History of Mobile Photography

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It seems like most conversations these days revolve around the millennial generation – a generation that freely expresses itself.

One of the gadgets closely associated with this generation is the smartphone, and among its countless applications is the elusive camera.

Today, cameras are arguably the most used apps on our phones.

It makes it easier to store our most treasured memories and sometimes use to elicit emotions and spark sensitive discussions.

Smartphones have high-quality camera features.

It rivals those in high-tech DSLR cameras, with some producing HD images, even 4K resolution videos.

But a trip down memory lane will show you just how far mobile photography has come.

Here’s a brief history of mobile photography.

The Rise of Mobile Photography

The first camera phone introduces in 2000, and while it had the basic functionalities of a modern-day smartphone, its development starts the world into the era of mobile photography.

This pioneering camera phone produced poor-quality images (between 0.11 and 0.35 megapixels), and could only store a maximum of 20 pictures.

You could not access the images on the phones directly.

You have to connect it to a computer.

Features such as zooming, face detection, and photo editing were unavailable.

The History of Mobile Photography

In the History of mobile photography, The early 2000s also saw the emergence of flip camera phones.

Which were faster and portable.

Users could take more photos.

Access them directly to their phones, and even share them wirelessly via the internet and Bluetooth.

With the introduction of smartphones.

The next decade sees a complete evolution of camera phones and mobile photography.

Smartphones provide users with privileges that only reserves to professional photographers with high-end DSLR cameras.

This growth could hugely serve a significant role in the emergence of social media.

Social Media and Mobile Photography

Of course, It is impossible to speak of the history of mobile photography without mentioning social media.

Social media has provided mobile photographers with platforms.

On which they can share their photos.

Millions of photos and videos are on social media platforms every day.

For instance, in 2013, Facebook had over 250 billion photos uploads.

Most of which are taken by smartphones.

Instagram, on the other hand, had more than 4 billion photos by 2012, and the number has since skyrocketed.

The popularity of mobile photography on social media drives by the emergence of mobile apps that enable users to edit their photos and videos to produce professional-level images.

Mobile Photography and Business

Mobile photography practices start as a hobby.

After all, it advances in technology and the emergence of social media.

It transforms the method into a money-making venture.

There are mobile photographers making a fortune on social media by selling their photographs.

Instagram has two agencies where mobile photographers monetize for their work.

These agencies such as Scoopshot and Foap.

Provide a platform where you can market and sell your mobile photographs.

However, they only accept authentic images with zero processing.

Moreover, businesses can take advantage of “superusers” to promote their products and services on social media.

Superusers are non-celebrity users with more than 10,000 followers. In most instances, these users take mobile photos which feature branded products.

Mobile Photography and Tourism

Tourism is one area where the impact of mobile photography has been most profound.

Today, the main reasons for going on holiday are relaxing, taking lots and lots of pictures, and sharing them on social media. With the rise of high-quality camera phones, nobody is carrying the bulky DSLR cameras on their safaris.

In light of this, some countries are engaging top mobile photographers in their tourism marketing campaigns to draw more attention to their tourist attractions.

For example, Kenya is using a campaign dubbed “Magical Kenya” where amateur photographers in the country are sharing raw mobile photos of the country’s natural attractions.

Mobile Photography Awards and Exhibitions

In the first place, Mobile photography moves from the confines of social media platforms and is now even showcase in art exhibitions.

One such exhibition is the LA Mobile Art Festival where more than 200 mobile photographers present their intriguing real-life photography every year. London also recently hosted a mobile photography exhibition known as the “Iconic London” Exhibition.

These exhibitions aim at promoting photography skills and telling stories that would otherwise go unnoticed. Camera phones are now available everywhere in the world, and that’s why they are the best gadgets to tell these stories.

Additionally, there are events that award the best photos and photographers in mobile photography. For example, the iPhone Photography Awards recognizes and awards the best photographs shot from iPhones. The Mobile Photo Awards brings together and awards the works of prominent American mobile photographers every year.