Yes, digital photography is dead in the water IF ‘photography’ is removed from digital photography. Just as Kodak’s brownie box camera and its Instamatic brought photography to the masses in the 20th century, the digital camera has done the same in the 21st century. But, once the ‘knack for taking fancy pictures’ wears off, the lack of skills will relegate the digital camera to the hobby drawer.
There is a principle in management science that in business a person is promoted to the level of his own incompetence and no higher. It is called the ‘Peter Principle’ formulated by Dr. Laurence J. Peter in his book of the same name. After that, they stagnate and can only move to the sides. This is true for photography too. Once you reach your level of incompetence or ultimate ability, that’s where you sit. It is at this point that interest wanes and your outings with the camera become less and less frequent. In other words, another death of digital photography.
There will always be hardliners in any field who will continue to practice at the level of their incompetence, but the average Joe who was once enthusiastic about digital photography is long gone. The enthusiast has lost the enthusiasm of him.
So what is the answer to the problem? Focus, like any hobby or pastime, is a continuous learning process. In the business world we call it upskilling. Adding proficiency and qualifications to your existing tool bag will keep you moving up the promotion ladder. It is the same with photography. Learning is imperative.
Most of us are at some point dissatisfied with our photos. They don’t look much like those in fashion magazines and newspapers. What do they have that the rest don’t? They have learned the techniques and disciplines of photography and have applied them in a continuous learning journey to get great pictures.
A hobby, as with any plant or animal, has to be nurtured for it to show signs of growth. Buying a digital camera for the sole purpose of taking pictures without the high costs of film will more often than not result in the death of digital photography. If your digital photography is to thrive, you will need three key ingredients:
1 time
As with anything of value in life, time is a key ingredient to your success. Unless you take the time to invest in any venture, you’ll likely reap an equivalent reward. Garbage in garbage out. No pain, no gain as the old adage goes. There is no instant photography.
2. Passion
Unless you are enthusiastic about a hobby or hobby, it is inevitable that it will gradually decrease over time and eventually die down. I speak from experience. Developing your passion is essential for growth. Passion is the fuel that ignites your hobby.
3. Skill
Some are born with a natural ability, but most of us have to work at it. Practice makes perfect. If you don’t have the ability, then acquire it any way you legally can. Acquiring skill is a process and for many of us a journey of discovery. Something we have to work on.
Remove any one of these three dots from digital photography and your demise is on its way. But, the key point is photography. Learning photography and gaining creative photography skills will nurture digital photography and keep it alive.
Photography is not governed by the medium you use, digital, film, pinhole or Polaroid. Photography remains alone and independent of the tools or media. As with beauty, it is in the eye of the beholder. It is not contained in a box, camera or digital sensor. Your results can be seen on a computer, t-shirt or magazine.
Digital photography is the answer to photography because of its ease of use, distribution methods, and cost. But take photography out of digital and it will result in the death of digital photography.