Photography

Polaroid in the USA applied for Chapter 11 protection last week. They've announced their restructuring plan, but given the market trends of digital cameras, it's hard to say whether they can really make any improvement. Digital means that there is no more anticipation while you shake the photo to speed up its development -- instead you get instant gratification.Easy and fast were the key phrases used by Polaroid. No longer is either adjective true when used in comparison to digital cameras. Recently I've been hearing that even some professional photographers have given up using manual cameras. And that teachers at some photography schools are telling students not to bother with the courses about exposure or lighting, because they can correct the photos digitally later. On a personal level, a man who runs a photo store in NY told me he has to shut down soon, because he can't keep up with digital camera techniques and technology. He's an old guy and started his career in a development lab about 50 years ago.
If digital cameras dominate the photography world, then can everyone be a photographer? I think the reality is that they can all be picture takers, but it takes emotion and creativity as much as it does technology to take photos that have meaning...