Praising of Photography of the Digital Age
No matter the craft, you will have that group of people who hold dear what they see as the fundamental rules and methods that have been in place since the beginning. The ‘Purists’ shun new technologies as being inferrior and nothing more than a fad that should be replaced with traditional ways. These ideas have become quite the debate in the field of photography. Certainly there have been a number of advances in cameras and film over the years and the improvements in darkroom processing have been overwhelming, but the arrival of digital photograpy onto the scene has created a firestorm of arguement over what is and is not the essense of a photograph. In photography, the purists believe in presenting a slice of life that exists through the photograph itself, while digital photography manipulates the photo into an idea prefabricated in the mind. Still in the future of photography, digital technologies are paving the way to endless potentials.
There are several compelling arguements for incorporating the digital revolution into traditional photography. Most of the professional level studios in both the portrait and film worlds have gone the digital route in favor of these arguements. The amount of equipment needed in digital photography is minimal in comparison to the older methods, creating less complication. And in a world where the average cell phone has made possible a digital camera in every pocket, digital is simplistic enough that anyone can create a photograph. Both the professional photographer and the common person can use digital technologies to capture images.
The strongest points in favor of digital photography are usually time and cost. Re-shoots can be done quickly and there is the advantage of taking a multitude of shots at practically no expense in order to capture the right one. In a portrait session for example, the customer has the ability to view the images almost immediately, then knowing what to go back to correct. With traditional film, results are not discovered until after processing necessitating a return to the studio. Digital photography can provide the customer with instantaneous results and satisfaction while saving both time and money for the photographer.
Normally if it seems too good to be true it is, however digital photography is an exception in that quality is not compromised for convenience. In most instances the outcome of the photograph is at least as good and usually exceeds the quality of previous technologies. Factoring in the more simplistic methods and lower costs, digital photography can provide a favorable alternative to the traditional film based pictures. More and more customers seeking professional photography services and even the recreational photographer would agree.
Not only in photograpy, the digital revolution has brought about radical changes in our home computers. Computers combined with the communication power of the internet, have brought pictures and photography into daily life. We can now send birthday portriats to grandma via e-mail or save 50th anniversary pictures for years to come by burning them to CD or DVD. The customer has a myrid of options in shots for practically no difference in cost and can deliver them to friend and relatives in a way that is easy to view and store.
Editing has similarly moved from the realm of the back room wizards to something any of us can do due to the sophisticated computer programs, such as Photoshop, that we can use to improve the pictures we take. It is really amazing the effects that can be imposed on a picture with this software. But more importantly we can so much more easily correct minor problems with a photograph so what might have been a lost session can be improved to become acceptable with some clever use of digital editing.
Although the ‘purist’ might not always agree, their are undeniable benefits to the use of digital photography that would win out even over the old ways. By working smarter, not harder, the digital revolution benefits the photographer in its simplicity, profitability and time involved. For the customer, it too creates a lower cost and provides an instant gratification in that the pictures are available almost instantly in a variety of forms such as e-mail. We can still respect and utilize the ‘purist’ view in photography, but the fact is undeniable that digital photography is here to stay due with overwhelming support.
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Filed under Photography by Dan Feildman
