mr spock Loc: Fairfield CT

In the almost 4 years I’ve been a member of this forum I’ve come to realize most members seem to be “mature” individuals (over 60). In addition virtually all of the people in my camera club are over 60. Now I realize these groups certainly dont reflect the entire photographic world. However It does bring a question to mind. Is it possible that younger people are not as interested in becoming “photographers”, professional or recreational as we are?
Virtually every person walks around with a smart phone in his/her pocket. Not only does a smart phone contain a camera, but that camera has rapidly become almost as good as any DSLR. I have a feeling that for most people popping a smart phone out of their pocket to take a picture is much preferred to carrying 20 pounds of camera equipment around. There’ll always be a certain portion of the population that is old school and feels you need a good DSLR, lenses, tripod etc. to take good pictures. As the years go by that group will become smaller and smaller.
So in my mind the real question is not where will new photography equipment come from but where will new photographers come from?
Does this make any sense or am I all wet .

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

We grew up with photograph albums and this led to a need to know how to use a camera to create these record books about our life and experience. Today the young people do this though camera phones, social media and their personal web pages. There is no longer any imperative to learn about photography. The future of photography will be limited, but I am sure there will still be people who want to create and record beauty. Just my thoughts.

bleirer

I think it's all about the art. How you get from your vision to the print can have many paths. Cell phones are good and getting better, but they have limits in physics/optics as any system does. My neural net interface records far better images.

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

Well, that is certainly a valid question, as are the points you make. While we, who are more “mature” tend to gravitate to an actual dedicated camera, a large portion of the younger generation prefers the ultimate convenience of a smart phone camera. With all the available technology today, it’s all too easy to let technology do the work. But there will always be those with an artistic sense, who want to preserve the world around them through photography. Perhaps video will overtake still photography, but we can’t know that for sure. A better question might be, “What is the future of the camera manufacturers, as well as those who manufacture lenses?” With an apparent shrinking market, what will happen to them? What will that mean for those of us “older” photographers? I rather suspect that a large portion of us will no longer be around by the time the photography industry takes a major fall. In the meantime, the technology behind cellphone camera is getting better and better, so I envision that type of camera being more and more prevalent, even among those photographers who are dedicated to the art. No longer is a cellphone camera a simple point and shoot camera. They now come with some controls, and there are lots of apps that let you shoot RAW with a cellphone camera, as well as apps that give you total control over the camera as if it were an actual dedicated camera. I suppose soon they will come out with zoom lenses that zoom optically to a decent range. But who knows what the actual future is for photography. I doubt it will go away, but it certainly could turn some other direction.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

There will definitely be a reduction in "serious" photographers.
Most <younger> people are only interested in taking pictures, not making photographs.
Their phone works great for them.
And they can "snap and send" in a moment.

Race Raccoon Loc: Yankton, South Dakota

I have come to believe videography will supplant photography. From the video one can capture any image to make a photograph if desired.

I have noticed a growing number of well executed & powerful videos lately that are really very moving.

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

Photography itself is more popular than ever given digital cameras / video recorders with high quality high resolution displays in most everyone's pockets. These devices allow unskilled users to get results more than good enough to share with friends and relatives. The question is will there be enough "artists" who use photography as their media to support the development and sales of higher performing cameras. With Olympus selling it's camera division and Nikon and others hemorrhaging money it looks like the industry is shrinking, but I don't think it will every go away. There will always be professional photographers, just a smaller number.

PAR4DCR Loc: A Sunny Place

While I agree with most that has been stated I will offer the following. Got into photography, two 35mm cameras, kitchen as darkroom, chemicals, etc. Then life got in the way. Marriage, kids, long hours at job (weekends, nights and so on). Photography took a back seat. The OP stated that he believes most members are over 60, I think there is a reason for this. Now kids gone, many are retired, maybe they have a little extra cash for gear or now has the time to use the gear they bought while working. Sooooo now they have the time and some resources to get back into their hobby.
Does this story sound familiar?


Don

Silverrails

To be honest, which I try to do 99% of the time, I will be 70 in December of 2020. I myself have a very nice Smartphone that does have the ability to produce some very nice images. It is nice to be able to share those images almost immediately Online with my Family and Friends. There are all kind of Apps that allow you to P.P. those images to some degree. But I also have my Nikon D3300 + 5 Lens, which I still enjoy creating images with most of the time. I enjoy Landscape and Macro Photography, which in my humble opinion requires more than a Smartphone to get a satisfactory Photo in those two areas of Photography.

bbrowner Loc: Chapel Hill, NC

just one small aspect of this might be...

We old farts have a lot more time to spend on photography... and so may (or can) get more involved... as opposed to just snapping quick pics as so many youngsters do. Later in life... when they have more time... that could change.

IMHO for possibly one small part of the equation.

Barry

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

The young man who already lusts for newer gear is already an old man.

Timmers Loc: San Antonio Texas.

In your search for direction for a deeper understanding of this 'photography' you will need to move outside the usual definition of the subject. As an example you will find signifiers in the writings of Walter Benjamin from 1910 when he asserts that "The illiterates of the future will not be those who do not know the alphabet, but those who do not know how to make a photograph."

None of this will be easy, like the basic assertion by one like Walter Benjamin about those able to make a photograph. The rather simplistic and childish notion of a definition for photography being 'drawing with light' (photography is about our notion of reality in relation to time, an example of this would be Robert Smithson's work Spiral Jetty).

Then there is the assertion by Man Ray in his publication View No.2 "Photography is not art", which is vary confusing for many. Which draws it tradition from the dialogues and representations of Braque's cubism formed from the interaction that was evolved by Braque, Duchamp, and Man Ray and had little to nothing to do with Picasso's involvement. Looking at Braque's last cubist work of the musical instruments hanging in the artist studio, which models the trompe loy nail and shadow in the work which were not cubist but if fact are photographic realism. Of course the Duchampian delight of the pun of 'putting the final nail in a coffin' is there!

If the Gutenberg Bible is a major signifier of man's intellectual development, then it is deeply shadowed by the discovery of photography.

Quixdraw Loc: x

Bunk! Unquestionably there are individuals who can take good photos with their non camera devices, but they cannot achieve the range of subject matter (macro to astro) that a good camera system can deliver. I'd also question how acceptable even a modest sized 13x19 print can be with that tiny sensor. They probably look fine on their friends phones or tablets.

Does this make any sense or am I all wet .[/quote]

Wet, Dry, more likely bored, and doing some light trolling.

Fred Harwood Loc: Sheffield, Mass.

The proliferation of cell phones of every quality does not ensure that snaps will make it past the day, as each day provides another hundred snaps, possibly all without quality control or archiving. Some likely will give serious thought to selectively taking and archiving snaps, but many will not. Our archives are a treasure for us, family, and friends, as our past plays on our idle computers. Will cell phone snaps quickly become vague memories, or heirlooms for generations to come?
I don't know, but we refuse to get a cell phone.

Kiritm

Don,
I thought you were describing my photography life!
As my daughters were growing up, I was motivated to take their photos and learned the art of film Photography in the process. My younger daughter saw my passion for learning and honing the skill as she grew up. Her interest has now turned into a videographer and is keen on improving her passion for bird Photography using better camera gears than I have.
My point is, young people, if motivated by adult photographers, can carry on the art of photography. I don’t think it matters if gears are different or technology changes radically, the love for photography art will not die.