"and the burden of cataloguing and sorting them increases exponentially."
No, it increases linearly. As for the rest of the tone:
I've taken something like 45,000 photos since I started on digital in 2003. This is probably around ten times as many photos as my parents have ever taken. However, my photos are all imported into Lightroom, dated, and most are at tagged with at least basic information. I may be two years behind on disseminating my photos, but they're ready when free time and desire coincide.
By comparison, my mother had to pay to have photos processed. She would then flip each over and write notes by hand, lest context be forgotten. After a few years, she might take a few out and mount them in an album.
Personal photography is just plain better than ever before. It's easier and cheaper to take, document, and shore photos than ever in the past. This does not detract from the value of our photos or memories. Romanticizing the more primitive, less available photography of the past is no better than pursuing the superficial duplication of its style.
No, it increases linearly. As for the rest of the tone:
I've taken something like 45,000 photos since I started on digital in 2003. This is probably around ten times as many photos as my parents have ever taken. However, my photos are all imported into Lightroom, dated, and most are at tagged with at least basic information. I may be two years behind on disseminating my photos, but they're ready when free time and desire coincide.
By comparison, my mother had to pay to have photos processed. She would then flip each over and write notes by hand, lest context be forgotten. After a few years, she might take a few out and mount them in an album.
Personal photography is just plain better than ever before. It's easier and cheaper to take, document, and shore photos than ever in the past. This does not detract from the value of our photos or memories. Romanticizing the more primitive, less available photography of the past is no better than pursuing the superficial duplication of its style.