The World of Endless Imagery

[...] And the people bowed and prayed to the neon god they made.

©Tanya Decheva, Rado with his camera, 2019

History repeats itself. At first photography was not something anyone could do. It was an expensive pursuit. The technique was more difficult and required certain knowledge in physics and chemistry. All that changed when Kodak released their first camera intended for the wider public. Pretty quick everyone could afford to take photos. That was the rise of amateur photography. But what does amateur means? Don't think of it as some bad images - it's just that amateurs don't earn money for their photographs. There's a number of authors known for their snapshot photography. 

©Tanya Decheva, The Meow, 2019

Of course most of the photos made from amateur photographers were kept in family albums and didn't reach a wide audience. Photographic technology gradually developed through the years. New photography emulsions and cameras emerged. All around the globe different companies produced lenses, films, cameras and all sorts of photography equipment. In the meantime photography as an art form also evolved. And then we reached the digital revolution - photography in the time of zeros and ones.

©Tanya Decheva, Broken, 2017

Even though digital cameras eased the process of photographing and made it somewhat cheaper, certain things changed in the way we see photos. In the early years of digitalization only a few people could afford using the technology. Most of the photos would be published in magazines, photo books, and be presented in exhibitions. And then we all got access to the Internet in our homes. As a child of the 90's I remember the transition of analog to digital.

©Tanya Decheva, Hello, 2017

Very soon most households had a computer with connection to the web. A lot of online galleries emerged - for professionals and for amateurs. Everyone was eager to share their photos with the world. Different groups were formed, specific interests could be discussed with like-minded individuals. We were connected, we still are. Technology developed pretty quickly. Not long after we started using our mobile phones for taking pictures. And then our phones got smarter. Companies started to generate more and more photography apps.

©Tanya Decheva, Right here, 2019

As I said in the beginning history repeats itself. Nowadays more and more people have access to all kinds of photography tools. Almost everyone has a camera in their pocket. That and the online galleries got us to a situation of overproduction of images. And it's overwhelming. How can you find the good stuff when there's billions of photos generated every day? That changed the way people use and understand photography. The magic of the creation is slowly fading. What can we do about it? I still don't know but that thought crosses my mind every single day.