Are snapshots art? On the nature of digital photography

Abstract

This article examines whether snapshots should be considered works of art and, by extension, whether snapshooters are artists. Digital photography, especially iPhoneography, has become prominent in modern life through media such as Instagram, Facebook, Flickr, Pinterest, and Twitter. Today’s sophisticated smartphones can yield extremely professional-looking pictures, enhancing human abilities in unprecedented ways. Digital technology can thus, under some circumstances, transform simple snapshots into interesting artworks. However, most snapshots should not be considered works of art, even though some of them meet this standard. Whether snapshooters could eventually qualify as artists remains an open question.