30 years ago developing a photo was science, and making the good photo also. The evolution of Photography brought us from Kodak to the iPhonography. Now we are in the era of Millennials and Generation-Y who cannot imagine anymore not to have a camera in every second of their life and post to social media.

As the centuries have gone by we have watched the process of photography evolve into what it is today. We’ve witnessed vast technological changes and innovation to the point where we are now in an era that values the modern camera smartphone over a DSLR.

The Kodak to iPhonography Infographic aims to educate those who want to know a brief history of how the camera first came about and how its growth has lead to where it is today. With special thanks to Social Media apps such as Instagram and Pinterest – the demand for better, portable and light image creation has increased phenomenally. Because of such innovative technology in today’s smartphones, there is the talk of the traditional DSLR camera becoming obsolete

The growth of mobile photography and the global camera market

Mobile photography has exploded beyond the dreams of the photography industry. According to InfoTrends analyst David Hauter “Smartphones have become the primary camera for most consumers, and there’s no sign of that changing as the photography capabilities of these devices evolve and get better with each new generation”.

With the demand for higher tech smartphones and innovative built-in cameras, research has shown that the global camera market will continue to drop as smartphone sales increase. This was due to a 17% drop in DSLR production and a 35% decrease in shipment worldwide.

An estimated 657 billion photos are clicked per year by smartphone users – with 90% of smartphone users have only ever taken a photo with their built-in camera. By device– smartphones dominated usage by 85%, with the remainder being split between tablets and digital cameras. A development for the evolution of photography which was not predicted and brought us iPhonography.

Online photo sharing by a social network

Posting pictures online is essentially a form of status display – whether you’re a professional photographer, business or simply just want to share family imagery. One of the most interesting things about photography and its progression through social media is how it effortlessly displays our aesthetic, but of course, this does not come without a price.

Duck faces generate 1.112% more likes than normal selfies, welcome to the century of iPhonography

none

Photography is now in a place where the person who owns a £10,000 photography kit is not guaranteed to take the most amazing photograph. On-the-go image editing software has become so advanced that it makes those with even the most basic of photography skills edit their images effortlessly and share them fast.

Instagram is by far leading the way, especially with its clean interface and flexibility to cater for a wide range of aesthetics. It’s also interesting to note how some filters and editing techniques resonate better than others – such as lowly saturated images that gain 18% more likes that their more vibrant counterparts.

Image sharing on other social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest are also pioneering the way for social interaction. Image sharing is such a popular way to connect that almost 136,000 images are uploaded on Facebook every 60 seconds alone! Whether this is for positive social affirmation or otherwise, photography shared through social media communicates far more than the average status update.

Are you a kid of the 80s? Did you grow up with Kodak who was your best friend when it came to memories? Let us know about your memories in our commenting section below. Read the full infographic below which illustrates again the timeline of evolution, from Kodak to iPhonography – The Evolution of Photography through Social Media.