Screen Captives: How Smartphones Are Transforming Our Relationship to Photography

PhotoAiD's 2025 statistics reveal that smartphones capture 92.5% of photographs, with traditional cameras accounting for just 7.5%. Before the digital revolution, the overwhelming majority of photographs were produced on film—a process that now seems unimaginably time-consuming when compared to the near-instantaneous image-making of smartphones. As photography spread in the late nineteenth century, images were created on light-sensitive film in the form of a negative, which was subsequently transformed into its final form through chemical development. This method was used for more than a century, and without it, contemporary photography would be inconceivable.

Analog photography differs from digital photography not only in terms of time but also in the processes involved. Image-making once appeared as a mystical art known only to a select few. To create an image, photographers needed a thorough understanding of camera settings—such as shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Photographers had to carefully consider the constantly changing environmental conditions to achieve the desired exposure, allowing very little room for error. Additionally, the costs associated with film and development required image-makers to be selective, leading to a more deliberate and thoughtful approach to photography.

In contrast, the first smartphone cameras—although rudimentary, with low resolution and limited features—captivated a broad audience. As smartphone camera technology advanced rapidly, image-making became increasingly automated. In 2007, the iPhone's introduction marked a significant milestone, showcasing a camera that could rival the specific digital cameras that were then on the market. The convenience of having a camera readily available, along with the near elimination of technical errors, has led to the immense popularity of smartphone photography.

Modern smartphones are equipped with increasingly sophisticated camera systems that include multiple lenses, optical image stabilization, and advanced sensors. Features such as portrait mode, night mode, and high dynamic range (HDR) allow everyday users to take professional-looking photographs. Additionally, artificial intelligence enhances these capabilities by automatically adjusting settings and selecting optimal modes to improve image quality. As Stephen Shankland from CNET noted, “With a sweep of my mouse, Photoshop could generate a nice patch of blue sky to replace an annoying dead tree branch cluttering my shot of luscious yellow autumn leaves. Smartphones are now making similar decisions on their own as you tap the shutter button.”^[1]

Stephen Mayes, former Secretary General of World Press Photo, questions whether the billions of images produced today can still be considered photographs. In a 2014 article for Time,^[2] he cautions that digital capture has “quietly but decisively” severed photography’s optical connection to reality. This change undermines the physical relationship between the subject and the image that defined the medium for over 160 years.

Geoffrey A. Fowler takes a similarly skeptical stance, warning readers not to think of their camera as a mirror of reality but instead “as an artificial intelligence trying to make you happy.”^[3] Fowler thus raises the question whether images produced through the automated processes of smartphone photography—often collaged from fractions of a second—are fundamentally different from photographs set manually that genuinely capture a single moment. Nonetheless, some photographers have gained international recognition for images made with mobile phones. Notable examples include the late Dmitry Markov, often referred to as the “Cartier-Bresson of Russia,” and Robert-Paul Jansen, whose iPhone landscape photographs have received significant acclaim worldwide.