Image fatigue

 

General Photography

Something provocative: Photography “as an art form is on the wane. […] he reason for photography’s eclipse as an art form has not just to do with the astonishing superabundance of photographs; it has to do with dramatic recent changes to the medium. Thanks to the digital revolution, there is virtually nothing that can’t be done to a photograph to alter its once unique relationship to reality. There is much to amaze in what is suddenly possible but the amazement is largely technical. In terms of art, something profound has been lost.” (source)

I’d actually argue that this kind of criticism should first be applied to Hollywood movies, where imagination has been replaced by digital gimmicks so that most “blockbuster” movies are only watchable if you’re a young teenager who thinks that gratuitous violence and hollow digital effects with no actual plot whatsoever are “cool”. But despite the fact that I disagree with the conclusion drawn as far as contemporary photography is concerned, the author does raise some important points.
(updated version - I forgot to link to the article…)