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.
But there are some genuine reasons to at least incorporate digital technology into your professional photography game plan. These reasons are compelling enough that more and more we are seeing the big studios going all digital. So if you are running an independent photography business or if you are “just” a photography hobbyist (and thank God for the hobbyists), you may have to think through the value of moving to digital processing yourself. The amount of fuss and sheer “stuff” of doing a shoot digitally is dramatically less involved than using the older technologies. Witness how the digital revolution in photography has revolutionized the personal camera world. Now people can take as many pictures as they want and have them to review virtually instantaneously.
Digital photography has brought about many changes in both time, efforts and costs. The proofs of a photo shoot are available practically instantly. Should the photographer or customer not be fully satisfied with a picture, adjustments are made and reshot immediatly involving a lower price and saving a huge amout of time. The customer gets the picture they were seeking as the photographer gets the shot needed the first time in the studio.
The impression we get when a technology delivers so much value to the public is that quality will go down. But, amazingly, this is not the case with digital photography. If anything, the quality of the photographs is as good or better than any we could do with prior technologies. And the cost both to you as the photographer and to your customer drops off so dramatically that the age old complaint the customer has had about professional photographs costing too much can be eliminated making the customer want to use your services more often.
As computers and internet technologies are advancing, digital photography has become part of this wave. Personal computers have become an ingrained part of our lives and with the combination of the internet superhighway, photographs have become common communication between people. With only a click of a button, photos can be delivered by e-mail, saved to a DVD or CD, or displayed in an online gallery. Customers then have a basis for ordering additional photos for the same cost and have more immediate delivery in a much more convienent way to view and store them.
Regardless of the old methods or the new technology, editing has always had some part in photography. The croping and filtering that has taken place in the darkroom in the past is now only a simple click away on the computer along with a dazzling choice of other options. Sophisticated software programs such as Photoshop are available in stores that can create an endless variety of effects. But the most important function of this software is that it can easily correct the most simple of mistakes to the more complicated. This saves the integrity of the photograph making it acceptable through digital editing and touchup.
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.
Last 5 posts by Dan Feildman
- Creative Compact Cameras - A word of Advice - November 20th, 2008
- A Word of Advice on Purchasing Creative Compact Cameras - November 20th, 2008
- Night photography - capturing cityscapes - November 5th, 2008
- Sending Out Your Digital Photos to Friends and Family - October 28th, 2008
- Share Your Digital Photos with Friends and Family - October 21st, 2008
Related posts
- The Movement of Photography from Film to Digital
- Digital photography: Is your digital camera the best one for you?
- Digital Photography - Lighting Tips For Photography Artificial Light.
- Finding The Average Price Of Wedding Photography
- Digital Photography an in depth Look
Like this post? Publish It On Your Own Blog
