Photography in the future

I wonder what photography will be like in 10, 20, and 50 years from now. Think about it, 50 years ago we had the Polaroid SX-70. What a cool thing that was at the time. Look at the advances in technology in the last 10 to 20 years.

The photo of model Morgan above was shot at ISO 12,800. When I got my first digital SLR in 2005 that was an unheard-of ISO rating. The highest ISO rating of my old Nikon D50 was 1,600. Back when I started photography in the early 1980s I thought ISO (ASA) 800 was fast!

Today, our cameras have 3D tracking, and face and eye detection. They have autofocus, autoexposure, and auto ISO adjustment. In 50 years, will photography even still be a thing? It’s all exciting to think about, albeit unless there are some wonderful advances in medical science I won’t see what photography is like in 50 years.

With all these advances though, I still see people in photography forums complain about the state of photography. I love seeing people keep the “old ways” alive. I love seeing people go back to the roots of photography with film, darkroom, and print techniques. I also love seeing the advancements in technology. For me, let’s not hold back on the advancements. Let’s hold back on attempts to “go back” to the olden days. They weren’t always as good as we remember them. March forward and change with the times. It is wonderful to have all this new stuff and keep the old stuff. Art is timeless and we can use new technology to create new art.