OK, so the Beatles meant something different from what I’m currently pondering, but I’m inspired by tunes and lyrics so go with it.
Digital photography/videography really was a revolution though. Think about it. When we used film, we save the shot to try to get the moment. Developing wasn’t cheap, so when you got a good shot, I mean a really good shot….it was great. Early on, cameras were really costly, the general population didn’t have them. Our images of the world came from the media…newspapers, magazines. Eventually, cameras became mainstream and everyone had one…or several….but there was still that issue of development….
Enter the digital era. Two major things happened at about the same time. Digital cameras entered the population…and so did the internet. What a perfect complement. Not only could we take pictures randomly and not need to wait or pay for development…we could now send those same images to loved ones instantly.
I think, that in many ways, the era of the digital camera has revolutionized the world in many ways. Consider the ramifications. Something happens…in all likelihood a dozen people, not more than ten paces away, will have a cell phone with a camera built in. Either that, of a small point and shoot camera in their pocket. With cell phones, that image can immediately be sent anywhere in the world. The public has now taken the place of the correspondent reporter.
I think that today, the world is more photographed, more captured, more recorded, than it has been at any point in history. We can learn about anything, anywhere, and see it….whenever we want….as long as we are connected.
I think that’s just amazing.