My previous post was about AI and this one is no different! In fact, I can see plenty of future posts will be too. Not to beat a dead horse, but constant updates on how it is going to affect things moving forward.
Previously I touched upon the thinking that augmented and VR would be big parts of the photography world, but they haven't really been taken up. Other than VR in the real estate world, and virtual galleries etc. And I didn't mention the computaional photography, which is a version of AI, and the advancements being made there. But I wanted to see if AI had an idea of the kinds of innovations coming. So I decided to ask chatgpt what it thought the future of photography would look like, and this was it's answer;
"The Future of Photography: What to Expect
Photography has come a long way since the invention of the first camera in the early 1800s. From black and white prints to digital images, photography has evolved rapidly over the past century, and it shows no signs of slowing down. With advances in technology, we can expect to see even more exciting developments in the field of photography in the years to come.
One of the most significant trends in photography today is the rise of computational photography. This technology involves the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and image processing algorithms to enhance the quality and creativity of photographs. For example, smartphone cameras can now automatically adjust settings such as exposure and color balance to produce more accurate and appealing images. With computational photography, we can expect to see even more sophisticated algorithms being developed to create even more stunning images.
Another trend in photography is the use of drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to capture images from unique and often inaccessible vantage points. This technology is becoming more accessible and affordable, allowing more people to experiment with aerial photography and videography. We can expect to see more photographers using drones in the future, leading to new and exciting perspectives on the world around us.
Virtual and augmented reality technologies are also starting to impact the field of photography. As these technologies continue to develop and become more widespread, we can expect to see new and innovative ways of capturing and sharing images. For example, virtual reality cameras can capture 360-degree images that allow viewers to explore a scene as if they were physically there. Augmented reality can overlay digital information onto real-world images, creating new possibilities for storytelling and communication.
In addition to these technological advancements, we can expect to see new trends emerging in photography as well. For example, there may be a growing interest in analog photography as people seek to disconnect from the digital world and create something more tangible. We may also see a resurgence of interest in large-format photography, which offers unparalleled image quality and detail.
Overall, the future of photography looks to be exciting, with continued advancements in technology leading to new possibilities for creativity and innovation. Whether you're a professional photographer or an amateur hobbyist, there's never been a better time to explore the world of photography and see what new developments the future has in store."
As we can see, chatgpt has a pretty decent understanding of what we all the the world of photography looked like a couple of years ago. That's because chatgpt has an understanding of events up 2021, and very little 2021 and after. Drones have become a staple in real estate and a few other genres, but have generally died down in the past year. And like I said above, augmented and VR didn't really take off at all. Or at least in the pro-sumer sectors.
We have however seen quite a massive uptake in film photography.As an example according to Simmons’s Study of Media and Markets, 3,881,000 people ages 25-54 own a Polaroid camera. Chatgpt has gotten the analog photography prediction pretty spot on.
But the part that I personally think will be the next revolution is the computational photography side of things. OM systems (Formerly Olympus) have been working on this for a while now to really help itself stand out from the other brands. Live composite, focus stacking, and live ND filter modes are just a few examples, allowing the user to select a virtual ND filter from 1 to 6 stops in density, take up to 15 shots with different points of focus and combine them in camera, and taking multiple shots at various shutter speeds and, again, have them processed and combined in camera!
I'm the type of person that wants this control for myself in photoshop, and you can still do that, but the option is there for you. You literally get to see how it'll all look combined on the back of the camera!
Smartphones are also pushing the area of comutational photography. If you've seen the instagram and tiktok filters you know exactly what I mean. They're getting so good that they're 'sticking' to people faces REALLY well. And it's only going to get better!
It's only a matter of time before we get some in camera portrait editing, some masking options, or even colour grading options. Within a few years it wouldn't surpise me if we even get a RAW editor like lightroom installed.
Cameras for the past 10 years have been computers that can take photos. Over the next few years things are going to evolve so fast. We have plenty of megapixels and options to upscale if we need more. I personally think ISO will become irrelevant. I think we'll get some in camera noise cancellation AI that will be so smart that noise will just fixed in camera with everything up with files as clean as base ISO.
A slight wild card prediction I have is a truly auto mode. One made to get more people into photography. How I see this playing out is AI being able to recognise what it is you're trying to take a photo of and adjust settings and options accordingly. Maybe even with session learning. Subject doesn't move much, is clearly a person and the background is full of distranction? That's a shallow depth of field portrait. Your settings are 125th, ISO 200, f1.8 with eye focus priority autofocus. Shooting motorsports? The camera will recognise you're shooting cars so spits out settings of 1,000th, ISO 400, f4 and a continuous sticky autofocus. But you change the settings provided to 1/30th, ISO 64, f4. The AI will learn that you'll overridden it, recognised your camera motion too and learned that you're not after sharp shots. Instead you're doing panning photos. A quick mark on the GPS and a count of the amount of panning shots compared to static shots will help it learn that this spot is panning photos spot. Next time you're here, the settings are straight to panning mode.
Alternatively, you may not know settings to get the shot you want. But the camera does. You'll essentially be able to give it some descriptions, it'll take a scene reading (like a meter reading), and your settings are done.
Those scenarios are just a couple I've made up, but I can see those being things that camera brands may impletement to attract a new generation of photographers. Smartphone photography has grown alot over the years which has killed off alot of the bottom end of the photography market. Smartphone photography has an essence of point and shoot mannerism about it, combined with editing apps and their general ease of use, those are the kinds of users I think camera brands will be pushing to market to next. And it makes sense.
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