Will Photography Ever Walk on Two Legs Again?

Though originally published in 2019, the question remains unanswered.

Photography called, it’s fallen and can’t get up. Copyright 2019 Kenneth Jarecke / Contact Press Images

A friend of mine sent me an email in the middle of the night regarding two questions that were haunting him.

The first, why does photography suck today?

The second, what’s up with all the photography cheating scandals?

Now, before you get all huffy about the first question, take solace in the fact that photography does suck today. No, not a question, said while wagging a finger and doing an Amanda Priestly impersonation, it simply does.

Photography shouldn’t suck, as it’s never been easier. Which might just be a big part of the problem.

It’s so easy today, that a self anointed expert, with YouTube followers in the six figures, can profile a new lens while shooting it with one hand and recording himself on his iPhone with the other.

Something that easy isn’t likely to engage one’s brain, but that’s not the whole answer, as people who really want to be good at photography suck at it as well.

Making photography easy has been the goal of camera manufacturers since Kodak introduced the Brownie. Easy things should be easy, like playing bass kind of easy.