It was a unique time. Today the majority aren't going to show motion blur, focus issues, colour issues, grain, etc because these things have been basically conquered. I have to wonder if I could have taken a consistently taken sharp bird in flight photos in 1985 would I have not wanted to do so? I was limited by technology.
Motion blur, off focus, unique colour, grain, etc have become specialty categories. We have motion blur category here. I don't see too many posts of those types of images unless it's a specialty category. Perhaps people don't want others to think they aren't good photographers. I never really thought about that until today.
Kids today have instagram and can post selfies with rabbit noses and ears. I think like the past there will always be percentage that will take photography more seriously and to that next level. There was a documentary about Vivian Maier. She back to her family village in Europe. Some old timer said people normally take pictures at weddings and communions. She takes pictures of garbage cans. She was one in million back then.
I read all of Ansel's books, had a 4x5 field camera, dark room, etc. By the time I got my first DSLR in 2005 I did not miss the darkroom. I applied his teachings to my digital darkroom. I wonder if he had access to what we have today which one would he have chosen. Many years ago I was at his show in Toronto and I walked up to a poster sized print of Moonrise over Hernandez. Jokingly I asked if they would take a cheque and they told me it was priceless. One of his most famous works yet the negative was not that great. He worked it to get those fantastic prints. Another person might have thrown that negative in the garbage. Today the purists who still shoot with 4x5 or 8x 10 do it because it is now unique. People didn't have a choice back then.
As for a certain look. If I was a professional wedding photographer I'd want to promote my style that I could re-produce consistently to beat out my competition. I used to get motion blur shots because I made a mistake. Today I do it on purpose because as opposed to film digital captures are free. Film added up which did make me think twice about taking some shots, mostly too many. Not at all with my 4x5. I could never figure out how to get 30 fps. 
We try to make our work interesting but I think we have our base style that at times we apply without even thinking about it.
