Photography:

“Everyone is now fully aware that professional Dslr are going to be replaced by mobile phone cameras. It is just a question of time. Already, this year, there has been more phone cameras sold than point and shoots. One main reason: Phone cameras can now do pretty much what any point and shoot delivers but are less bulky to carry, have multiple other useful functions and we carry them all the time. While Dslr cameras offer much more than point and shoots, they are already threaten by the high quality files delivered by phones.

We also all know that print is dying. Slowly, we see print publication number’s dwindling and there is no sign of that trend changing. Everyone is moving to screen-based publishing, with various success. There is less and less need for large image files. Online, everything is 72 dpi with 1024 pixel wide on average. Some phones today deliver already much bigger files than that.”
Thoughts of a Bohemian

I think there is SOME merit to this, but I also think this is skewed toward the journalist photographer. I agree that the bigass DSLR will become a ‘professional only’ tool in the not too distant future, but I do not think it will be replaced by a camera phone. Too many photographers like knobs and controls and the feel of a camera in their hands… both younger and older shooters. The smaller hybrid and mirrorless cameras will become far more popular with many pros and pro-ams in the very NEAR future and of course the ubiquitous camera phone will continue to get better and better.

On printing. For magazines… well, there are a hell of a lot of magazines out there. Hit Barnes and Noble for a taste… and that doesn’t cover trade and business specific journals and magazines. I think that there is most definitely a move to the digital, that is not even a question anymore, but the idea that print will not be around in the near future seems a bit over the top.

Prints for walls and art… well, here is where WE photographers are dropping the ball. WE DON”T PRINT, so we cannot share the joy and art of a print with people. And if WE don’t value it, how do we expect others to value it?

The screen resolutions already make it feasible to make amazing images with even an entry level camera, and if that is where we as a group are going, then explain to me why we need 32MP’s and 24MP’s – hell, anything over 8MP’s is extreme overkill for online publication… including PDF’s, iBooks, Kindle Books and more.

This thing we call photography will have another big shake out coming – perhaps two – before we can see through the mist to what lies on the other side. Fortunately – or unfortunately for some – we may not have THAT long to wait.

Indeed

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