Nov. 2000
President's
Message
Portrait of Kathleen Berhalter
In Perspective...
Digital Photography - The Changing Scene
- Bill Talarowski
As you, who have been competing in the Club contests have noticed, there have been an increasing number of "digital images" being submitted for judging. The remarks heard of these have ranged from "That's beautiful, how did you do it" to "That's not really photography is it"? And along with these comments also comes, "That's fine if that's what you want to do but it ought to have it's own class". Anyone who has attended a meeting knows where I stand on this issue.
The other day I was reading an article by Dewitt Jones in the magazine Outdoor Photographer titled "Becoming Vision Makers". He was asked, "Aren't you worried that digital photography will destroy photography as we know it, and how can one tell what is reality any more"?
The question harbors all the doubt, mistrust, fear, dread and outright panic these non believers have about any major change in the status quo. What is there to be afraid of anyway? That a photo manipulated digitally may not be "real"?
A photograph is never a reality! It's a two dimensional representation of what you see at a specific point in time. Where we point the camera and when we click the shutter holds more power over the "reality" that we capture than anything that can be done in the computer. All of us have experienced the thought, "Gee I wish the sky had more clouds", or "If the light were only a little softer, or warmer". These are the "real" pictures you have in your mind’s eye and not necessarily what is being recorded on film. If this statement is correct, what is wrong with adding them later?
Everything that is now possible by use of a computer has already been done on camera with use of filters, attachments, or in a darkroom. Additionally, slide copiers and/or, air brushing that took years of study were used. How come the question of reality never came up? It is perceived by the non believers that all you have to do now is put it in the computer and magically it goes through a metamorphosis into a beautiful picture. Where are the sunsets, clouds, birds, mountains and other additions coming from? Believe me when I say, "You will be spending more time and effort capturing these "bits and pieces" to render your new image then you ever did taking straight shots. Photoshop is not a simple, quick-to-learn program, but one that takes years to learn and perfect.
What about simple color and exposure changes and dropping birds, clouds and other small objects into your image? Spotting prints, adding filtration while printing, cropping, dodging, and burning have been main stays of any good darkroom work. No one questioned two slides sandwiched together or a moon dropped into a night shot. Why wasn't the question of reality raised? Because it didn't matter, the finished image was made better by the use of these additions.
Explore this new technology and feel a freedom in your imaging that you never felt before. You have to take chances, shake things up, and digital will introduce you to a new way of seeing. As my good friend, Ernst Tomic, says, "Think Photoshop". The world is changing and you either change with it or get left behind.