Has Digital Made You More Competent Or Lazy

[robbins.photo]

Ahh....memories of daguerreotypes.......now that was REAL photography.

My neighbors growing up had at least one tractor that had to be started using a hand crank. It was a temperamental beast that required a lot of effort to keep it running and you really had to have some skill to operate it. Eventually they bought one you could start simply by turning a key and it was on the whole much, much easier to operate.

I don't recall anyone decrying that and saying that they were no longer "real farmers" as a result.

So yes, I have to admit, I find most of this pretty laughable.

 

[Ysarex]

Having cut my teeth so to speak in a darkroom processing honest to god actual film I have to admit to still not being able to buy into the ethos of firing off thousands of digital images. It all just seems so "arbitrary" when back in the day a single roll of 36 exposure film was not an insubstantial investment if bought in bulk and stored in the fridge. One day, one day.

I cut my teeth in a darkroom processing honest to god serious film that came in single sheets. Those wimps shooting roll film and especially that dinky little 35mm sh*t had no idea what it meant to work for a photograph. Load up a dozen 4x5 sheet holders (24 exposures) and try sticking those in your pocket. Once out in the field then that was all you had, 24 exposures, you couldn't just reach in your pocket and grab another roll of film. We used to chuckle at those fauxtogs with the Nikon F2s hanging around their necks, as if they had a clue!

You see it's all relative. Notice I didn't mention 8x10 sheet film holders; we can notch it up some more.....


Joe

Ahh....memories of daguerreotypes.......now that was REAL photography.

But they look like cr*p.

Joe

 

[table1349]

This was real photography............

And when equipment mattered. Focus was a challenge if you got a cross eyed bird.

 

[kdthomas]

I feel like both film and digital have helped me ... I tend to be an impulsive type, so film helps me to slow down, and plan each and every shot. But digital has more flexibility. If I can get a good result that's great. And I'm doing more with film these days, because I like the craft (for lack of a better word) of it.

It might be my imagination, but I think that film many times has a different character about it, but I'm not quite experienced enough to articulate it.

And I've found, that the composition and essential design of the image is the worst place to get lazy. That's where a lot of images (at least images of mine) go wrong.