I have never been a purist and in fact, no one really is,.
It is only through bastardization and hybridization that innovation takes place and the digital revolution has swung the door open for late bloomers (and young bloomers as well) like me to start making images and breathe new life into the art of Photography..
Yes, there are millions of people calling themselves photographers now and photo-sharing sites have exploded with tons of images creating a lot of visual noise and competition for the jaded eye to sift through in search of the latest masterworks.
But like any revolution in art, the dabblers and the dilettantes will fade away eventually and those who are truly passionate about their craft, innovative in their creations and persistent in their self promotion will have their work admired and appreciated by a future generation of aspiring photographers.
We can't all be Man Ray or Diane Arbus, but there is a place for everyone in this popular and populist art form of Photography, from the hobbyists who like to document the minutiae of their daily lives. to the jaded pros who have spent more on their latest lens than you did on your last car, to the Photoshop-reliant imageshifters of the Digital age...
Me and Joel Grimes at Imaging USA 2018 in Nashville Tennessee