5 Photo Articles I Love From 2020
This is a year of years in so many ways. It's changed the way we live. Changed the way we see the world. And it's changed photography in the process. Photojournalism was once the exclusive domain of trained, experienced photographers; now it can be a bystander with a smartphone. Photography has become our second language. We share moments that we can't share in person, use pictures to connect and document, and all the photos we took before quarantine have become priceless as a reminder of more "normal" times.
There were many interesting posts online this year that spoke to all of that. Here are 5 of them that I saw and thought were particularly relevant. I hope you feel the same way.
THIS YEAR WILL END EVENTUALLY. DOCUMENT IT WHILE YOU CAN. ~ NYTimes
We lost so many milestones this year, but 2020 is a milestone of its own and this New York Times article back in July showed the awareness of that by museums and archivists. The writer explores the notion that even the ordinary tasks of living have become extraordinary and need to be curated in the moment. And instead of taking pictures of graduation ceremonies and vacations, we should focus on our kids' remote schooling and the family activities that have replaced our trips to the theatre and amusement parks. Someday, maybe decades from now, we will want to look back at this year and see what happened in our own little worlds.
2020 WON'T KILL THE HOLIDAY CARD ~ Vanity Fair
Time was that sending holiday cards was an art form in our home. In recent years it's been often sidelined by other seasonal tasks and work, but I still love the process and personality of printed photos on a mailed card. Now, especially, when it's hard to connect in person, sending a custom card seems about as personal a touchpoint as one can give.
DIGITAL CAMERA SALES DROPPED 87% SINCE 2010 ~ Statista.com
For us life long photographers, this stat is pretty shocking. Granted, a lot of it is the rise and fall of entry-level point-and-shoot digital cameras that can't compete with the convenience of smartphones, but the shakeup goes all the way to the top as 2020 saw the end of camera production at Olympus, an innovative and respected camera brand for 84 years. Yet, in spite of the stats, photography itself is thriving as a creative and communication medium with trillions of photos being uploaded to the internet each year and the iPhone becoming the most popular camera in the world.
THE STRANGE LURE OF OTHER PEOPLE'S PHOTOS ~ NYTimes
Photos transport and inform us. If we take more than a moment to study pictures, we can travel through time and culture, passion and place. If there is one tragedy of the digital age, it's the ability to slow down and study what's before us. This article is a wonderful call to action - or inaction - and makes me think about the images I'm going to leave behind.
DRONE AWARDS 2020: THE WORLD SEEN FROM ABOVE ~ The Guardian
When I took flying lessons I quickly learned that it wasn't the flying itself that sparked my excitement. It was the view. Seeing the world from the air changes one's perspective and seems so appropriate in the age of quarantine. Having a photography contest specifically for drone photography seems like the perfect 2020 blend of mobile photography, social distancing, and tech enabled creativity.
I hope you enjoy these posts. If you have seen articles that relate to photography as a part of our lifestyle and culture, feel free to send me a link at learn@bluewaterimaging.com. Happy holidays and stay safe.