RECENTLY the words of the song came to mind – “the times they are a changin”. For most of us; they have never read more true. Who would have believed we would ever go through what we have just gone through, and continue to do so. It’s sound to much like science fiction; or something out of the movies.
But so often that is the case. Things change and we all become wary. Photography is probably no better an example.
From the earliest of centuries when it was first used by the artists to capture images, and then take them back to their studios to create the masterpieces that are now so valuable.
The people of that period believing that would be the end of the great artists, as others took up the skill with the assistance of the new technique. The talent went in other directions flourishing with the opportunity to expand the talents.
Then came the early commercial photographers traveling from place to place in covered wagons, and drawing crowds like a sideshow. So many of those images becoming the staple of family albums and history records.
At the turn of the 19th century saw the introduction of the Kodak box brownie. The camera now becoming a household item used to capture the family and everything else it enjoyed. Now it was open for even more to take advantage of.
The shape and design of the cameras became more creative in themselves going from the the box to more attractive and simpler shapes to handle and hold. Still the camera remained a light tight black box inside.
From the design, then came changes in other ways. At that stage, the paper moved into a new dimension with the the utilization of film. First black and white then with the eventual move to colour in the 60’s.
A leap forward to the 1980’s and beyond with the birth of the digital era. Once again, fear overtook the populations with the new technique believing to change the direction of photography, and indeed it did.
And indeed it did but not in a negative way! (Forgive the pun). But a far more positive reaction with more of the masses taking up the art or hobby as they preferred to call it.
It opened their eyes to hidden images and expanded their minds; inspiring them to look beyond the box. A change for the better.
All of this happening mostly in less than a century.There will be some reading this that will have missed most of this change. But for those that have, we have all lived through it, and changed with it. There never was anything to fear.
Now, if you have read this far as a Kids With Camera or other we liked to read how the camera has changed your point of view to the world around you.
