Photography is dead: long live photography.

Abstract

In the 1990s, digital imaging began to supersede film-based imaging. W. J. Mitchell declared photography dead, or more precisely, radically and permanently displaced. Cameras have evolved from mechanical depicting devices into fully automated digital machines. Throughout the history of our profession, people have feared that new technology would threaten our livelihood. Yet, professional photography has consistently prevailed due to its unique artistic vision and technical expertise. It is not merely a job, but a craft that captures and preserves the essence of our world. That is why professional photography is not dead, but more relevant and necessary than ever. Marx foresaw a time when the issue would shift from reducing the necessary labour time to create surplus value to minimising the required labour of society. He optimistically claimed that 'The counterpart of this reduction is that all members of society can develop their education in the arts, sciences, etc., thanks to the free time available to all'. Are we really at a stage where photographers have become superfluous, spending their time in joy and merriment without any income? Is professional photography, as we know it, dead? I firmly believe it is not.