I think we're in the 'early digital camera' phase of AI art gen.
The real photographers knew they were shit photos. They were grainy, bad lenses, and ugly. A lot of people still liked them because they were much more convenient for a lot of uses than the film ones.
Well, I guess there's still a lot of film people. But film had a ceiling. Digital cameras kept getting better.
The adaptive film photographers eventually adopted the tool. A lot of their skills transferred well to the new medium. Most waited until the cameras got good enough, though.
I'm not sure when that'll be with AI art gen. Seeing scenes broken up into layers in the latest gpt image generation, though, made me think we might be near.
It’s the same cultural response as the analog movement. The collective sense that everything Covid on stole our future, and AI is only making it worse.
No, I’m not. Old digital point-and-shoots, and the harsh direct flash aesthetic, have been very popular. Some specific camera models that some random popular TikToker happened to recommend have been selling at quite a mark-up.
Two-ish decades is the standard length of a trend cycle. 00s is now retro in a cool way. Gen Z/Alpha, who have grown with phone cameras, want a different look, and having a real flash is particularly attractive because it allows taking reasonable photos in night clubs etc. Just like we did back in the day. (browsing old Facebook photos)
Speaking as Gen Z; yes, "early digital camera" aesthetic has been in vogue, along with Y2K as a whole. Polaroid was a trend when the right about when the Instagram logo looked like one. If you will not be open to a new idea without "quantitative evidence", you are free to use Google Trends to substantiate my claims.
Polaroids are much bigger but I've also seen a resurgence in crappy early digital cameras in young adult spaces. There's been a slow rise in all things Y2K in some spaces and getting a crummy digital cam from a thrift store or ebay is a sick find.
No one is compiling sales charts on second hand cameras at thrift stores. But I can tell you from personal experience going to parties that more people are taking photos with old digi cams or modern old style digi cams like the kodak charmera than phones.
When gen z does use phones they end up running the images through apps like 1998 cam to make it look like digicam photos or using effects to turn video in to VHS camcorder style video.
I saw the coolest bunch of kids in giant pants on the subway taking photos and looking at them on what was essentially my old Olympus and was transport back 25 years.
Did digital take over because of quality or convenience?
A 35 mm film camera is still much better quality than my smartphone's digital camera, especially more than a few meters away or in lower light conditions. But my smartphone is the camera I actually have with me, I don't have to buy film or wait for it to be developed, so that's what I use.
throwaway13337 · · focus · HN ↗
The real photographers knew they were shit photos. They were grainy, bad lenses, and ugly. A lot of people still liked them because they were much more convenient for a lot of uses than the film ones.
Well, I guess there's still a lot of film people. But film had a ceiling. Digital cameras kept getting better.
The adaptive film photographers eventually adopted the tool. A lot of their skills transferred well to the new medium. Most waited until the cameras got good enough, though.
I'm not sure when that'll be with AI art gen. Seeing scenes broken up into layers in the latest gpt image generation, though, made me think we might be near.
Sharlin · · focus · HN ↗
rubidium · · focus · HN ↗
breezybottom · · focus · HN ↗
Sharlin · · focus · HN ↗
Two-ish decades is the standard length of a trend cycle. 00s is now retro in a cool way. Gen Z/Alpha, who have grown with phone cameras, want a different look, and having a real flash is particularly attractive because it allows taking reasonable photos in night clubs etc. Just like we did back in the day. (browsing old Facebook photos)
breezybottom · · focus · HN ↗
The stuff about "generations" and trend cycles is nonsense.
Sharlin · · focus · HN ↗
breezybottom · · focus · HN ↗
seekling · · focus · HN ↗
breezybottom · · focus · HN ↗
poolnoodle · · focus · HN ↗
wizcaps · · focus · HN ↗
Got proven wrong and can’t handle it.
kowbell · · focus · HN ↗
breezybottom · · focus · HN ↗
Gigachad · · focus · HN ↗
When gen z does use phones they end up running the images through apps like 1998 cam to make it look like digicam photos or using effects to turn video in to VHS camcorder style video.
breezybottom · · focus · HN ↗
numpad0 · · focus · HN ↗
lawsthro0532 · · focus · HN ↗
eloisant · · focus · HN ↗
People were so proud to show off their colors that every single word was in a different color.
bariumbitmap · · focus · HN ↗
A 35 mm film camera is still much better quality than my smartphone's digital camera, especially more than a few meters away or in lower light conditions. But my smartphone is the camera I actually have with me, I don't have to buy film or wait for it to be developed, so that's what I use.