Debates In Photography?

nmasters · Oct 25, 2012

Hey guys,
I am writing an essay for my senior project. My project is mainly centered around improving my photography.
Part of the project is to write 5 to 7 page essay on a current issue regarding the subject of the senior project.
The only current issues I could relate to photography are:

Film vs Digital
HDR
Street photographer's rights

Can you guys think of any other current issues?

Overread · Oct 25, 2012

Well Film VS Digital is basically a dead in the water debate. It was more relevant back when digital was new, but these days whilst there are still some valid points to be made - its been done to death.

HDR isn't really a debate so much as a mixture of many people not actually understanding what it is mixed with questions on the nature of style and taste (ie overcooked HDR). It's not really a debate or issue as such.

Street photographers rights would be a more modern, more current and more relevant modern debate. It's fairly new on the field of being in the public eye and its not "been there done that". Of the three you propose this one would be the one I would say is the best to go for - provided that you're willing to do research into actual photographer rights and laws (or lack there of).

bunny99123 · Oct 25, 2012

After doing many essays in college. I think film vs. digital would be your best bet. It offers many forms of resources for support of your pros and cons. Not too complicated in research and with just a few pages you have more than enough sources to choose from which would take less time to develop. Good luck and congratulations on being a Senior!

Big Mike · Oct 25, 2012

Increasing technology vs photography as a skill. For example, as cameras get better and better at high ISO shooting, it becomes less important for a photographer (camera user) to make conscious choices about exposure settings.
Ever worse/better is that Adobe is working on a technology that can analyze motion blur and then extrapolate a sharp image from a blurry photo.

With technologies like that, it becomes less and less important to know what you're doing (as a photographer).

pixmedic · Oct 25, 2012

The problem with film versus digital is it has been so overdone.. I mean REALLY overdone. And what is it relevant to? Will you try to prove one is better than the other? or comparing different means to basically the same end? I think your best bet is the street photography angle. It is investigating an aspect of photography that is relevant to both film AND digital users. It also allows you to research laws in different areas concerning photography, as well as speculate what laws still need to be addressed. Just my opinion though.

PlanetStarbucks · Oct 25, 2012

What sort of limitations are on this project? Does it have to be technical in nature? If not, you might consider writing on the subject of photography and society. The interplay between how we live in the world and what we see in it. How we relate our lives through the art and what it's new found accessibility means to art and society. Probably more difficult if all you have is technical training, but I think the social relation to art is by far the more interesting subject.

unpopular · Oct 25, 2012

Debates concerning objectivity will have a LOT of research opportunities, going as far back to New Modernism and Pictorialists. The issue has resurfaced with Postmodern subjective/world views approach to aesthetics verses the modern absolute/academic approach. This extends into the very role of photography, to document the world or to interpret it.

An interesting conclusion to make is that photography is unique in that it can be made to fit multiple roles, artistic, journalistic and scientific.

I would highly recommend that you do not focus on technical matters, your teacher is going to be getting the same technical drivel year after year, and most technical issues does not have a whole lot of impact on the nature of photography.

table1349 · Oct 25, 2012

Canon vs Nikon.

Art or Not.

Raw vs JPG.

Is vs non-is

PW's vs Cactus triggers

Cheap tripod vs Good tripod

Need any more???

unpopular · Oct 25, 2012

Wow. You really know how to write a compelling paper, gryph.

Why don't we add the dreaded "UV Filter/No UV filter" snorefest to the list.

snowbear · Oct 25, 2012

gryphonslair99 said:
Canon vs Nikon.

Art or Not.

Raw vs JPG.

Is vs non-is

PW's vs Cactus triggers

Cheap tripod vs Good tripod

Need any more???

Zoom vs. prime lenses
and for noobies:
Post processing vs. straight out of camera
Flash vs. natural light
Protective filter or not
:mrgreen:

edit: unpopular beat me as I was still typing!

unpopular · Oct 25, 2012

oh man. we've got a lot of great B- ideas here!

table1349 · Oct 25, 2012

unpopular said:
Wow. You really know how to write a compelling paper, gryph.

Why don't we add the dreaded "UV Filter/No UV filter" snorefest to the list.

Thanks I forgot that one.:thumbup:

Don't need to write a compelling paper. My senior project is over now that I am a senior. :lol:

Big Mike · Oct 25, 2012

Maybe a silly topic, maybe not...but what of the debate between large (high quality) and small (phone) cameras. Are small but convienent cameras killing the quality of the 'average' photo. Only 10 years ago, just about every family had a 35mm film point & shoot camera. Quality was good but not usually outstanding...and it probably only got a lot of use on vacations and special occasions.

Now, just about every family has a compact digital camera, maybe a few of them. Plus every cell phone or smart device has a camera on it. The overall quality of the images from these tiny cameras is probably lower than it was with film cameras...if maybe only because people didn't just snap photos of anything and everything like they do now.

Another (less silly) topic about the abundance of cameras, is the affect it has on our society. With most people having almost instant access to a still and video camera, privacy is much different than it used to be.

Oh, I got a great current topic...maybe dealing less with photography than with social media...but anyway. Do you know of the girl in BC Canada who committed suicide recently? Amanda Todd.
The underlying issue appeared to be on-line bullying via social media and it started when she flashed her webcam, thus putting topless photos of herself out into the world.
That most certainly wouldn't have happened 10-15 years ago before everyone had easy access to digital still/video cameras and social media etc.

kathyt · Oct 25, 2012

I was just reading this article the other day and I never knew about the original story but you could focus more on the psychosocial/copyright issues and how social media plays a role. I quess the story started when a certain photograher started a photography business and was just never really moving upward so she starting using everybody elses images (she had a Facebook page and website) and putting her logo on them until one day she got caught and her world was turned upside down real quick. She got bombarded with death threats and the whole nine yards, but anyways this article is the aftermath and her asking for forgiveness. I found it rather interesting. HOW I RUINED MY CAREER | People of the Second Chance

skieur · Oct 26, 2012

Photographers who resist change as in:

1. Black and white vs colour
2. Film vs digital
3. Manual vs Auto
4. in camera vs post processing
5. tripod vs handheld
6. filters pre and post vs no filters
7. megapixel improvements?
8. crop body vs full frame

skieur