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VOL. 12, ISSUE 1 (2026)
From optical capture to algorithmic creation mobile photography in the age of computation
Authors
Gondi Surender Dhanunjay, Dr. Shamala Ramappa
Abstract
Photography has historically been understood
as a practice of capturing reality through an optical and material relationship
between the camera and the world. From chemical photography to early digital
imaging, Photographs were known from their indexical nature and their role as a
record of a specific moment. However, the widespread adoption of mobile phone
cameras has fundamentally transformed photographic processes. This paper
examines the shift from capturing photographs to creating photographs by
tracing the historical evolution of computation in mobile cameras. Using a
critical, process-oriented qualitative methodology to examine how computational
processes gradually moved from assisting image capture to actively constructing
photographic images. By examining key developments such as auto-exposure
systems, image signal processors, multi-frame HDR, Night Mode, depth mapping,
and AI-driven image enhancement, the paper demonstrates that contemporary
mobile photography operates as an algorithmic and generative process rather
than a purely optical one. The analysis argues that mobile phone cameras
function as computational media systems in which images are assembled through
continuous software intervention before and after exposure. This transformation
reconfigures photographic ontology, redistributes authorship between users and
algorithms, and challenges long-standing assumptions about photographic realism
and truth. By foregrounding mobile photography as a site of computational image
creation, the paper contributes to media and communication scholarship by
offering a process-oriented framework for understanding photography in the age
of ubiquitous mobile imaging.
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Pages:74-77
How to cite this article:
Gondi Surender Dhanunjay, Dr. Shamala Ramappa "From optical capture to algorithmic creation mobile photography in the age of computation". International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Research, Vol 12, Issue 1, 2026, Pages 74-77
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