What's New in Photography?

As far as I'm concerned, every shot taken is new to the photographer - although the composition or the subject of each may appear to be similar to other photographs. It's like an artist creating a new painting - it's very subjective to others' interpretation.

What is new? The next photograph anyone makes.

In a sense there can't be anything new in photography just as there can't be anything new in any picture making medium, say oil painting or marble sculpture for example. The medium is the medium is the medium. Acrylic paint and fibreglass can closely mimic the appearance of oil paint or marble but aren't the NEW oil paint and marble.

Similarly, ink-jet printing can closely mimic the appearance of pictures made on light sensitive surfaces but no actual light is consumed. My printer works happily in the dark but I can't make photographs in the dark.

In another sense photography is always new. Even though everything is photographed daily by millions the art of photography is made new every time someone does something for the first time or someone sees something for the first time. Art is not renewed by the eternal pursuit of difference but by the repeated affirmation of personal creativity.

"I'm not talking about software or lenses. I'm talking about technique and subjects."

"Technique" points primarily to software today (post processing, HDR, extended tonal scale etc).

See Soundslides.com for examples of technique now required by most newspapers when they hire young photojournalists (Soundslides specifically).

Photojournalists are increasingly required to be fluent with still photography, location sound recording, video...and of course writing skills are far more important than they were when media could afford to send multiple specialists to a story.

The convergence of still, video, and sound is well underway. See SCARLET for one reason...Nikon and Canon are both at risk. http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/14/red-shows-off-5k-epic-camera/

Very good points. I've been scooping up photo mags to see what's hot in Photography. What subject is the De jour so to speak. I'm looking to shoot interesting photos without it being just another subject that has been shoot millions of times. When I was living in NY, the streets were full of vendors with all the same photos for sale. The Empire state Building, The Statue of Liberty, John Lennon with a NYC shirt. ect.

I thought about this topic because I was watching a show on Ovation, a new art channel and it was a documentary on photography. It went into the history of it and how in the 70's pros still prefered B&W. Photos taken in color was thought to be amature.

John, you always talk about the convergence of still and video photography. A paper, however, can't present a video outside of Harry Potter books. You need electronic gadgetry to present a (digital) video. This is a fundamental difference between photography and video and something which prevents them from converging. Online is a different story but the quality of online video is so poor that it's almost unwatchable. Only at the lowest quality level imaginable is there any convergence of presentation.

Also, video is infinitely harder to control. A still photographer can create a masterpiece by him- or herself. A movie maker basically needs 1000 people working for a year and a limitless budget to make 3 hours of what is considered current in terms of technical and aesthetic quality.

No, there isn't any convergence.

Your perspective can be new and unique. Two photographers shooting the same scene will see very differently. There are also plenty of as yet untapped ideas out there.

Multimedia; a still, sound and film/video presentation; has come a long way since its crude beginnings in the 70's when real time controller programming was required. Real slide and film projectors were necessary along with a component sound systems all controlled by an 8 bit processor and 32 meg of memory to present multi-screen extravaganzas touting a corporation's wonderous achievements. They were also popular with museums and civic entities. Technology changes but the presentations remain more or less the same.

"and of course writing skills are far more important than they were when media could afford to send multiple specialists to a story."

One couldn't tell that from reading what passes for news these days. However, it's fine if one has a 4th grade education and is content with a copy of Illustrated Classics' "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."

Medical science has seen some technical novelty's concerning phototechniques. For the rest I'm with Asher:

"Your perspective can be new and unique"