Sounds like the title of a bad summer horror flick. Well not exactly.
So I decided to go to a camera club meeting, as I have never attended one and thought it might be an opportunity to meet other local photographers.
Everyone was friendly but it served as a reminder of some of reasons why I don’t connect to digital photography. The focus of a presentation was on High Dynamic Range Digital Photography or HDR. A number of terms were discussed, which included those found in the title of this entry, as well as Misalignment, Oversaturation, Raw and HDR Software.
In my opinion, what I heard was a methodology that tries to compensate for lack of dynamic range and is a sloppy non-thinking bracketing substitute for technique and understanding of exposure.
To be honest, in the end I am not sure what I sat through, as I felt it pertained more to the IT department or a PowerPoint presentation than photography!
It probably didn’t help when I introduced myself. I said that I was a Black and White film photographer and had absolutely no clue of what they were talking about!
Things crystalized for me after the break. One or two people brought color prints — almost everything I saw was in color – but everyone else who wanted to show or discuss their work to be judged for possible selection to an upcoming competition did so by displaying it on their laptop. #@$%^&*(){}*&^
I am not a color person as you may have gathered, but if you are going to make color photographs I think digital may be a reasonable way to go. Disclosure Alert: I have a good friend who produces marvelous color photographs made with his Canon and Leica digital cameras! He takes all the time necessary to ensure the desired outcome and prints and displays only those pictures that are meaningful to him.
This having been said, how the heck can anyone fully appreciate the true merits of a photograph on a laptop, viewed in questionable light?
The experience further highlighted what to me are some of the downsides of today’s digital scene. Letting the camera’s onboard computer attempt to solve exposure decisions for the many pictures taken in rapid fire, that are then compensated for and further adjusted by special software on your home computer, that are finally displayed for the photographer and viewers to seen on a computer screen. Argh!
A tiny percentage of the gazillions of digital photographs taken will never be printed, and perhaps it is best left that way. Is it possible that the digital “workflow” process utilized by the vast majority of people does not lend itself to the most “creative” process and the desired result?
Film doesn’t solve the HDR problem either – our eyes and brains see so much more beauty and depth than when can physically represent. There are also merits of color film and Cibachrome work in the hands of a professional – sadly these mediums are no longer available. I still enjoy a Fuji Velvia 50 medium and large format slide – though yes – much more can be attained with RAW digitally edited files and possibly printed to a transparency.
Black and white film/wet darkroom prints (and other analog formats) still have an aesthetic and quality that digital can never quite replicate – even if its only in our minds.
Hey Brian, good to hear from you again! I remember Cibachrome! Years ago I tried my hand with it using Kodachrome 25!
What I was trying to get across is that reliance on the computer and related software to replace learned technique and the creative thought process does not, in my opinion, necessary lead to the the desired result for the vast majority. All of this is made worse by viewing on a screen. You are certainly right about Black and White film/wet darkroom prints!!!!!
Stay in touch and best wishes,
Michael