What is modern photography?

[84young]

I know, prob a stupid question, but I have been wondering this for a few days now. So i figured I'd ask the professionals.

[Tom]

Depends on what context you use it.

[84young]

I'm thinking in all aspects of photography. What are the greatest challenges facing modern photography? It's for the last paper I have to write for my news writing class at Syracuse, and I want to know what modern photography is. How is it defined? Sorry, I guess I should have put this in the first place, lol.

[johnastovall]

Large format wet plate collodion process.

[DEMDeepEllumMusic]

Really the same subjects have been shot since the 1850's just the tools have changed. Your question should be more directed towards how have the morals of current society changed the type of work that a current photographer pursues.

You wouldn't see the same type of work being done in the Middle East vs off the coast of Spain vs USA vs Brazil vs China- there may be similarities but there would also be many differences.

[Bruce M. Morris]

Does everyone in the class have the same assignment or is this uniquely your topic? If all have this assignment then I would think that the Professor wants YOUR thoughts, not a rehash of other people's ideas.

[jeffkohn]

From a history perspective I think "modern" photography as associated with the overall Modernist movement is considered to have started in the early 20th century with the move towards "straight" photography and away from pictorialism. Early modernist photographers would be Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand, Edward Weston, Ansel Adams, Minor White, Imogen Cunningham plus many others (some of these folks started out as pictorialists before moving to straight photography).

I'm not sure if that's the answer you're looking for, though.

[KobraCarry]

All I know is I have a love-hate relationship with modern tools such as Photoshop, HDR, etc. I know many techniques were used in days of old within the darkroom, but today's tools are creating new arts. I have nothing against them. I just think at some point there will come a separation between photography and computer generated art, and there will be folks who try to capture wonderful images with little post processing, and those who whole intent is to create a new product from a simple image.

[DEMDeepEllumMusic]

PASTIMES - Camera - NYTimes.com
It's a Magazine that went out of publication in 1989.

[Murph]

You beat me to it, and an excellent magazine it was.

Originally Posted by DEMDeepEllumMusic

PASTIMES - Camera - NYTimes.com
It's a Magazine that went out of publication in 1989.