re: Has technology today made great photography less impressive?

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It was more of a thread about how much simpler it is to take a great photo now that cameras are so advanced

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I think you’re understating the skill required to take truly “great” photos.

I would say that there are really two separate conversations to be had on this topic. The first is the improvement in cell phone cameras, which has been drastic over the past 5-10 years. The “floor” when it comes to photo quality is MUCH higher than it has ever been, for sure. Cell phone cameras have improved to the point where the average person who doesn’t really “know” photography can probably take MUCH better pictures with a phone than they can with a DSLR.

But it doesn’t really sound like that’s what you’re talking about. So the other topic is how much professional cameras have improved. And I guess that depends on how far you want do go back. DSLR’s are certainly easier to use than old school film cameras. You don’t have to frick with actually developing the photos either.

But you do still have to know photography. You have to understand the technical aspects like lighting or aperture vs. shutter speed, as well as the “art” aspects like composition/framing. Since the introduction of DSLR’s, there have been phenomenal technical advances in areas like sensor quality, image stabilization, and autofocus. Those advances raise the ceiling for photo quality, and they definitely make action shots easier. But a state of the art camera in the hands of an amateur still takes amateur photos.

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a state of the art camera in the hands of an amateur still takes amateur photos.

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Exactly. I am a rank amateur, and do my best to gain mastery over my cameras (CANON 5D Mark IV and EOS R).

My son, on the other hand, is a professional photographer and he can take photos I only dream of taking. He knows exactly what he's looking for and sets up for his shots with both on-site preparation or live action where he's constantly making adjustments and carries multiple cameras and lenses with him.

He has added, however an iPhone 12 to his use, and has created some amazing photos with it using Photoshop and Lightroom.

Weird bump of a 14 month-old thread.

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All a sports or nature photographer today really has to do is just find the action and then click a button, sort through the thousands of photos later to find a few epic ones.

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You could have made the same argument when motor drives because available for film cameras, just change thousands to hundreds.

Photographic quality has gone up over the years as rising technology has raised all boats but great photographers would be great in any era. Mawmaw with her iPhone and freeware editing suite is never going to be better than Neil Leifer, Annie Leibovitz, or Ansel Adams.