Where Are We Headed?

[Poppyrob]

After having read "Abobe updates Lightroom CC to Lightroom Classic and there is a "new" LR CC for Mobiles???" a thread started by Dennis this morning, it got me to thinking, where are we headed? Are software manufacturers beginning to prioritize pads and phones over desktops and laptops? Is the smaller, more portable "now" technology an indication larger computers, particularly desktops, are on the decline? And like VHS, and eventually disc players, will they eventually almost vanish? My middle aged sons () do not own desktops and probably never will. Laptops and phones are their choice, and I'm sure the laptop is used when they're home because the screen is bigger than the phone. My 16 year old grandson just purchased a laptop for his final 2 years at high school. His ipad is used by his younger siblings and his phone is always at arms length. I don't think any of this mob will ever own a desktop.

Many years ago I almost scoffed at my wife (bad move) when she suggested purchasing a digital point and shoot to replace her aging compact film camera. "They 'll never be any good! They'll never replace film." And they haven't. But new technology has had such an effect that film processors in supermarkets and chemists went out the door almost as quick as Kodak went down the gurgler. And I've been trying to get my foot out of my mouth ever since. But where are digital cameras headed, especially DSLR's? A lot of youngsters buy a DSLR because "they give the best pictures". But do they? Straight from the camera, an unprocessed image captured by someone with little to no idea of how to use a camera and software, can often look far inferior to the same 'instant' photo from a phone or pad. So the camera is placed into the back of the cupboard awaiting the next house move. Will the consumer demand for DSLR's and associated software decline because phone photos and software are good enough?

Hard copy encyclopedia are dead. Printed reference books and manuals gather dust. And magazine publishers are falling off the newsstand quicker than autumn leaves in the cold country. Will software manufacturers eventually tailor toward the smaller "now" technology, tapering away from the larger machines? Will the requirements of today's youth see desktops and laptops comparable to VHS and disc? And what's going to happen to all our carefully preened and stored images? The kids fire off photos, look at them, snapchat or instagram them, and ... well that's about it. If I show my mob a photo I captured a few weeks ago, it warrants a cursory glance because it wasn't taken today. I don't think they'll have the time or inclination to bother with my hard drives of images when I someday fall off the perch.

But that's not why I take pictures. I take pictures because I enjoy the challenge. Sometimes I'm pleased with the result and often I'm not. It's fun. I think today's youth enjoy photography too, but in a much different way than I. And I don't think they appreciate an image and the work that goes into achieving that image. That's nice. Next.

I class myself as an enthusiast photographer, but I think the kids of today can already be classed as enthusiast photographers. Where do you think we're headed?