Does The Digital Age Affect Artistic Effort in Photography?

In our digital age, technology is rapidly improving to make daily activities easier and more efficient. Photographs used to have to be developed by hand and were a time extensive process. Back in the 80s, people were able to send our film to a store to pick up their photos and thought that was the easiest method in the world. Now, I feel as if there is a lack of effort and significance in people’s photos due to their camera being right at their fingertips, with the ability to delete them with no extra cost.

I have experience using two different types of cameras, the Nikon F3 and the Nikon D3400. Shooting with them are two completely different experiences. The Nikon F3 is a film camera, therefore you have to manually insert film. You have to get these photos developed and there is no “auto” setting for lighting, a rather extensive process compared to modern DSLR cameras. When I am taking photos with my film camera, I feel as if I put more thought and care into the photograph, because I know I can’t just delete and retake it. Film is also expensive, so I wouldn’t want to waste it by carelessly taking photos. When I am photographing with my digital camera, I usually end up taking a lot and do not really think about just taking one perfect photo because I know I can just easily delete the ones I do not want.

However, I feel like most people (around my age at least) are used to the cameras on their cell phones. Because of this, I believe there is a distinct but unnoticed “carelessness” when most people are taking photos. Polaroid photos are becoming more popular and they seem to be more appreciated when it comes to capturing memories. Other than those cameras, I think a lot of people do not realize the importance photos can have to people.

Overall, I think that people (including myself) should appreciate how far we have come in regards to modern artistic mediums, such as photography and digital art. These art forms can be just as difficult as traditional art, but I feel like I even forget to appreciate how far we’ve come and how easy it is to access photos nowadays. While I am grateful for how convenient certain artistic tasks are, I do wish more people would realize that there is more to photography than just pressing a screen carelessly.