This post is part of a series that charts the history of photography since the 1900s. The series takes a decade by decade look at how the skills a photographer needs have changed in light of technological, economic and societal change.

Introduction

The last century has seen photography transform considerably, from early experiments with permanent photographs to the introduction of digital cameras and smartphones with AI capabilities.f

This series showcases many of the major milestones in the evolution of photography, including the rise of individual photographers and their contribution to the many specialist fields of photography.  There’s no single event that catapulted photography into the mainstream of modern life, but rather a culmination of events.  A range of technological, economic, and social factors all play a part in transforming photography’s role in broader society (Warner Marien, 2021). 

As the uses for photography proliferated, the skills needed to excel in the field also diversified.  It is therefore necessary to track these developments over time in order to fully appreciate how the skills a photographer requires today build on those of previous generations.

Timeline

The timeline is divided into decades, with an overview of each decade along with an analysis of the skills required at that time and their relationship to practical experience and/or specialist knowledge needed today.  

In a number of cases, the skills identified don’t just apply to one particular decade. They may span many, if not all, decades, but they have only been included once in order to avoid needless repetition.

Some of the skills photographers once required have now become obsolete, especially in relation to many of the painstaking processes involved in developing earlier photographs.  The speed at which photographs could be produced also had a profound impact on the mass media. Newspapers and magazines were no longer solely text-based, incorporating images into news saw an explosion in advertising, and specialist fields of photography emerged (Warner Marien, 2021). 

Although technological or societal change inevitably has an impact on many skills, there are other skills included that are timeless and apply across a number of disciplines.

Let us start by jumping back in time to the 1900s.

References

Warner Marien, M. (2021). ‘Photography: A Cultural History.’ Fifth edition. Laurence King Publishing.