I respectfully have a beef with digital photography..

[another view]

The thing I think is interesting is that you also started this thread awhile back.

Talk amongst yourselves.

[almo]

The thing I think is interesting is that you also started this thread awhile back.

Talk amongst yourselves.

So this was that guy huh? Well now he has not even a slice of credability to be making statements such as he has in ths thread.

Almo "Simple Levels adustment using the black & white eye droppers. Two clicks and done. My guess, this is a WB issue."

BKSinAZ "What is WB as in your post? Also, what program did you use to lighten the pic and what tool inside the program? How?"


I rest my case....;)

[Dzerzhinski46]

Interesting that this debate has come up. Really, the digital vs. film debate is very time consuming and utterly fruitless. And besides, as was said, "what matters is the photog behind the camera, not the equipment..." or something like that. But perhaps I shall sally forth and offer my two cents.

I will not extoll the virtues of film (beign primarily a film shooter) to the detriment of digital. Nor the other way round. It is all image capture in the end. How you get it is purely superfluous.

Let me explain. I do a certain amount of priting using the Cyanotype process (look this up if you don't know), which happens to be a contact process. For this, I need a large negative. Now, I own only a 35mm film camera, so this is a problem. So what to do? Use the digital darkroom to make a large negative. The only other way to do this is with the traditional darkroom, and either a large negative, or an internegative. The digital darkroom has allowed me to be creative beyond my analog limits.

The digital darkroom is something of a revolution. It brings the printmaking process into a cleaner environment, making it a gratifying experience, and a short one. Very satisfying.

But I still love developing my own film. A very gratifying, almost magical process. Some may not like doing this, but I find it fulfilling in a way.

My closing thoughts? Get out and shoot something! With whatever happens to make your little heart jump with excitement, and your trigger finger start twitching. Just shoot it!

Drew

[ken1953]

As a new member to these forums, I have yet to put my 2 cents into this age old argument...so...here goes....
This argument spans every genre that has ever been improved by technology. As a musician, I remember all the arguments over the synthesizers of the late '60's and '70's...and of course, now the computer generated music we have is indistinguishable from a full orchestra. Computers have greatly improved my musicianship (I am a classically trained musician with a college degree in music) the same as digital cameras have improved my photography. I have nice Pentax MG and MX 35mm SLR's...but, I cannot afford the film to "learn" how to use them, correctly. However, with my little digital point and shoot, I have learned tons about lighting, WB, macro, panning, portraiture, etc.....than I ever could have with film. In the past 4 years...I have taken over 15000 pictures. Mostly snapshots, a few "photographs", some "art" shots, and hopefully a "masterpiece" someplace in all of these...IMHO, anyone who puts down advances in technology should sell there nice airconditioned homes, cars, boats, computers, cameras, telephones, etc...move into a cave and start carving your pictures on cave walls that may or may not be discovered in a million years or so...
Thank you for allowing my 2 cents...sorry if I added a few cents more...
Ken

[almo]

In the past 4 years...I have taken over 15000 pictures. Mostly snapshots, a few "photographs", some "art" shots, and hopefully a "masterpiece" someplace in all of these...IMHO, anyone who puts down advances in technology should sell there nice airconditioned homes, cars, boats, computers, cameras, telephones, etc...move into a cave and start carving your pictures on cave walls that may or may not be discovered in a million years or so...

This one has my vote for runon scentence of the year...lol

[payn817]

OK, so i replied slowly.

1. I take about 10 shots a day (slow day) and keep everything "just in case" on disk, and a backup portable drive. So, yes it will survive.

2. If it receives good crit, or I like it, I get it in print, again, it will survive.

3. If it takes no skill to use digital, let me know, and i will shoot you 300 worthless photos anytime.

4. Look under photo critique at the post called "19th century tomb". Only editing was B&W conv., and this photo has been picked up by a record company. By the way, the camera was not on auto, I had to think and adjust for that shot.

5. If you think the camera makes the shot, you got a lot to learn!

[almo]

OK, so i replied slowly.

1. I take about 10 shots a day (slow day) and keep everything "just in case" on disk, and a backup portable drive. So, yes it will survive.

2. If it receives good crit, or I like it, I get it in print, again, it will survive.

3. If it takes no skill to use digital, let me know, and i will shoot you 300 worthless photos anytime.

4. Look under photo critique at the post called "19th century tomb". Only editing was B&W conv., and this photo has been picked up by a record company. By the way, the camera was not on auto, I had to think and adjust for that shot.

5. If you think the camera makes the shot, you got a lot to learn!

If anything it takes even more skill to control a truly manual digital camera. It used to be that a camera was little more than a box with a hole in it with film at the back. With digital things have changed. We have to think about White Balence, resolution, image size, iso, contrast, sharpness, B&W or color. We have to remember to expose for the highlights, which for most of us goes against years of pratical experence.

There's more, but whats the point of beating it to death?

[Outdoorsman]

Jeez, so many heated responses, and wouldn't a PR thread be incomplete without Sebastian abusing yet another poor person?
So yeah, I'm a film shooter with a little digital tossed in. And I HATE DIGITAL!!! It's so much easier to get a decent image with 35mm compared to the digital. The exposure latitude alone drives me up the wall. And what drives me even crazier is the relentless tediousness of working image after image, sitting on my ass in front of a little monitor, indoors. I would rather be out shooting somewhere and letting the lab deal with the rest. But alas, film is dying slowly so I have to take the time to learn digital.
I respectfully disagree-- digital is not a no-brainer. Although film never was either, but I recall my first roll of 35mm film. I had no clue what I was doing and the images came back just fine. My first digital experience? A lesson in frustration. And now a continuing lesson in frustration.
If anyone here still recalls me, you might have noticed that I'm not posting much lately. This is due to extreme digital overload. I cannot stand sitting here in front of the computer any more. Digital is forcing me to be inactive and I just can't stand that. So sorry if anyone missed me, but dang, I live in a natural paradise- I just can't justify parking my butt indoors for hours on end.
So there.

[Lionheart]

Good to hear from you. You're right of course. Why sit in front of a monitor tweaking digital images when you could be out there in the great Northern Kalifornya outdoors shooting great images ;) Unfortunately, even though I live in the beautiful foothills of the Sierras here in Northern Kalifornya, I don't get out much during daylight hours (you know, kids, work, family...) so I spend my evenings parked in front of this here lighted picture frame.

[Outdoorsman]

Good to hear from you. You're right of course. Why sit in front of a monitor tweaking digital images when you could be out there in the great Northern Kalifornya outdoors shooting great images ;) Unfortunately, even though I live in the beautiful foothills of the Sierras here in Northern Kalifornya, I don't get out much during daylight hours (you know, kids, work, family...) so I spend my evenings parked in front of this here lighted picture frame.

You know, I thought I'd get blasted for my post. It was nice to see a positive response. So thanks for adding a little extra sunshine to an already gorgeous day. Right now the lake is literally steaming under the sun and a fogbank is looming offshore. I'm gonna get out there and shoot it, and then head into the spectacular redwood forest for sunset, then go home to sit under the stars and watch the Milky Way with a cold beer. Let's see a computer beat that!
Hey, you take care and don't worry, you're living a full life, it sounds, and there's nothing wrong with unwinding after a long day at work. Better to be tired from living than tired from being bored.
Have fun!!!

("Kalifornya"- LOL!)