And by “us,” we mean everyone Photofocus touches. You, our readers, are the reason we are still here and vibrant.

Happy Photofocus birthday to you and to the writers, the editors, the sponsors, manufacturers and software engineers — everyone who loves photography, learning about it, and getting better pictures because of it.

1998

On November 2nd, 1998, Scott Bourne pressed “publish.” Photofocus was born.

The Internet was a toddler of three years. The first web server was a NeXT computer. The world is worried about Y2K when software might not work in the 21st century.

This NeXT Computer was used by Tim Berners-Lee at CERN and became the world's first Web server.
This NeXT Computer was used by Tim Berners-Lee at CERN and became the world’s first web server. Photo: Wikipedia

Photographers began to think about digital but would not believe that digital cameras could ever match the quality of film. Photofocus was there with posts.

Photography education for free

Photofocus’s mission has always been the best content for people to learn photography without charge. There was no subscription or paywall. Sponsors supported the website to benefit the photographic community. That’s how it was 25 years ago. It’s still that way to this day.

Film vs Digital

The film vs digital discussion drove the posts for our first 15 years. Digital finally became the media for taking photos. Photofocus still has posts for film shooters.

Camera manufacturers added high-quality video features to their still cameras. Photofocus posts articles about video and how to use it. We continue to cover innovation in the photography world. Photofocus posts about the evolution of photography.

Film single-lens reflex cameras became digital single-lens reflex cameras. Point-and-shoot cameras gave way to camera phones.

Film gave way to digital photography with phones and tablets. A tablet takes a picture of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre in Paris, France.
Film gave way to digital photography with phones and tablets.

Mirrorless cameras happened.

Manufacturers are currently retiring their through-the-lens DSLR offerings.

2010 “Mama, don’t take my Kodachrome away”*

Kodachrome was the best color film. When Kodak discontinued it, the last roll went to Steve McCurry.

Kodachrome fades into pixels in this photo illustration
Kodachrome fades into pixels in this photo taken with an early digital camera in 2002.

*” Mama, don’t take my Kodachrome away …” — Kodachrome from the album “There Goes Rhymin’ Simon” by Paul Simon, 1973

Articles

Photofocus posts news articles about photographers and photography. It goes on the record with information about new products and tech advances.

How-to posts are written by working and serious amateur photographers — experts in their fields. Writers might differ in how a technique is used. Each view is published to give readers multiple points of view.

Picture editing software — Lightroom, Photoshop, Luminar, Radiant and Capture One, and many others have reviews on the site. There are in-depth articles on adjusting images digitally.

Photofocus became a resource for photographers. Most of the posts written during its first quarter century are still available.

Artificial Intelligence

Photofocus has posted articles as AI became part of imaging software, starting with products like Luminar and Perfectly Clear. Now, we cover innovations like Adobe Firefly.

The team

At the bottom of every post on Photofocus is a link to meet our team of over 80 working pros, writers and experts. Every day, some of them contribute articles to teach, inform, and grow the photographic community. Take a minute to read the names. You will recognize many of them.

The future

Photofocus is 25. Each year, it covers trends and techniques. We plan to continue doing what we do best: publishing articles and opinions, podcasts and videos that teach photography and help build the community.

Change is the only constant. From film to cameras in phones to film slipping into alternative media, Photofocus is here to explain the changes.

The featured photo is a graphic background from Photofocus’s 21st birthday. The cameras and birthday cake were made with Photoshop’s new generative fill.