It’s the 50th anniversary of the International Photography Hall of Fame, a museum and foundation in St. Louis, and among the inductees this year are some real whoppers: Annie Leibovitz, Ernst Haas, Ken Burns… and Steve Jobs.
Say what you will about the plague of Instagramming millennials descending on the fair field of photography, the fact is that Apple has led the charge on mobile imaging basically since the original iPhone and its amazing 2-megapixel camera. And for that focus we must give Jobs his due credit.
Steve helped create products that revolutionized the creative world and became essential tools for designers, filmmakers, music producers and photographers. Passionate about photography both in his work and personal life, his most profound contribution to the artistic community and the world is the iPhone which, in less than a decade, has changed both the art of photography and the industry around it.
The iPhone and its reliably solid camera and software are probably the most important contributor to Jobs being entered into the hall of fame, but it’s worth noting that Apples were used by creatives long before that happened, and for good reason. Early choices on displays, inputs and standards made them essential for work in type and design — and, of course, Photoshop was originally a Mac exclusive.
On that note, John and Thomas Knoll, the creators of that famous and enduring piece of software, are also being inducted. It’s hard to overstate the effect Photoshop has had on the world of photography — not to mention other software that came from the house that it built, like Lightroom.
Sebastião Salgado, famed photojournalist, is also being recognized, as well as Graham Nash, whom you might know from Crosby, Stills & Nash (plus or minus Young). (Let’s hear some love for Daylight Again.)
“This year’s inductees represent the perfect combination of innovation and artistry; bridging photography’s pioneering past with its fantastic future,” said IPHF director Patty Wente in the announcement.
There will be an event officially celebrating the new inductees on October 28, so if you were thinking of visiting, keep that in mind.