The Evolution of Picture Sharing

Photography has come a long way since its' founding during the mid 1800s. Of course, as photography evolved, so did the way in which people share their photos. From old black and white photographs to a battery operated picture light and battery picture lights, how people are able to show their photographs to others has really changed dramatically in a pretty small amount of time. When photography first came about, there was usually only one photograph that could be developed, so people kept their photos for long periods of time because photos were not able to be replaced like they are today.

The camera itself evolved to a point where it was able to hold film that could be developed. Individuals were then able to share developed photos with friends and family. People were then also able to create copies of photographs, so it was not a huge problem if something happened to the original copy of a photograph. The process worked in such a way that people would take their photos to either a drug store or a special photography store to have the film developed. Individuals would then either mail or hand-deliver copies of relevant photographs to relatives or friends. This process took a fair amount of time and effort to share photographs with another individual.

With the advent of computers and the introduction of the Internet to the consumer market, photography sharing became much easier. With the advent of the Internet, people were able to slowly, but surely put their photographs onto their computer then email them to whomever they wanted. This made it quicker and easier to share photographs. The computer also almost single-handedly took away all photography business from drug stores and specialty photography studios. In order to keep up, many drug stores introduced machines for people to use to develop their digital photos at the store if they wanted hard copies of their photos.

With the evolution of cell phones, photography sharing also changed. With the first camera-ready cell phones, people could take photos and then load them into their computer and share them with others. Eventually, cell phones evolved to a point where people could actually take photographs with their phones, then immediately send that photograph in a text-message to whomever they choose. Cell phones make photo sharing pretty much instant with the advent of instant messaging and texting. A relative who is halfway across the world can share a photo of a famous landmark to a relative in another country in a matter of minutes with current technology.

It will be interesting to see how the photography sharing world will change again as new technology continues to be developed. Cell phones and computers are constantly evolving to allow people to become closer with another faster and with less effort than ever before. It is now easier than ever to share photographs with almost anyone, anywhere in the world. Photography sharing has certainly come a long way since photography became a part of American culture.