they see photography as a communication tool. Like words. A language to interpret. While professionals certainly do not ignore photography as a communication tool, they also see it as a product . The finality of a photograph, for a pro, is to sell it. The finality of a photograph, for a tech company, it to generate more. What they sell is a continuous, uninterrupted stream. They do not care about individual images, they care about scale. A photograph is only as good as it effect on other users.

via Instagram knows more about photography than you | Photo/Tech.

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4 Comments

  1. Are you supportive of this philosophy, or frustrated? Most of my work is for tech and conference clients; I have definitely had to come to terms over the last few years with this idea. Most of my individual images are lost in the digital stream, but the mass of them, taken as a whole, serves to document and generate discussion within the organizations’ communities.

    It’s taken some energy on my part to realize that, while each individual image should be as good as possible, most of them will never be appreciated by its viewers on a technical level.

    Thanks!

    –Trav–

  4. “The finality of a photograph, for a pro, is to sell it” isn’t really that accurate, and helps shed light on how different types of photographs and photographers do different things. Many documentary photographers/filmmakers (esp. now) for example, get the funding first–they never actually “sell” the photographs. They sell the story, and finality is achieving things like getting tech companies to stop buying conflict minerals, or governments to crack down on sex trafficking, etc, etc. And hopefully more funding for the next project. The photographs are just the medium for something bigger, and then bigger again.

    And commercial photography’s similar. You get the contract, then take the photos. The finality for that might be all kinds of things–poster at a bus stop, viral hit, magazine, in-store…you name it. Those are ultimately the client’s “finality” for it, but the photographer needs to be intimately engaged in knowing how help make it happen.

    Bottom line is, if money’s changing hands, it’s rarely just for the photo.

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