Sparky
Member
Please don't knock this off because of the word 'digital' or 'digital revolution'... I think this is an important topic for analog photography and needs to be addressed. So just hear me out for a minute here...
The major point:
I'm becoming fairly conscious now (or is it paranoid) that people in general (even film users) are becoming quite immune to the lure of the finely crafted large format photograph... especially where things like resolution, acuity and let's say 'the quality of the fine print' (loaded though that phrase is!). For example - I've seen some really excellent huge prints from 8x10 negs recently - that were clearly analog/analog that were kind of mindblowing 'on paper'... but only when I really sat and studied it or revisited it... most people responded to only the image content.
So - it seems to me that maybe 10 or 15 years ago this would definitely NOT have been the case! It would be a mindblowing photograph, technically speaking at least. But now since the various QUALITIES which go into making a well made gelatin silver print are not applicable when consuming the ever-ubiquitous web image... these are critical tools which have all but dropped off the map. I mean - even I'M starting to look at things in the same way...! It's all become very LCD (lowest common denominator).
I suppose this is just a wind of change... (but you would THINK that seeing something well made like that would be really refreshing...!) - I suppose it's possible that it will force everyone to concentrate on image content. Which is a good thing (trying to be positive here) - but I was just wondering what others thought of this - and if there might be anything to this - or if anyone had any reflections on it.
Another Observation:
I've noticed another really interesting aspect of the 'digikids' progress shooting digital... having had a number of friends/acquaintances who had only recently picked up a camera for the first time - it's quite surprising how quickly people seem to develop a fairly solid eye... it's shocking really. I SUSPECT this is due to the more or less immediate feedback of the digicam, and the ability to shoot copious loads of photos with impunity. It's kind of a nice benefit that we never got trudging around with our big cameras in the muck...
anyway...
there you have it.
The major point:
I'm becoming fairly conscious now (or is it paranoid) that people in general (even film users) are becoming quite immune to the lure of the finely crafted large format photograph... especially where things like resolution, acuity and let's say 'the quality of the fine print' (loaded though that phrase is!). For example - I've seen some really excellent huge prints from 8x10 negs recently - that were clearly analog/analog that were kind of mindblowing 'on paper'... but only when I really sat and studied it or revisited it... most people responded to only the image content.
So - it seems to me that maybe 10 or 15 years ago this would definitely NOT have been the case! It would be a mindblowing photograph, technically speaking at least. But now since the various QUALITIES which go into making a well made gelatin silver print are not applicable when consuming the ever-ubiquitous web image... these are critical tools which have all but dropped off the map. I mean - even I'M starting to look at things in the same way...! It's all become very LCD (lowest common denominator).
I suppose this is just a wind of change... (but you would THINK that seeing something well made like that would be really refreshing...!) - I suppose it's possible that it will force everyone to concentrate on image content. Which is a good thing (trying to be positive here) - but I was just wondering what others thought of this - and if there might be anything to this - or if anyone had any reflections on it.
Another Observation:
I've noticed another really interesting aspect of the 'digikids' progress shooting digital... having had a number of friends/acquaintances who had only recently picked up a camera for the first time - it's quite surprising how quickly people seem to develop a fairly solid eye... it's shocking really. I SUSPECT this is due to the more or less immediate feedback of the digicam, and the ability to shoot copious loads of photos with impunity. It's kind of a nice benefit that we never got trudging around with our big cameras in the muck...
anyway...
there you have it.