Cellphone cameras and Instagram....Saviours or Destroyers of Photography?

There have been a lot of professional photographers out there that have stated that Instagram and cellphone cameras are the destroyer of traditional photography! I on the other hand think that in a lot of ways Instagram and cell phones have rekindled interest in photography in the general masses, to a level not seen since the Polaroid days. 

Back in the 70's I think photography had hit an all time interest level high, mostly because of the popularity of the Polaroid cameras. I can remember that everyone had one, and I can remember being at family parties and there being a few Polaroid's snapping away. My family still has photo albums full of fading Polaroids. 

Jump to now to modern times and cell phones and Instagram, we have a simular interest in general photography. In my opinion, the addition of cameras to todays cell phones and the ability to post pictures to sites such as Facebook and Instagram as soon as you take them has re-stirred an interest in general eveyday photography. 

Now in my opinion it has created upsides and some downsides to the fields of photography. On the upside end of things, one of the most interesting is an interest in "still life" photography. This is evident by how many "food pix" you see on Instagram. If some of these people would put that interest in using real cameras we could have new generation of product and still life photographers. The cellphone cameras have also led to an increase of interest in the field of street/urban photography. Almost eveyone has a camera with them now when thy see something interesting while walking down the street. A positive side benefit is that few people are intimidated by someone taking a picture with a cell phone allowing you to get the shots you would have a hard time getting on the streets with a DSLR. 

In my mind one thing that can be considered both a positive and a negative is the rise of the "selfies". As annoying as it can be, it can also lead to an increase interest in modelling and portrait photography. 

So in my opinion there are both positive and negative aspects to the rise of cell cameras and sites like Instagram. It will take time to see what this will all mean for the art of photography. 

PHOTOGRAPHY RESOURCES AND LEARNING MATERIAL

As I got more and more involved with photography I had to look for ways to learn the keys of being a good photographer. There are a few main methods I used to learn from. The main types can be broken down into two categories, physical and online.

The physical tools I use can be broken down into two types, books and magazines. I am huge fan of reading. There are some really good magazines out there that deal with photography. Some are dedicated to landscape and wildlife photography, some are aimed at portraits and still others focus on conceptual/ artistic photography. And still more don't limit themselves and cover a wide variety of styles. I don't really want to endorse any particular magazine, most are really good learning materials, it just depends on your interest and focus as a photographer. The one area of photography that I find lacks coverage, at least in magazines that are found in stores, is Street Photography. I wish there was a widely available magazine that covered Street/Urban photography, if there is I have not found it.

Another great physical learning aid that I have learned a lot from is of course books. There are some really great photographers out that who put out some great books. Unlike magazines I will endorse one author who I have enjoyed and learned alot from, and only because his books cover a wide variety of photography styles. That author is Tom Ang. I have at least four of his books and I have learned a lot from them. I recommend his books to anyone interested in photography.

Now on to Online learning aids and this list could get way too long and could be it's own blog entry at a latter date. There are so many ways to learn online. You can do online training courses, you use photo sharing sites to get constructive (and hopefully not "bitchy") feedback on your shots. You can join photography groups on "Social Media" sites. There are blogs (like this one) that cover a lot of different genres. There are many other ways to learn online. However there is one online option that I recommend to any and all photographers to take advantage of, and it's free to use, and that is YouTube.

I have learned so much from YouTube videos, and not just dealing with Photography. I have a long list of photography "channels" that I subscribe too. Some are Street based photography, some "focus" on portraits, others are gear review based and some cover just about everything. In my opinion there is no better resource to learn from than YouTube.

There are other ways you can learn about photography, you can join clubs, attend photowalks and learn from other members. You can attend college/university courses, attend workshops and seminars and many others ways to learn your craft. I haven't done any of these, partly because of geography, and partly because of money. I hope to do some these in the future though.