“There are too many images, too many cameras now. We’re all being watched. It gets sillier and sillier. As if all action is meaningful. Nothing is really all that special. It’s just life. If all moments are recorded, then nothing is beautiful and maybe photography isn’t an art anymore. Maybe it never was.” - Robert Frank

“I read this quote a while back and coming from an icon of photography who dedicated a lifetime to using the camera for artistic expression, it paints a harrowing outlook. BUT, there’s ample reason to believe that photography still has something to contribute to art, perhaps even more so than ever. The existential crisis some photographers are undergoing in this bewildering digital age seems, to me, unnecessary. Years ago there were hundreds of millions of pictures circulating the globe and now there are trillions and trillions, but both these sums are beyond what human minds can fathom, so what’s the difference? And most photos these days will never even be printed, lost somewhere in the digital sea. So let the photos flow plentifully, frequently, even infinitely, as they will, because photos don’t really matter; it’s what we say and do with them that does, and we have to trust that somewhere in society discerning eyes and minds will be receptive to our statements. Photographers could learn something from literature and how it has endured, since words are even more ubiquitous than photos. When the printing press made its debut or years and years later when word processing software and the internet etc came about, writers did’t exclaim, “There are too many words in the world! Too many people talking and writing about life! Why go on?” No, those with capability and something to say stand out in literature, so it shouldn’t be different with photography and art. “ - (via bryanschutmaat)

I can see the points being made by each of these photographers, but I feel like both are arguing for recognition for their own art/skill. I do appreciate amazing photographers, but am hoping that what they capture and the beautiful art they create isn’t entirely for the acclaim and admiration of others. What’s wrong with shooting what you love to shoot for the love of shooting?

Everything is beautiful. Capture when you can.