A lost art

[Akula Filiko]

Lately I've been feeling like photography is a lost art. I've been doing photography for 7 years trying to become a better photographer, but recently I've noticed that people have been calling themselves artists just because they can take a black and white picture of a lamp post or a lawn chair. I learned how to develop my own photographs in a dark room and learned about all the shutter speeds and all the ups and downs of photography. Now people take a picture, use photoshop and make a photo that looks way better than I could ever hope to do. For example, my roommate got a professional grade camera with a telephoto lens and now uses Photoshop to make better photos than me. I feel like there's no heart in it anymore. 

[Ares the Ram]

you can be an artist with no talent whatsoever these days. You are what I call "true" artist. the ones who take the time and effort to learn about the skill. Its like those graphic design commercials. You dont have to be able to draw to make art for companys.   *Pats Akula*

[Akula Filiko]

It just sucks because I wanted a career in Photography. Tens yeas ago it would've been easy getting a job with no competition. Now it's super competitive because of how easy it is for some one to make photos look good.

[Puncia]

It's the truth though, there will always be people that enhance their pictures in PS and I honestly see this as cheating when it comes to photography art. It's fine when it's supposed to be informational, and that can too be pretty and artsy, but it's not the same. Sometimes you take great photos but they are just a tad too dark, and the motive cannot be copied to take the shot again. Then it's fine to edit it SLIGHTLY just for balance but you always have to add it to the description why you did it and how much. That's my opinion.

What you can do is add a comment on your photos saying it's unedited, raw, untouched. That way, at least good photographers will see and appreciate your stuff.

[Akula Filiko]

That's why I my favorite artist is Thomas Barbey. He does surreal photos and none of it is photoshopped, or even digital for that matter,

[Kaprika]

yes, unfortunately for you...we are waist deep in the tecnological age, where conveniance is king.
everything is about making things easier now. years ago when i first wanted to be an artist they used actual art for the animation, like walt disney, they did kinda..."flipart"
but now everything is all computer design, computer programs. all the genuine talent and hard work it USED to take in'nt necissary..everything is assembly line, computer generated or done with hgh tech equipment

the arts are becoming a lost and endangered creature

[Drago Strega]

  I know how you feel, and I graduated with a BFA in Art, which was a very difficult, stressful 4 years + whatever crazy stuff I did before in order to gain experience. I learned how to mix the chemicals for the film developer, how to develope the negatives, learned how to make all my photographs from scratch with the enlarger, even down to cleaning my pics. with special ink for the white dust spots. All to which takes forever to perfect...now people just go on photoshop and make all that work seem so pointless.  :'(
Another lost art, printmaking the old-school way, with the gigantic heavy print-press mechanism, to which if you get so much as a smug on the print, you'd have to repeat the process all over again. And all of the individual cuts in wood and metal you have to do in order to get a multy color print. It so...tedious, but when you were done you felt like you made a masterpiece.
Photoshop frustrates me so, though it's a wonderful program, it makes art way to disposable in my opinion, by which it takes away the hands on value of the work for me. Though yah you could spend hours trying to manipulate the work on the computer, but it's just not the same as physically changing something with your own abilities. And now sadly computers and machines will slowly replace all such skillful talents as the generations pass, which were a pride of humans capability of being clever enough to manipulate the world around them by molding what they had into something more. It's so sad... :'(

[___]

Art's art, so it always has heart.

Just cuz its a bit easier to do dosn't mean that there's no skill. You still have to have skills...

I guess that I'm up in my feelings cuz I use Photoshop for all my stuff.

[Daemon]

Not sure if this was said yet, but it takes a good photographer to take a beautiful picture without using any editing software. \if you can do that, then you will always be the first one on the list of photography jobs.

[x]

i hate as well that people with no developed skill try to hide it with technology, hiding non-existent backgrounds in screentones and such. but i don't think we should be hard on them, they are just trying to learn and make good pictures that people like. i agree that it is art is art no matter how you express yourself.....

BUT it is very sad to see that traditional media is disappearing. i think to truly appreciate art, you need to develop your skill in as many areas as you can, not just focus on one. so that is to say a good digital artist should study traditional every so often and vice versa.

i've been trying to teach myself to be an artist since I was little....I wade knee deep in how to draw books, old drawings done with markers on notebook paper and random photographs. In all this time I have become fine with pencil and paper. It is only very recently that I attempt digital....and truthfully digital has its own difficulties! It's actually very hard to draw and color in an appealing way in photoshop, so many new things to learn to master and control.

digital is it's own art form with it's own conventions . so is traditional. people should try and appreciate both 

[Drago Strega]

I'm trying to get use to using photoshop, though it would be easier if I had my own computer to do that stuff... plus you can't run photoshop on just any crappy computer. I going to go nuts when I get a new computer... at least it's March, so there will be good tech for sale, yay!
I'd like to use photoshop to make cool graphic stuff, but I'll never give up the old fashioned pencil and paper... way easier to carry plus it can't shut down due to low battery or lack of power, and it cost practically nothing. I take tons of paper when I'm at work btw both the copy machine and printer, I like to draw when it gets boring and when my brain needs a break from after staring at a computer for hours. 

[MinxKitty]

A lot of people prefer the more traditional photography! ...  When I did my a-level photography course, we got higher grades for using film camera and the dark room, because it showed skill..

At the end of the day, it isnt how the photograph is made or enhanced.. It is the thought and creativity behind it... Its what you photograph not how

Good luck with your career
xox