I’ve been challenged recently by a blog post on Americans for the Arts to think about how arts are changing our communities. As a photographer, I’m drawn to the obvious conclusion that technology (and its exponential growth to those with no other means) has vastly altered our ability to express ourselves and capture life’s experiences.
For starters, just having a camera is a luxury most of the world is just discovering. I have been blessed to travel the world in the last couple of decades and seen a stunning impact particularly of the ability to share experiences. Literally photography (and other media to be sure) is changing both the local and world communities.
Lately I’ve seen many examples including an artist capturing a still life during an art class for later reference and how many of you have seen this at concerts in the last year or two? 
Then you add the advent of aps like Instagram which has ballooned to become the largest exchange of images in the world. And Instagram provides multiple creative ways to alter your image before instantly sharing it with others. There are whole groups who solely communicate via Instagram for business purposes like the Rising Tide Society and their 5000+ members in creative fields.
From a practical, more business orientation, savvy leaders are using photography to share insights and instant experiences to encourage more engagement. I took this shot while on a contract where we asked the “students” to capture the moment and share it on their personal networks to increase the coverage. For me the shot was about capturing the modernization of process. For them it was about being a part of the action.
I encourage you to think of all those cell phone snaps as a creative expression. And if you’d like to learn more about either group I’ve mentioned, check out http://blog.americansforthearts.org/2015/08/17/where-the-cultural-life-flowers-the-community-as-a-whole-prospers-and-grows and #RisingTideSociety or www.RisingTideSociety.com . You’ll be welcome at both.
