Like many other industries, technology and electronics would prove to be the demise of the photographer. Today, we take for granted that we can simply push a button for the photograph we want, the phone will click and our vision will be instantly captured. Not so back then. It took a lot more work, which is why a photographer was needed. It wasn’t always easy, as the photographer had to open and close the shutter, control the aperture, focus, load and unload the film, process the film and print the picture.
But perhaps even more valuable than all that was the personal touch photographers gave their subject matter. They proved to be a valuable public relations tool to the industry for which they worked, offering a personal artistic interpretation for their clients, guests, customers and residents.
By the 2010s, many of the country’s photographers have replaced by cell-phone totting social media users, leaving thousands out of work. Today, some photographers do remain, for historic relevance or novelty. Many large cities such as New York still have photographers as a throwback to time before the dark ages of social media.
