The world and his wife are photographers these days...

As we are all aware, everything has its advantages and disadvantages.

The popularity burst of 'Facebook' in the virtual realm is a key reflection of the statement above.

Advantages: It has flung open the door of communication to the common man, as you can keep in touch and have daily updates with friends from around the world free (as long you have access to the internet).

Disadvantages: The age of stalker-ism is upon us. Facebook, encourages us to be nosy and critical of other people's lives/lifestyles all in the hope of promoting our own lives in the best possible light. 

From a designers view- it is a platform to showcase talents/skills and reach a wider audience. However, when I was facebooking I stumbled across a friend's album on her trip to the seaside. 

Expecting it to be humble snap shots of the beach and attractions, or at best, wannabe-photographer style shots- I was amazed by the high level of capturing and editing. And the most interesting part was that she has no background in photography and the pictures she took were not consciously taken!

Which leads me to ponder on the originality of many design/art based profession- its seem everyone and anyone can do graphic design, high quality photography, video editing without ever stepping foot in a class based on those disciplines.

This is a big advantage as well as a big disadvantage- Lack of exclusive means the credibility of the profession is descaled but in the same breath; lack of exclusivity inspires a different type of 'creative'. The one that does not have a clue about being creative... but manages to does so - ever so naturally.

Mind boggling.