The age of the internet and the iPhone has brought photography to the masses in a way not even George Eastman or Edwin H. Land could imagine. And that’s the problem. Now everyone thinks they’re a photographer. But what if the internet and the iPhone came with a hammer and nails, would that make everyone a carpenter? No, of course not, that’s a silly thing to imagine. It takes time and practice to become a carpenter. You spend many years training under the hand of an older/wiser teacher or wrestling your way through it on your own. But it’s never instant.
All the overnight sensationalism and instant gratification of the internet are nothing more than smoke and mirrors.
I’m speaking to myself here too. Even though I’ve been shooting photos for over 10 years now, I still wouldn’t consider myself a photographer. I like to dabble, sure, but I don’t pay my mortgage and feed my family on the pictures I take. I’m just a guy with an iPhone and instagram.