You bring up a good point, which, in fact, somewhat is hindering me in my pursuit of photography art. I sometimes question my self, "why bother?" For the most part, any artistic shots that I may take are not all that meaningful to me, and certainly my heirs, as far as context and history. It is a fun hobby, but that is about it. When I die, the photos I took which were rated high in some way by a third party judge, are probably not going to be viewed and enjoyed. But the photos I take of family, events, life's moments that mean something to the collective "us" will be save. This MAY be a contributor to the popularity of the camera on the phone...generally not used for art,but for spontaneous events. For instance, when I babysit my grandchild, I take shots with my phone...they are not always great, but which pics will I cherish in the long run? Which photo will be viewed as timeless, the photo I took of a landscape in Yosemite which was rated as nearly perfect or a not so sharp photo of two of my elderly aunt and uncle kissing at Christmas, only to have both of them pass away within in a few months? Which evokes emotion?
Which is timeless?