Whilst reading an article in the June 29th 1945 issue of the British Journal of Photography. Yes, seriously! I came across these comments, “There is the man who asks for built-in colour filters on a standard camera (obviously he has never used a camera so equipped). Another demands a turret head on a minature camera with four lenses fitted. There is the fairly frequent demand for an in-built exposure meter (can one imagine a more unsuitable place to fix an exposure meter, or a greater limitation to the operator to fix it at all).” Hello, 1945! And welcome to the smartphone!

I recently had to replace my smartphone. I have had a Google Pixel 8 for the past few years and it has been great. I moved from Apple to Google many years ago and I have no complaints. However, I cracked the screen on my 8 and it had to go, so I replaced it with the latest Google Pixel 11. My new phone seems little different from my old one, except for one respect, and that was the camera.

Returning to our 1945 correspondent, he stated that, “It is obviously impossible, if not undesirable, to design a universal camera. Someone must examine several main groups of cameras in general demand and produce a specification for each of them.” He then goes on to say that, “The present writer would not presume to undertake such a task, even were he qualified to do so”. Despite this lack of qualification, he listed what he thought that a new camera should look like. In summary, he felt it should not have a lens inset into the camera, it needed a ‘British-made’ spring loaded diaphragm, easy load slides, it should be no smaller than medium format, have contact points on the bulb setting, slow speeds, a delayed action device on the shutter, a silent shutter, and finally a light, metal case.

A smartphone meets a number of his requests, but of course not all of them, as he was addressing specific issues with analogue cameras. However, at the time there were cameras available, not made of brass and wood, that did not require loading film plates. We only have to look at the work created throughout the war, that had just come to its conclusion, when our correspondent from the past was writing for proof of this fact. And yet, he seemed unaware of this, when making his wish list. Instead, he remained firmly locked in a pre-war photographic magazine mentality. I should add that there were no photographs in the magazine at this point and no photographers featured. This despite the success of the photo-led magazines such as Life and Picture Post at the time.

The camera on my Pixel 11 is incredible. I guess it would need to be, as it is the primary reason that smartphone brands give us to upgrade these days. It’s quick, sharp, great in low light, not too big and to be honest, all I need from a camera when I am ‘out and about’. And yet, we still see photographers describe their photographs made with a smartphone as ‘snaps’, labelling them as ‘smartphone’ images as a defence barrier to criticism. Don’t be too harsh on me they imply, its just a ‘phone pic’! I even had a conversation with someone recently, in which I had to explain why a smartphone should be taken seriously as an image capture device. My point was based on the fact that it is seen as exactly that by the majority of brand marketing departments across the world, in creating reels and commercial images for social media. Today the smartphone is a professional tool and in the appropriate situation the right tool to use. I have no problem with that and embrace it. Maybe, I have more in common with Mr. 1945 than I thought. He was looking towards the future and so am I, I wonder if you are also?

Dr.Grant Scott
After fifteen years art directing photography books and magazines such as Elle and Tatler, Scott began to work as a photographer for a number of advertising and editorial clients in 2000. Alongside his photographic career Scott has art directed numerous advertising campaigns, worked as a creative director at Sotheby’s, art directed foto8 magazine, founded his own photographic gallery, edited Professional Photographer magazine and launched his own title for photographers and filmmakers Hungry Eye. He founded the United Nations of Photography in 2012, and is now a Senior Lecturer and Subject Co-ordinator: Photography at Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, and a BBC Radio contributor. Scott is the author of Professional Photography: The New Global Landscape Explained (Routledge 2014), The Essential Student Guide to Professional Photography (Routledge 2015), New Ways of Seeing: The Democratic Language of Photography (Routledge 2019), and What Does Photography Mean To You? (Bluecoat Press 2020). His photography has been published in At Home With The Makers of Style (Thames & Hudson 2006) and Crash Happy: A Night at The Bangers (Cafe Royal Books 2012). His film Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay was premiered in 2018.

©Grant Scott 2026