The future of photography

I read a very interesting article lately.
http://www.lightstalking.com/video-why-the-future-of-still…/

Simply put, we are at the cusp of a technology that lets you take multiple frames as a video with complete control over aperture, shutter speed and ISO etc.
So you are practically at the disposal of multiple frames of photos with high resolution which you can choose from a video. The effects of this is going to be enormous. This could practically automate most of the photographic jobs and turn most photographers into photo choosers. Lets see how this is likely to impact the various types of photography. I am sure all of this is not going to happen rightaway, but they will happen for sure.

1. Studio shots: This would be the first one to go. Already quite a bit of this is automated with photo booths. With the advent of 8k videos the camera can start capturing photos as soon as you enter a specified zone. At the end of a few seconds, the computer will show you 10 photos after eliminating eyes closed, non-smiling , funny looking pictures etc. You can select your top 3, order your print and be on your way in less than 3 minutes. Who needs to pay a photographer for that?

2. Weddings: Instead of photographers you can hire of bunch of guys who can simply roam around with these 8K cameras. Better still, stick these cameras with to a bunch of drones, trolleys and you are all set. All it takes is a trained eye to sift through the footage and pick out promising stills. Again software would advance to a level where it would clear out the unwanted mundane stuff. And you will be left with the best of the best to choose from. That would still run into hundreds if not thousands.

3. Portrait/engagement shoots: This is going to be difficult to replace. You still have to take them to the right locations, position them, pose them etc. Once your subjects are in their place all you have to do is point your 8K camera towards your subject and make changes as you shoot. Not enough bokeh? Picture too grainy? Exposure blowing out the skies? No problems. Just fix it as you see it recorded as a video. No more chimping! No more checking the pics and realizing that the subject has closed his/her eyes. Change your angle and perspective as you shoot and pick you shot in post.

4. Fashion: The future fashion photographer won’t have a camera in hand. All you have to do is setup your camera, lights and start directing your model. As long as you are sure that your lighting is perfect and your model is following your choreography, you are sure to get your shot.

5. Street/Travel/Journalism/People/Candid: I have grouped all this Genre together because all of this emphasize on the “power of the moment”. But the decisive moment might not hold so much of an awe when you can choose the moment from a video. If you point your camera towards an area of interest long enough, the “decisive moment” is likely to happen sometime or the other. You just have to pick the right moment in post. This could take all the fun out of photography if you can call it that!

I didn’t cover landscapes because it would be much similar to the portrait/engagement shoots genre! One thing is for sure, Us mortals would be telling stories to our grandkids about how we actually had to click a button to capture a moment. And they will be looking at us just like we look at film camera veterans.
We are in for some exciting times.

What do you think? smile emoticon