Digital raising the bar?

[c.cloudwalker]

The bar has been lowered but I don't think it has much to do with DSLRs. Rather you should thank companies such as WalMart and McDo for the sorry state of affairs. Now, I do not want to have your thread closed by talking politics so I will limit it as much as possible. But, if you are aware, you cannot avoid seeing the relationship between companies like that and what is happening in photography. They changed the socio-political landscape in the US in such a way that allowed what is now happening in photography.

Such companies have lowered the bar on quality while convincing people that their prices were lower...

From what I have seen over the last few years, the same happened in retail photography. And since someone once asked what I meant by "retail photography," it means portraiture, weddings and other events, etc. Newer retail photogs have convinced their customers that they do it better than the old farts because they shoot an average of 900 photos at a wedding compared to 250-300 in the old days and, they do it cheaper.

True, they shoot more but it sure ain't any cheaper. One of my sons (the only kid to do a "traditional" wedding) got married about a year ago and I got to see exactly what was being offered today. Nothing much in mho, lol. Part of their package was a book (books are in, albums are out) and some shots were in there multiple times.

OMG! You shot 1,000 photos and you can't make a book without using the same image a few times? There was the color version, the B&W version, and the funky version... What the hell is that?

Truth is, only a few shots actually sell and, when I shot weddings, I made sure I got those but I didn't waste film on the stuff that didn't. Sure I shot some candids, they're expected in the proof album but I only shot a few. They don't sell.

From what I see, hear, and am told, the turn around is much slower today. I had proofs in my client's hands in less than a week. Today's wedding photogs don't seem to be able to do that. And no, I didn't do the work myself. There were labs doing it that were perfectly fine. And while the lab was doing its part, I could book other jobs while today's guys are stuck for a few days processing their 1,000+ shots.

I could go on and on but is there any point? Today's photogs have shot themselves in the foot. They have to do a lot more work for the same amount of money. Quality has not changed that much, I think, because, out of a 1,000 shots, you'll find enough to fill up the book. Even if you have to use the same shot a couple times, lol. Have a go at it boys, it's all yours.


Where amateurs are concerned, nothing has changed whatsoever. The average amateur shoots more so gets more keepers but nobody wants to look at those anymore than they did before. Some people my age may remember how boring the "my vacation photos" evenings were. Are they any less today when there are 3 times as many shots? I doubt it.

I have about 2-300 lbs of scrapbook/photo albums that nobody ever looks at. I keep saving them because I hope they will eventually fall into the hands of someone who does care. I'd be very surprised if the digital family album makes it past 25 years...

Off to the hobbyist. The hobbyist is someone who knows a lot more of the technical stuff but is not that creative so he chooses to not go pro. That is fine with me, I have quite a few friends there. They usually know way more about the technical nitty-gritty than I do. Nothing wrong with that. No everyone is meant to run a company or a studio. Get over it!

Last, you've got the pros. The "Prooooooooooos." Pro means nothing more than making enough income to be considered a pro by the IRS. Get over that one too.

There are pros that are good photogs and there are pros that don't know what they are doing. If the pro gets into the commercial business, there is a good chance he does know something or, otherwise, he won't last. Period.

As far as those guys are concerned, I don't think much as changed except technically. Yes, they had to adapt to digital (not as easy as it sounds) but the rest is no different. A great photo is a great photo is a great photo and the number of photogs who can shoot those day in, day out, is fairly limited.

When you get into highly specialized photography, its even worse.

All that to say that, yes, at the consumer level, the bar has gotten low but not anymore than in the rest of society. Examples of that come to mind easily because I am a music and movie freak.

Music: We went from a stupid little turntable with built-in amp, to a stereo, to 5:1 sound, to 7:1 sound, to MP3s. Wot? Yes, MP3s are the thing today and there are about as good as cassettes, the technology of the dinosaurs.

Movies: We went from the TV screen, to video tapes (VHS won over a better format), to DVDs, to high definition on 50" screens (I used to have a 300" screen that I'm in the process of putting back together), to whatever cell phone companies are telling us is the way to watch movies: 3.5" screens..................... Are we serious?

 

[kkamin]

All that to say that, yes, at the consumer level, the bar has gotten low but not anymore than in the rest of society. Examples of that come to mind easily because I am a music and movie freak.

Music: We went from a stupid little turntable with built-in amp, to a stereo, to 5:1 sound, to 7:1 sound, to MP3s. Wot? Yes, MP3s are the thing today and there are about as good as cassettes, the technology of the dinosaurs.

Movies: We went from the TV screen, to video tapes (VHS won over a better format), to DVDs, to high definition on 50" screens (I used to have a 300" screen that I'm in the process of putting back together), to whatever cell phone companies are telling us is the way to watch movies: 3.5" screens..................... Are we serious?

In all due respect I think you are missing the point. The reason some things are moving to lower quality formats or players is because of compression technology (more can fit on a drive) or convenience. Nobody really wants to watch their favorite TV show on a phone if they could watch it on their TV at home at that moment. But it you are riding the bus to work, it becomes the absolute perfect delivery system. Blue ray DVDs are here at the same time and they are dwarfing the capabilities of standard def DVDs--so I think it is unfair to create the impression everything is going topsy turvey.

To move on, I do not think the bar has been lowered. For example, now that HD camcorders are available to the masses, people don't shoot family events and seriously think their footage compares to a Hollywood movie in terms of quality. They do recognize an aesthetic difference and a disparity in artistic sensibility. Likewise, when normal people shoot with their fancy DSLRs, they can recognize that their images do not measure up to ads in magazines or images at the museum.

People will pay top dollar for art, which is what photography is at its best. The best retail photographers do it. The best commercial photographers do it. But if you are just mediocre at what you do or your work might be achievable by an amateur, you are in trouble. We should all be moving towards unbelieveable results. Retail photographers are in a luxury service, commercial photographers should be able to shoot anything.