Just thought I'd share an interesting encounter the other day. I apologize for this being off-topic, and have no interest in starting another digital versus film argument here. Just wanted to share a good story.
I was down at Pemaquid Point (Maine coast) a couple weeks ago, with my 4X5 rig doing some shots of Pemaquid Light and surrounding rock/beach/sea scenes. A guy with a very British accent came up to me and said, "Could I ask you a terribly impertinent, although obvious question? Why on earth are you still using that contraption instead of a digital camera?"
My reply was "The better question might be, ' Why on earth would I be using digital?' "
He was quite taken aback, and a lively conversation ensued. Like most amateurs who have been swept away in the digital rush, his switch from film to pixels was motivated by about equal parts of ease and marketing hype. For him, the sheer convenience of being able to effect changes in the image with mouse clicks in Photoshop was the central concern.
By the time the conversation ended, he may not have been convinced, but he was at least educated in such matters as 1)the issues surrounding longevity and accessibility of digital images and storage media, 2)the satisfaction taken in the craft of photography itself (why would I just give up and discard all the knowledge it has taken me 35 years of practice to acquire,?), and 3) the inherent superiority of the silver image in resolution and depth of even the best digital images yet available. Not to mention the fact that for some of us, sitting at a computer does not feed our souls the way a good darkroom session does or provide the thrill of seeing that upside-down image on our ground glass under the dark cloth.
He had intelligent questions, he raised pertinent issues that made me think, and altogether provided a delightful interlude on a beautiful early spring afternoon up here Downeast. I wish all my digital vs. film encounters were so productive and enjoyable.
Larry
I was down at Pemaquid Point (Maine coast) a couple weeks ago, with my 4X5 rig doing some shots of Pemaquid Light and surrounding rock/beach/sea scenes. A guy with a very British accent came up to me and said, "Could I ask you a terribly impertinent, although obvious question? Why on earth are you still using that contraption instead of a digital camera?"
My reply was "The better question might be, ' Why on earth would I be using digital?' "
He was quite taken aback, and a lively conversation ensued. Like most amateurs who have been swept away in the digital rush, his switch from film to pixels was motivated by about equal parts of ease and marketing hype. For him, the sheer convenience of being able to effect changes in the image with mouse clicks in Photoshop was the central concern.
By the time the conversation ended, he may not have been convinced, but he was at least educated in such matters as 1)the issues surrounding longevity and accessibility of digital images and storage media, 2)the satisfaction taken in the craft of photography itself (why would I just give up and discard all the knowledge it has taken me 35 years of practice to acquire,?), and 3) the inherent superiority of the silver image in resolution and depth of even the best digital images yet available. Not to mention the fact that for some of us, sitting at a computer does not feed our souls the way a good darkroom session does or provide the thrill of seeing that upside-down image on our ground glass under the dark cloth.
He had intelligent questions, he raised pertinent issues that made me think, and altogether provided a delightful interlude on a beautiful early spring afternoon up here Downeast. I wish all my digital vs. film encounters were so productive and enjoyable.
Larry
