Monday, June 10, 2013

Professional Experience and Digital Photography

I have been a photographer for more than 20 years.  Though many, with like longevity, speak fondly of the days of film-- I am not among these.  I always felt film too restrictive for what I wanted to accomplish; the learning curve, too long [due to processing time]; color printing, completely at the hands of others; product development, limited to what others may offer.

Enter the digital camera. Each of the facets, of photography, I found limiting are now gone.  With a good monitor, good motivation and a simple camera, the [almost] instant visual feedback speeds the learning curve of techniques 1000 times.  Add a good printer [many are extremely affordable], and you have all the control of the print you could every want.  A decent working relationship, with many of the Adobe products, and your development-muse can take you anywhere you might want to travel.

Nope, I wouldn't be a professional photographer if I still had to work in film.

With that said, digital has it's downside.  It has become an numbers game.  How ironic; digital/numbers? Who'd have guessed.  White paper stats like pixel count, pixel density, sensor size, blah, blah, blah.  The number of bodies I've been through since moving to digital; the cost of bodies; the cost of LENSES!  I could not have imagined the day I would spend over $2000 for a 35mm-format, standard zoom lens.  Now, it seems, $1500-$2500 is the price point for a professional lens, by a "name" manufacturer.

How about those thousands, upon thousands of images shot at a single event.  I know wedding photographers who routinely shoot 3000 or more images for the day.  I have to admit, many do it simply because the like the process of taking pictures. They like the sound of the camera. It makes them feel like they are doing something.  Rarely, though, is it ever as a means to an end.  Some brides actually make their purchase decision based on number, "how much and how many?"

We've become a fraternity of analytics; trading in our artistic pallets for the latest chart-de-jour.  Lest you think I'm pointing fingers...No. Quite the contrary.  This was a discussion I had, with myself, about my own situation. But, I am not alone.

The primary reason for the blog, is to document my own practical and intellectual travels.  I will touch on camera technique, lighting, processing and printing. My audience? Myself...and anyone who might find interest.

Welcome.

Friday, June 7, 2013

Welcome

Welcome to the Lehigh Valley Photo Blog

Where is this going?

Tried YouTube. Tried Facebook. Tried Twitter. None offered the desired platform sought.  I like the written word. Don't deny the power of the video, nor the power of the photograph [obviously]. Some platforms too limiting. Some, simply too convoluted.

The "blog" seems to offers a more intelligent platform from which one can express ideas, images and video.

Looking forward to it.