The photography industry has a significant economic impact in the Philadelphia Region.  And, as in all sectors of the creative industry, technological advances have changed the industry dramatically. 

Joseph Poulshock, photographer and painter, has been involved in the industry for more than 45 years.  “Digital technology has advanced to the point where I can take great photography – almost every picture I take is dramatic and worthy of display.  I can process them for not much money and have the photographs in an hour.” Poulshock went on to say that the Internet offers a great opportunity for “exposing and selling pictures to the public.”

We’ve clearly come a long way from pinhole cameras and camera obscura, the direct forerunner of the camera and first referred to by Aristotle who questioned how the sun can make a circular image when it shines through a square hole. 

Facial recognition software and other new technologies make photography – good photography – accessible to a greater number of people.  At the same time, it makes becoming a great photographer more complicated and more human.  “Our culture is instantly injected with an infinite number of seemingly good photographs.  You can have a technically good photography but still not have the content to make the viewer think,” says James Johnson, Assistant Professor, Chair, Photography and Digital Arts for the Moore College of Art & Design.  “The more complicated technology gets, the more specialization is required and the greater the need for collaboration and communication among the people involved. You need people skills to talk through issues about how things are going to get done.”

Bill Cramer, Director of Photography for WonderfulMachine.com, a web portal dedicated to connecting photographers and clients, discusses three technologies that have dramatically impacted the industry over the past decade.  “Using digital cameras, we can shoot a ‘test’ picture and see it instantly.  If we like it, it's no longer a test, it's a final picture.  And we can make adjustments on the fly to explore a situation much more deeply than we could with film.  When we're satisfied with one situation, we can quickly move on to another without wondering if we've "got it."  Back at our computers, we can process the files ourselves instead of turning it over to a lab.  This allows us the opportunity to turn the pictures around much faster for the client, and even more importantly, have a lot more control over the look of the picture.  Photoshop gives us another dimension of creativity.”

And then there is the ubiquitous Internet.  Cramer continues, “The Internet allows us to deliver pictures quickly, anywhere in the world.  And no more unique originals to get delayed, lost, or damaged.  It's not unusual for photographers to send their client samples of the pictures for approval during a shoot, and make adjustments in real time.”

For Sarah Stolfa, a fine art photographer, technology has brought about substantial changes for her business.  “As a fine artist, I still shoot film but now scan film to make prints with an ink jet printer,” she explained.  Recognizing an unmet need for fine artists in Philadelphia – the majority of who have switched to digital – Stolfa and a partner are preparing to open the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center in the Fishtown/Kensington area next year.  Photographers will be able to rent time and use of equipment, and also take classes.  “Our business will cater to fine artists that formerly printed in the dark room and who want to get and stay up-to-speed in new digital technologies.”   

Studying Photography in Philadelphia

From an academic perspective, Philadelphia schools have a lot to offer.  In fact, says Cramer, “Going back 30 years, the biggest change in the industry was that in the 70s, there was an explosion of universities offering photography programs.”

Project Basho is a photography resource center located on Germantown Avenue in Old Kensington, an artist-concentrated and culturally vibrant section of Philadelphia.  It is a small yet dedicated organization of photographers, run by photographers, for photographers.  With the community darkroom as the locus of the program, Project Basho offers introductory and advanced classes and specialized workshops on historical processes and other formal issues in photography. (www.projectbasho.org)

Moore College of Art & Design offers a BFA program in Photography and Digital Arts that prepares students to pursue a variety of career paths in the field of photography and time- and web-based media, giving them the flexibility to enter many industries, both existing and evolving, that are based in information technology and new digital media.

Antonelli Institute offers occupational degree programs in photography and graphic design/commercial art.  Located in Pennsylvania, the school teaches artistic and technical skills necessary to succeed in the creative visual arts.  Antonelli Institute is known for providing individualized "hands on" instruction in classes taught by working professionals. (www.antonelli.org)

The Art - Photography Option at the Community College of Philadelphia prepares students to continue their studies in fine art photography at an art school.  Combining the offerings from both the Art and Photography Departments in the logical sequence prescribed will facilitate transferability of courses.  This program leads to the Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree for students planning to transfer to baccalaureate programs or professional schools. (www.ccp.edu)

Photography programs are also offered at Tyler School of Art where students can receive a BFA or MFA.  The primary objective of the program is to cultivate a blend of technical, conceptual, and critical skills so that one can enter the field as an artist on a professional level.  The level of technical and conceptual sophistication in the photography and digital imaging programs at Tyler exposes the student to many career opportunities. (www.temple.edu/tyler/photography.html)

Photography, in the end, is about people, their talent, their skill, and their passion for their art.  Photographers in Philadelphia understand this, and utilizing technology to optimize their art and their profession and making a place for our region in the international photographic community.