The very first permanent photograph took nearly eight hours to get etched on to a pewter plate. The image was nothing more than a few blurs of light and dark by modern standards.

Nearly two centuries later, we are now in an era where the most versatile ‘camera’ fits in the palm of our hand, takes incoming calls and can browse the internet besides having image stabilization and several other bells and whistles. More than 300 million pictures get uploaded on Facebook alone every day, and Instagram gets a new user every second. By way of contrast, only 130 million books have ever been published.

The advent of the social network has brought about significant changes to the daily visual diet of the internet user. There is the latest viral video for example, that is the talk of the internet. And then there is the selfie of the pretty celebrity sporting her new sunglasses, photographs from a town ravaged by a cyclone, your best friend’s profile picture that you could like in your sleep, the next HONY photograph and its half-a-million likes and comments, photos from a crucial game that you spent all night watching, images from a plane crash that had no survivors, photographs from wars, weddings and everything in between. Besides the innumerable pictures and videos that get uploaded every day, most links show up with pictures of their own vying for the viewer’s attention. Every bit of this display happens on a single stage.

Depending on the level of the viewer’s participation in the captured moment, the strength of the photograph and the amount of time spent interacting with a specific photograph over its lifetime, much of the visual matter may or may not stick until the next hour. Very few photographs last until the next morning before room is made for new ones. For some finite amount of time, most people will recognize videos or photographs that have passed under their eyes as “seen already” irrespective of the nature of the visual matter. Although this time period varies significantly from person to person, I firmly believe that it typically is much shorter today than it was only a few years ago when the information overload was not as overwhelming.

As much as any other photographer, I yearn to see, or even better to create, the elusive, “wow” picture that would be permanently etched in the memories of everyone who sees it. But the harsh truth is that pictures of such greatness are few and far between even for those who spend decades in the field mastering the craft.

Getting a subject in the best possible light in a real, unguarded moment that is not stage-managed is a very rare occurrence. Capturing one such moment when you are behind the lens fuels you to keep you running until you get the next one.

In light of the plethora of beautiful and not-so-beautiful images to which we are all exposed each day, I sometimes think that it has become much harder for a strong photograph to really stand out and go on to become an icon. The gap between the good and the great is getting narrower by the day. If the original Guerrillero Heroico were to be uploaded on Facebook today, every chance exists that it would be lost in the millions of other pictures portraying the conflicts and insurgencies of our present times. Any attempt to modify or stylize the image would have been termed “too much Photoshop” by the purists. Very likely today Che Guevara and his rebellious gaze captured in that iconic photograph of the ‘60s would not have become synonymous with revolution nor would that image have been emblazoned on to T-shirts of men and women as the quintessential visage of a ‘cool man’.

A seasoned photojournalist who makes impeccable use of the camera’s way of making an instant visual record and provides authentic images that are compelling adjuncts to written reporting fits the ideals of ‘pure photographer’ better than anyone else. Until very recently, notable photojournalists would have a prominent magazine or newspaper that would syndicate their work to other media outlets. Picture magazines used to be the major vehicles for the best photography. A photographer or photojournalist without a newspaper or magazine behind him was like a farmer without fields. He or she needed the established media as the transmitting agent for his or her work.

Photography in the modern day however, is no longer ruled by magazines (National Geographic is one healthy exception). Photographs are being published more and more on independent websites as the center of gravity continues to shift towards web-centric publishing. Photo assignments from supporting news agencies have unfortunately plummeted as media organizations continue to do away with the expense of flying staff photographers around the globe and supporting them for long periods of time. Hiring local freelancers has become a lot cheaper in comparison. Reporters are increasingly asked to take their own pictures. Pulling a digital still from a video that has enough quality for a website or a blog is more commonplace today than it was ten years ago.

A growing sense exists that many photo opportunities are being increasingly stage-managed. An experienced photo editor can tell the difference between an authentic image and one that “looks like photojournalism”, but is just too slick to trust. Trained eyes are required to find the difference, and even experienced photographers are often fooled. Many stories present to the public may look like photojournalism, but beneath the surface one can find that they were produced with the aid of a grant or were commissioned by an NGO to produce specific images that in turn ‘dictate’ the stories. The photographer is being called upon to more or less illustrate someone’s account of an event instead of portraying the visuals of the story as it actually occurred.

Finding a picture that would have the audience reconstructing the intent of the photographer just by the look of the photograph is not easy. Whether thoughtfully put together or rapidly seized, a good photograph will be visually stimulating to an extent that it can provoke a reaction from its audience. May be not from everyone, but from enough people to know that the image is engaging attention. And striking a chord with the audience is fundamental. As I begin to understand more about this medium in the current age, the fundamental truth that is becoming obvious is that the only visual impression great photographers worry about creating is the very first one. A great photograph gets a detailed first glance that lasts more than a few seconds, and viewers will, more often than not, return to the photo to look at it again. The photograph’s emotional impact, if deserved soon follows. Once seen, such an image becomes difficult to unsee in spite of the visual gluttony that viewers cannot escape. I think here is where the absolute stillness of the photograph works in its favor. Although hard to describe in words, the elusive qualities of a great photograph are recognized instantly and instinctively.

I am learning to make that magical photograph happen consistently (perhaps half a dozen times a year) inside the frame. I just hope to be in the right place at the right time as many times as possible. And this note would be incomplete if I don’t mention how missing a great moment feels. I have been there, and it hurts. After all these years, it hurts even more. And those frozen moments remain as the photographs I saw but can never show someone. A camera is not just a device that is used to take pictures. A camera is also an adjunct to a photographer’s life that is often not around when he or she needs it most.