Can Photography still be called unique?

PHOTOGRAPHY: STILL A TALENT?

                    Hey, how are you?        
                                                                                 Hey,Long Time. Im gud. wbu?
                    You free this Saturday?
                                                                                  Mostly yes, Why?
                     Actually I got a new DSLR.
                                                                                    Oh, congrats! Nikon?
                      Yeah so, Are you in for a shoot?
                                                                                     Um, Ill let you know!

                                                     This conversation with a classmate of mine left me dumbstruck. The guy who used to barely scrape through classes and completed his SSC in three attempts, Who handles his dads (who is a builder) office.just got a nikon and was plunging in the heavily lit field of photography! The guy whose profile picture till yesterday was a so rugged pose with kilos of gold was now changed to a selfie with his new gear. And a new life event Working at &*^%#$ photography
It intrigued me. It struck a note, deep inside. Flashbacks of all those exotic places rushed through my mind, With the moist memories of my first camera- A Kodak. All those carefully clicked pictures as not to waste the reel, and then my tenth birthday, when dad got me a coolpix I flaunted it almost everywhere! From the sun in the sky to the caterpillar below the shade of the tulsi plant I captured everyone in it!  And then reality reached me!
I still remember that day. Mom dressed me up and tied my hair in a fancy way and let me use her lipstick she told me we were going to the photo studio to get a family picture clicked! And I also remember when they used to switch on all those lightsI used to feel like a celebrity! No pout but a million dollar smile! And now I just go to the studio to get a passport size photo clicked for my academic needs.
  The DSLR or digital single-lens reflex camera (which many people dont know) was a pricey and unaffordable affair at that time! I had requested our photowale chacha to teach me how to handle and use it! He had promised to help me fulfill my passion! And then I grew up! Promises faded! And my passion toogot stabbed to death!
As DSLRs became cheap and affordableThe real talent became long lost! The art of clicking perfect pictures got patchworked on by silly filters and overlays. Every other person got pricey camera gear and what followed were photography pages. It suffocated me, my passion! I started feeling sad for our photo wale chacha and such other people who have photography as their profession and their families live on that.and also for the people who had a genuine hobbywhich became brutally massacred by some homo sapiens with a pro in their hand! Basically, this talent lost its charm!
                                                  Still, There are some survivors who are exceptionally talented in their own ways where nobody can reach! But They are a chosen few! Proper Photo studios seem on a decline and have picked up tastes of personalized gift store. Digitization is something that changed photography radically! Its not important to just have a proper gear... Its really important to have a proper approach. Having a camera is not a big deal but learning the camera is! The talent is still alive. Its thriving. Its growing. Striking roots in almost every field. Its making things presentable. Its helping people save their memories. Its making people presentable. Over time... It has changed the form!
Now,photoshoots by the newbies are just source of profile pictures for2-3 months and lots of instagram posts! And some real photography lovers seem stunned to see how they exploit their cameras to produce simply nothing! And some people like mehave their memories and coolpix shut in a box in the corner of the room where no one will ever find it!

------ Laxmi Krishnan