The invention of the camera immensely impacted the arts, especially in terms of painting. First, from the beginning, when photography became accessible to ordinary people, including the working and middle classes, this instrument displaced the art of portrait painting almost entirely. On the other hand, the camera’s invention spurred the development of new art directions, namely, Realism and Impressionism. In that period, artists belonging to Realism began shifting their focus from religious and mythological themes to real life and current social matters (“Week 6,” n.d.). Simultaneously, despite abundant criticism and initial rejection, impressionists changed the style and idea of painting by adding novel artistic elements. An illustrative example of such searches is the painting named “Impression” by Claude Monet, one of the impressionism founders. In this regard, Marignier (1990) indicates that this revolution in the art realm occurred primarily due to the camera since artists started seeking new ways of world expression. Therefore, the camera’s invention changed the art by eliminating portrait painting and stimulating artists’ creativity and exploration.
The emergence of the smartphone camera has had a substantial effect on photography, photographers, and the photography industry overall. For example, according to the World Economic Forum, between 2010 and 2018, the global supply of cameras dropped by 84 percent (Richter, 2019). This phenomenon is because average persons have gained excellent and vast opportunities to take and edit quality photos in minutes using various apps, including Adobe Photoshop or Snapseed. Furthermore, sharing photos on social media considerably transforms social dynamics and impairs photography to some extent. Thus, since the smartphone’s invention, it seems that there is no need for professional photographers or digital single-lens reflex cameras (DSLR). Nevertheless, Myerson (n.d.), a professional photographer, assures that only DSLRs can provide the highest-quality photo in all contexts, especially where any smartphone camera is weak, for example, in dark light.
References
Marignier, J. L. (1990). Historical light on photography. Nature, 346(6280), 115. Web.
Myerson, M. (n.d.). The rise of camera phones and how it affects professional photographers. Contrastly. Web.
Richter, F. (2019). How smartphones devastated the camera industry. The World Economic Forum. Web.
Week 6 Lesson 1: The development of the camera. (n.d.). Instructure, Inc. Web.