach of the big manufacturers and the fact that they dominate the market with constant small upgrades. Consumers realize that what they have is good enough and do not need to upgrade. Why spend money to update the device when the difference is negligible and what is your job? However, that trend was recently halted by OM Digital Solutions (OMDS), a new entrant into the world of photography with a long legacy: Olympus.OMDS introduced two of its highest-end products to huge success. brilliant. Both are huge steps forward from what came before.
First to come M.Zuiko Digital ED 150-400mm f/4.5 TC1.25X IS PRO Lens. Although this is the most expensive lens released under the Olympus name, and its launch comes during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when cash is scarce for many, the demand for the lens This took the company by surprise. They can’t keep up with production to fulfill all the orders. Olympus lenses have always been appreciated, but the performance of this lens far exceeds anything before.
Although it costs $7,499, which is much more than other lenses for the OM System, it’s almost a notch faster and costs $5,500 less than the Canon EF 800mm, which has a comparable field of view when you consider it. Micro Four Thirds cutoff factor. The OM System lens also weighs less than half the weight of Canon, has an additional aperture blade, can focus up to 4.6x closer, and has a built-in 1.25x teleconverter.
Then they released the OM-1 camera. This time, pre-orders outstripped production for two months. Why? This camera is a huge step forward in terms of technology over its predecessors and many features are not available on other systems. What’s more, superior image quality is available in this smaller, lighter package. Photographers have also seen through the myth of megapixels and the sharpness that the OM-1 offers is more than enough for most photographers.
The system’s lower cost, its size and lightness, and advanced features such as compute mode and superior in-body image stabilization for many photographers are far superior to any other. any other difference. Unconstrained by the requirement to only develop products that benefit Olympus’s medical division, we can rest assured that they will continue to innovate and that OMDS’ fresh approach will shake the market. .
Second prediction: Increasing acceptance of the Documentary Photography Lifestyle
Although the camera market is shrinking, the number of annual shots is still growing; 1.4 trillion was the last number I saw quoted. About 90% of these were taken with a smartphone camera. What began as a genre dominated by vanity and narcissism has evolved into young people documenting their lives and the world around them in a documentary style. Most of these photos are still taken with mobile phones, but there is a trend towards stylish cameras with small interchangeable lenses.
Third prediction: Evolution in art photography
Many of my most popular articles are related to art and aesthetics, and there is clearly an increasing interest in learning about how photography stands alongside other art forms, even in areas where one might not expect a link.
Furthermore, art schools and universities worldwide offer degrees in photography, many of which are fine art photography. Graduates are beginning to enter society and influence the art world, and similarly, the art world will increasingly influence photography.
4th prediction: The camera will have a SIM card
Just like GPS, Wireless and Bluetooth have been built into the camera and the camera has been built into the phone, it is only a matter of time before the ILC starts to have a mobile data connection so pictures can be taken. uploaded directly to the cloud without the inconvenience of connecting to a smartphone first.
As processing power and memory in cameras become more powerful and technology continues to shrink in size, one can also envision all the apps we see on smartphones being stored on our camera. Isaac Asimov predicts humans will become more robot-like and robots more human-like, eventually meeting in the middle, so maybe, we’ll see a similar evolution, where phones and cameras evolve towards each other.
Prediction 5: Photographers won’t need Photoshop
As belts tighten because of rising fuel and food costs, photographers will want to save. Lightroom and Photoshop has ruled the rooster for many years. However, other products on the market give just as good, if not better, results and at a lower cost. Take one, Turn on1and DxO delivers superior results and costs a lot less than a long-term subscription to the Adobe Photographer Bundle. Overall, they’re also a lot easier to use.
Do you agree with me? I’m not sure I agree with myself, because historically many of my predictions have been wrong, even though I didn’t invest in Betamax or buy Zune. What is your prediction for the future of photography?
