The End of the World

We are quickly arriving at the end of 2012 and as we can all see, we are still here. The end of the world did not take place and the human race continues. We should not be surprised really. Throughout history there have been voices claiming the end of the world in upon us, but still we continue. Perhaps in a slightly changed form, but never the less we continue. Now what does this have to do with photography? you may ask, well since the beginning of photography there have been the voices claiming the end of photography is upon us. With introduction of the first moving image photography was thought to be over, but it was not. And as technology and mankind's understanding of the universe has advanced the question of the end of the still image comes up time and time again. I suppose we are currently seeing another period where photography is once again being scrutinised. With the advent of the digital camera and the technology for the cameras to do most of the thinking for you, more and more people are taking up photography, in one form or another. But here is the kick, no camera ever invented, or ever to be invented, will ever have the individuals creative ability to not only see what is in front of us and record it, but to look past what is there and see what possibilities there are in a scene for the individuals own unique and special take of what can be seen. The ability of watch and wait for the light to be just right, or a face to express the inner sense of the individual being photographed, all require a special kind of individual with the right kind of imagination and skill to create these possibilities. So we should not despair that so many people are currently taking up the camera and making their own images, everyone has had the ability to that for a very long time, as the flair and vision that all true artists have had over the centuries has always been in short supply and will continue to be so. Once this current novelty of producing relatively cheep snaps wears off and the vast majority of people come to realise that they cannot produce those special images, just because they have the latest and best cameras, the role of the professional photographer will once again be a viable commercial venture.