Digital Cameras In The 21st Century

In an era where analog cameras, negative film, and darkrooms were the highest forms of photographic technology available to men, American filmmaker and writer Susan Sontag made a thorough analysis of the culture of personal photographic practices, coming to a conclusion that photographs are "experiences captured" and the camera "the ideal arm of consciousness in its acquisitive mood" (Sontag, 165) . However, times have changed and we are now in the 21st century, an era where mobile camera phones and wearable cameras are inseparable from modern society. Long gone are the days where film had to be chemically treated in a darkroom; with digital cameras now boasting an instant print feature where one can send photographs to their home printer with a click of a button. In an era where digital technology has catapulted the photography industry far beyond the wildest imaginations of Sontag 's time, one would ponder whether Sontag 's analysis still holds true. With the technological revolution in the late 20th and early 21st century, cameras have become so small and portable that it can now be housed in a 0.2 X 0.2 inch or smaller box in any device, be it mobile phones, glasses, sports gear, or smart watches. People can now take

With the advance of photographic technology, we now have more megapixels, more editing features, and more control on how we want to take photographs, as well as the quality of them. Photographs these days are so crystal clear and distinct that one could be forgiven for accidentally mistaking the depictions in the photographs for the real thing. One could immerse themselves in part of the experience without having to be there in a physical sense. In this case, Sontag 's statement that photographs are miniatures of reality still