All artwork depicts influence from the society where the artists thrive using the available materials and the existing technology. Before 1800, nobody had an idea of how to capture camera images permanently until Thomas Wedgwood came with an unsuccessful attempt to demonstrate a documented image, but the world of photography was opened for more innovations. Today’s photography has been transformed into a powerful means of communication as well as a means to make visual expression on human activities. Most graphic designers are motivated by the transformation of photography to become more creative in designing. Some of the famous photographers who have inspired my graphic designing techniques include Patrick Demarchelier, and Stephen Shore. The aspect of culture has made the history of photography exciting, as graphic designers struggle to come up with diverse designs as people move to modernity.
Since the invention of photographs in the nineteenth century, the impact of photography on art, science, and popular culture has been overwhelming. It has transformed how individuals read photographs, and how they link them to other media. Evolution of photography has enabled graphic designers to become more imaginative and intelligent in graphic designing, as they endeavor to understand how culture has changed through photography. Before the end of the nineteenth century, many photographic magazines emerged to illustrate aesthetic values for different cultures.[1] Graphic design involves merging text and pictures in a professional manner to make an expression. Before photography, graphic designers could only work with people who were motionless and stationary objects. Emergence of photography made graphic designing easier, as designers can combine images with texts to produce their work. Nowadays, graphic designers can take a photo and rearrange it to create an ad or other display pictures. They can change the background to fit the right occasion, or customize it according to the clients’ needs.
Although George Bernard Shaw was a playwright and essayist, he was also an amateur photographer in Ireland in the early twentieth century. Shaw claimed that photography was more essential than portrait painting because it was imaginative and superb and none of his photographs resembled the other.[2] His photography depicted that people change behaviors, expressions, fashion, and careers; hence, the only way to capture such changes was through photographs. He also carried out experiments on photography to demonstrate the advancement of photography during his lifetime. He liked to travel, and focused on aspects of development, such as electricity wires, to depict change. His collections have been placed online for people to access them.
The twentieth century photography illustrated a change in the world art, as it was utilized as a popular culture in many countries in the world. Photography developed to outwit painting, as the right tool of marking time. Although paintings could depict feelings and emotions, they lacked originality, as some colors did not match with the reality. An individual may not recognize the difference in photo shoot, but how the photographer brings out feelings in a photo is what a designer works on. A camera was just an instrument for taking photographs, and unless a competent person used it, it could not create the type of images that individuals would prefer. As people approached modernity, photography advanced towards global culture and away from futurism. The graphic designers had to embrace modernity with no particular culture.
Patrick Demarchelier has remained among the world’s best fashion photographers in the twenty-first century, who has successfully managed to develop numerous iconic portraits, and photographed covers for many high-ranking publications and fashion houses. Demarchelier’s portraits are communicative due to his ability to bring innate appreciation of his portraits as subjects.[3] The portraits of Princess Diana can confirm how honest and engaging Demarchelier’s photography has been to photography enthusiasts. Demarchelier’s work can illustrate different eras and occasions even without change of equipment, as the graphic designing is what matters in setting the background of a photograph. By checking different covers of magazines, a person can notice the difference in eras of photography. Working in the fashion industry has enabled Demarchelier to experience the growth of fashion, as people from different cultures dress differently in different occasions. He always looks forward for new experiences, as the old experiences are stored for future references.
The emergence of social media has seen photography reaching a new height where billions of photographs are exchanged every year through Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, and Twitter. The issue of originality has been put into question, as graphic designers endeavor to create different tastes from a single image through Photoshop.[4] Photoshop has dismissed the notion that “the camera cannot lie”, as graphic designers exploit the use of colors to alter the original photographs to their desired taste. Creativity response has been amazing, and for graphic designers, it is a matter of intellectuality, rather than originality, that determine how competitive a photographer can sustain his/her images. The use of paper photos has gone, and the culture of keeping photo album in the house is also gone. Some people claim that social media has come to destroy photography, but for graphic designers, it is the best opportunity for marketing ourselves to corporate, as well as to individuals.
In recent years, photography has experienced a rapid revolution owing to constant technological innovations, which has ensured that that the digital era will remain exhilarating for several years to come.[5] Demarchelier has been able to experience change of photography from late twentieth century to the twenty-first century where photography shifted to the Internet, and where the ads relied more on photographs than painting. The new era of technology has benefited graphic designers, as it has changed the ways they used to work. Computers have become essential tools for developing graphics and fashions that meet the trend. Graphic designers have embraced technology to modify their artworks so that the society can accept it. Technology has opened up areas that were not accessible and now, even the remote regions can have access to artworks and photographs through Internet access.
In conclusion, the history of photography has contributed largely in the graphic design profession, and culture, as people move from traditional black and white photographs to digitized images. This has made graphic designers’ work much easier, as they do not necessarily have to create drawings on their work. The digital revolution has made many people to have access to all manners of photography, as more tools are being invented to take high-quality images. The new digital era has benefited graphic designers, as it has changed the ways they perceive their work. Emergence of social media have not reduced photography, but interfered with quality and meanings to different cultures. As more people turn to technology and Internet for high-quality photography, graphic designers are assured that their profession will continue to evolve, and the future will be bright.
Bibliography
Chesterton, G. K. George Bernard Shaw. New York: Cosimo Classics, 2007.
Edwards, Elizabeth. The Camera As Historian: Amateur Photographers and Historical Imagination, 1885-1918. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2012.
Leveque, Elise. “Is Social Media Destroying the Art of Photography?” Social Media Today, Last modified February 6, 2013. http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/social-media-destroying-art-photography.
Lezano, Daniel. The Photography Bible: A Complete Guide for the 21st Century Photographer. Newton Abbot: David and Charles, 2012.
Schaub, Grace, and George Schaub. 20th Century Photographers: Interviews on the Craft, Purpose, and the Passion of Photography. Abingdon: CRC Press,2015.
[1] Elizabeth Edwards, The Camera As Historian: Amateur Photographers and Historical Imagination, 1885-1918. (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2012), 217.
[2] G. K. Chesterton, George Bernard Shaw. (New York: Cosimo Classics, 2007), 103.
[3] Grace Schaub and George Schaub. 20th Century Photographers: Interviews on the Craft, Purpose, and the Passion of Photography. (Abingdon: CRC Press, 2015), 68.
[4] Elise Leveque, “Is Social Media Destroying the Art of Photography?” Social Media Today, Last modified February 6, 2013. http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/social-media-destroying-art-photography.
[5] Daniel Lezano, The Photography Bible: A Complete Guide for the 21st Century Photographer. (Newton Abbot: David and Charles, 2012), 7.