define analog,please

[severian]

I'm looking for a concise perhaps one or two sentence definition of analog photography. Dictionaries are not helping me.
thanks
Severian, autarch of urth aka jack

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

58? (a little APUG inside joke)

We've had a lot of long and tedious threads from people who like to argue that technically, in an abstract sense, film-based photography is really digital. This may or may not be true, but ultimately that is not the issue, so let's not go down that road again. That's not the fault of your question, Jack, but I'd just like to head off some trouble before it starts.

It's probably better to use an expression like "Traditional Photography." Most of us are using "analog" in this context to describe photography that doesn't use computers, scanners, digital sensors, or digital printers.

 

[Bill Mobbs]

Not Digital...

 

[alien]

Well, I would argue that 'analogue' is not translated, and you can therefore 'see' (or hear) the recording (i.e. audio or visual) without the help of an interpreter - a picture on film can be seen by simply holding it against a light source; you can actually look into the grooves of a record and see the music recorded there, which in turn can be recreated without the help of a converter but with a mechanical device (you can actually listen to a record by letting the tip of a pencil run through the groove).

Ansgar

 

[DieHipsterDie]

Does your camera produce a roll of film or a bunch of ones and zeros?

 

[Jim Chinn]

If the film and the paper has to get "wet" somewhere in the whole process I consider it a traditional process.

Analog is a term that has become equated with anything data related that is non-digital for collecting or storage. So analog in that sense gets applied to non-digital photography or traditional photographic processes.

 

[copake_ham]

I do think that the use of the word "analog" for film-based photography is NOT intuitive. And it does seem to arise as a "negative definition" since it is meant to convey the sense: "not digital".

But it is what it is and besides, everyone here is quite comfortable dealing with negatives!

 

[jstraw]

I like that "analog photography" is a concept that the brain must take a moment to process. It seems...analogous to the whole process.

I'd also like to point out that analog photography can be perfectly dry. ;-)

 

[DBP]

In the context of the name of the APUG, analog means methods of producing images that do not rely on electronic digital processing of the image, but do rely on the transmission of light through an aperture of some sort onto a light sensitive material. (Thus painting, for example, is not included, even if a camera oscura is used.) As a general rule, at some point in the process, these processes involve chemical changes to a metal salt resulting from exposure to light.

 

[Chan Tran]

Analog means continuous variable. That is if the density of film varies continuously with exposure then film photography is analog. On the other hand, digital varies in steps. The value of a pixel is either 1 or 2 or 3 or 255 in steps.

 

[Kirk Keyes]

Not Digital...

More like "anti-digital" around here...

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

[Kirk Keyes]

[...]but do rely on the transmission of light through an aperture of some sort onto a light sensitive material.

What about photograms?

 

[DBP]

I've never really thought of that as photography, myself.

 

[Bob F.]

if (photo != digital)
  switch (user_sings)
    { 
    case GOD_SAVE_THE_QUEEN : analogue(58);
      break;
    case STAR_SPANGLED_BANNER : analog(58);
    }

 

[Dave Parker]

More like "anti-digital" around here...

Yeppers!

 

[eddym]

I do think that the use of the word "analog" for film-based photography is NOT intuitive. And it does seem to arise as a "negative definition" since it is meant to convey the sense: "not digital".

This is what bothers me about it. We never called traditional photography "analog" until digital came along. Why do we let "them" define our terms for us? It seems reactive instead of proactive.

That said, I'm not about to suggest that the name of APUG be changed. "Traditional Photography Users Group" makes a lousy acronym!

 

[Stephanie Brim]

if (photo != digital)
  switch (user_sings)
    { 
    case GOD_SAVE_THE_QUEEN : analogue(58);
      break;
    case STAR_SPANGLED_BANNER : analog(58);
    }

I'd be more impressed if that actually worked.

 

[jbj]

analog (or analogue):

my definition is: get off the damn computer and go out and shoot some film!

 

[DBP]

This is what bothers me about it. We never called traditional photography "analog" until digital came along. Why do we let "them" define our terms for us? It seems reactive instead of proactive.

That said, I'm not about to suggest that the name of APUG be changed. "Traditional Photography Users Group" makes a lousy acronym!

"Silver Photography Users Group" SPUG?

 

[Sean]

"Silver Photography Users Group" SPUG?

that would can everyone who uses platinum or other various techniques.. not to mention nearly every name you can think of is already registered (even tpug, spug, etc) this is why after 3 days of trying to work out a name that encompasses everything traditional I settled with apug so we could get a site going..

 

[Chan Tran]

I am uncomfortable about using the word "analog" for film photography. Analog while is not digital but the term some how related to an electronic process. The term was use in "Analog Computer", "Analog Audio" etc...

 

[Bob F.]

Peeps: it is not compulsory to use the term "analog(ue) photography". No one passed a law. I never use it: it's usually "traditional" or "wet" to me. The A in APUG is just a snappy, shorthand thing... No need for such angst: use what term you feel fits - (Angstful Photography User Group anyone? )

Cheers, Bob.

 

[Sean]

Peeps: it is not compulsory to use the term "analog(ue) photography". No one passed a law. I never use it: it's usually "traditional" or "wet" to me. The A in APUG is just a snappy, shorthand thing... No need for such angst: use what term you feel fits - (Angstful Photography User Group anyone? )

Cheers, Bob.

I rarely use the word, I typically use "traditional". Also, we are far from the only people who associate traditional photography with 'analog', just google "analog photography" minus apug.org (to keep our site out of it) and you'll get 1/4million hits or more of people using the phrase. I think "analog" is basically becoming general slang for non-digital..

 

[DBP]

that would can everyone who uses platinum or other various techniques.. not to mention nearly every name you can think of is already registered (even tpug, spug, etc) this is why after 3 days of trying to work out a name that encompasses everything traditional I settled with apug so we could get a site going..

Just joking, thought it made for a silly acronym.

 

[reub2000]

if (photo != digital)
  switch (user_sings)
    { 
    case GOD_SAVE_THE_QUEEN : analogue(58);
      break;
    case STAR_SPANGLED_BANNER : analog(58);
    }

Forgot something:
enum anthem {GOD_SAVE_THE_QUEEN, STAR_SPANGLED_BANNER} user_sings;

Anyways, would scanning a negative after it's processed be analog photography?