Grumpy Old Photographers

For my last post I urge you to visit this website that Adobe has created. (http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webx?14@@.3bc41711/6) On this forum I have found many grumpy, old school photographers like myself griping about the changes that digital photography has imposed on our artform. One grumpy old photographer commented "Has the photography hobby been downgraded by the apparent lack of thought now required in this auto everything mass exposure world where if you click the shutter often enough you are going to get lucky ?" He also stated the theory that I have been focusing on all semester-"the million monkeys banging on a million typewriters eventually producing a masterpiece theory." To say it simply, we film photgraphers are all in the same boat here. We can be outdone by ametures who just click away without any consideration to composition, light source, f-stop or aperature. With just one click a digital camera can take a picture that can be cropped, rotated, and adjusted by photoshop. Another grumpy photographer made the comment that someone who proudly takes 700+ pictures on a digital camera but just clicking away might capture some good, maybe even amazing photos. The question is, will they recognize them when they see them or will they simply be deleted from a memory card?

Another Little Lesson

After posting the history on film photography I though it would be interesting to do some research about digital photography and this is what I found:

Digital camera technology is directly related to and has evolved from the same technology that recorded television images. In 1951, the first video tape recorder (VTR) captured live images from television cameras by converting the information into electrical impulses (digital) and saving the information onto magnetic tape.
Although the consumer digital camera was not invented until the late 90's, digital images were being used in government work. During the 1960s, NASA converted from using analog to digital signals with their space probes to map the surface of the moon (sending digital images back to earth). Digital imaging also had another government use at the time that being spy satellites. Beginning in the mid 1970's, Kodak has invented several solid-state image sensors that are able to convert light to digital picutures for professional and consumer use. In 1986, Kodak scientists invented the world's first megapixel sensor, which was capable of recording 1.4 million pixels that could produce a 5x7-inch digital photo-quality print. In 1987, Kodak released seven products for recording, storing, manipulating, transmitting and printing electronic still video images. The first digital cameras for the consumer-level market that worked with a home computer via a serial cable were the Apple QuickTake 100 camera (1994) and the Kodak DC40 camera (1995).

And that's history!

A History Lesson

While I rave and rant about film photography I have realized that many people may not now how film photography was created and how it has evolved, therefore I have put together this short and sweet history lesson about the first film photography ever used.
"Photography" is derived from the Greek words photos ("light") and graphein ("to draw"). The inventor of the very first process of photography was a man by the name of Louis-Jacques-Mande Daguerre who was born in France. Daguerre was a professional scene painter for the opera and began experimenting with the effects of light on translucent paintings in the 1820s. In 1829 took the first permanent photography in 1826. After several years of experimentation, Daguerre developed a more convenient and effective method of photography, naming it after himself -- the daguerreotype. The daguerreotype gained popularity quickly; by 1850, there were over seventy daguerreotype studios in New York City alone.
Obviously from here on out technology evolved rapidly into what we now know as film photography. The picture I have posted was the very first daguerrerotype ever taken in America.
Hope you ejoyed the lesson!

A More Pleasant View

I recently read this article in The Wall Street Journal and it warmed my heart. This article is by a fellow film photographer and he makes many good points about the cold and unsentimental nature of digital photography. Douglas Gantenbien makes many statments in this article that I often feel reverberate within me when I am contemplating the struggle between film and digital photography. I think Douglas said it all when he stated "...Film was magic -- the process of pushing a button to open the shutter, forming an invisible image on a strip of coated plastic, then making that image visible by bathing it with chemicals and projecting it onto a sheet of paper that in turn was soaked in more chemicals and sometimes rubbed and massaged to manipulate the image." This is exactly how I feel about the art and beauty that film photography creates. He also makes a very valid statement that some of the most amazing pictures have been created by the human error that film photography allows. Some mistakes or miscalculations in photography have created award winning pictures. Now with this new digital age there is no room for mistakes and those once amazing "by chance" shots will be extinct.
The part of this article that really struck me was the sentimentality and emotion that is attached to film photography. The opening of this article talks about a man who becomes misty eyed when talking about his very first 35mm camera. I may just be cynical, but I find it hard to believe that any person is sentimentally attached to thier kokak point and shoot digital camera. Within this examination Douglas made one more statment that I believe should be passed on to our younger generation about the loss and extinction of a beautiful art. Douglas "...sees digital photography as a disaster for historians. People delete pictures from their cameras' memory cards. Hard drives crash. PCs end up in the dump, photos still on board. And CDs full of pictures will become unreadable when their surfaces deteriorate (you heard that right -- CDs are incredibly unstable). With all that, says Mr. Federman, we're on the verge of losing billions of pictures. We will not have a record of the individual stories that are told by families from one generation to another through pictures.That is a wealth of human history that will simply be lost."

Amen.

"Film Photography Fades To Black" by Douglas Gantenbien, The Wall Street Journal
March 14, 2006

Man Down!

An article titled "Fujifilm Rearranges the Picture" in Chemical and Engineering News has reported another man down in the film photography business. The Fujifilm Company based in Japan has recently seen a drastic decline in film photography interest. Within the last year Fujifilm has laid off thousands of workers because of the impact that digital has had on thier company. This company which once based 50% of it's profit on the film photography market now considers film a burden since it hardly contributes to the bottom line of the company's business. This article stated that since the beginning of digital photography "The worldwide photographic film market has shrunk in size from a peak of about $17 billion in 2001 to a bare $7 billion last year." In order to survive this company has had to take drastic steps to stay afloat since the demise of film photography. This company which once succeded mainly on film has laid off over 5000 people in the film industry and has focused all of it's attention on research to avoid this catastraphy again. Fujifilm now researches technology that they believe will be popular in the late future to stay on top of the game. As for film photography, well it's simply ancient history, a burden and a dead weight. Man Down!
You can read more about this stress signal for film photographers at http://pubs.acs.org.ezproxy.lib.ipfw.edu/isubscribe/journals/cen/85/i27/html/8527bus1.html
Please say a prayer for the lost.

Digital Pro

Upon logging on to Nikon's homepage I must say that I was shocked. The first advertisement for this once highly renouned film camera company was one that boasted about the performance enhancement of thier new D40 digital camera. (www.nikonusa.com) I was now baffled by the new technology that this company had created, but by the advertisement strategy that it was using. I have read (in more than one article) that facing the new digital dilemma, Nikon has been forced to cease all production of 35 mm cameras in order to support the invention of their new digital technology. The invention of digital photography has completely forced this company to desert the camera that they knew and loved in order to keep up with the times. Seeing that digital has begun its supreme reign over the world, I do understand the need for survival in this case. While the new D40 Nikon digital camera is amazing in all of it's features and capabilities, I have to admit that I was disturbed by the message that Nikon was relating to its customers. In order to beckon more users to continue on the page the very first statement made about this camera was that "ANYONE can take amazing digital pictures with a Nikon D40 in thier hand". This brazen statement completely delineates form the very core of what this company once provided. With this one statement Nikon has shown thier customers that there is absolutely no need for professional photographers when one has a D40. And to prove this point they have created a "trip to picturetown" which shows the (obviously enhanced) pictures that 200 people took in Georgetown, South Carolina. This message shows the consumer that there is no longer a need for professional photographers and it is obvious that this profession is soon to be extinct. Although the message seems tainted for me, I do suggest checking out the camera. It has some pretty amazing features and capabilities that can make anyone a pro.

Sepial Fine Film Photography

Recently I have found myself on a quest to find other photographers who embrace and love film photography as much as I do. This website http://www.sepial.com/ shows just that. This is a professional website for an independent photographer to show his work and gain clientel. The reason I was so drawn to this website was partially the inclusion of "film" in the title and mostly because this artist stated that he only uses film. Damian Counsell, who runs this company, states that "...Unlike most professional photographers today, I use real film. I believe that, in good hands, film photography makes more beautiful pictures than digital photography. Fortunately for me, most digital photographers don’t have good hands.

Compare my photos on this site with my competitors’. I don’t manipulate my images, either in the darkroom or with tools like Photoshop—except to crop, rotate, or resize them for the Web. My images have appeared in magazines and newspapers in the UK, the States, and the Middle East."

All in all I find him and his work very impressive. This company embodies all that I love and respect about film photographers. Check out his site and you will see the true beauty of film photography (something I have been boasting about since day one) and hopefully you can gain the respect for film photography that I have acquired.

5 Movies Every Photographer Should See

I visited this site the other day called 10 movies every photographer should see (http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/ten-movies.shtml)and it sparked my interest. Although I had never seen any of the movies listed, I understood what the writer was saying about movies that make you want to have a camera in your hands and take pictures immediately after watching them. So this made me start thinking about movies that inspire me and I came up with my own list of movies that I deemed worthy. My list only consists of 5 movies, but they all inspire me for different reasons. So here goes...
5. The Wizard of Oz
This is a classic that reminds me of the basics of film photography and how much things have changed over the years. The contrast of black and white film and the creative, bright colors in this movie make me appreciate both forms of photography that I love. Black and white photography is simple and shows the contrast of darks and lights. Color on the other hand shows the true vibrance of the portrait and seems to bring it to life for the viewer. This movie has always been a favorite of mine, but just recently I was able to appreciate the signifcance of it's technical beauty.
4. Memento
Very similar to The Wizard of Oz, this movies tells two completely different stories, one in black and white and one in color. The section of the movie that is in black and white begins from the end of the movie and works to the middle. The section of the movie that is in color starts from the beginning of the movie and works to the middle. The part of this movie that truly inspires me is the "end" or the middle where the story stops and all the pieces come together and the black and white picture fades into color. This movie reminds me of the beauty of the artwork of photography and how if one takes the time one can bring interesting features to any photo. It also reminds me of how much fun it is to work in the dark room with film to distort the picture and add color to make it look completely different from the original.
3. Moulin Rouge
This movie is full of bright and viberant colors, costumes, and characters that amiably portray the life at the Moulin Rouge in the 1900's. The use of color and light in this movie severly reflects the mood of each scene and how this time is portrayed for the viewer. The difference in light settings reminds me of the different moods one can create in photography by adding or subtracting light. This important aspect can make or break a photo and a film for that instance. This movie makes me want to take pictures with drastic lighting to create emotionally different photos.
2. Mona Lisa Smile
I think the reason that this movie inspires me is because it is about a teacher who tries to get her students to truly consider and appreciate art. I feel the same way about film photography. I feel like I am constantly trying to take amazing photos to show other that film photography is not a dying art and that it should be truly appreciated. Much like the main character, I do not expect everyone to understand my obsession with photography, but what I do expect is that they consider is and maybe even learn to appreciate it.
1.Frida
For me this is the most inspiring movie as an artist and as a photographer. Frida Kahlo was a revolutionary artist who had to work hard to get her art recognized. She was known for her portraits and her use of magical realism. The struggle that this artist endured and the creativity that lived within her is truly inspiring for any artist. I am especially impressed by this movie because of it's use of still life pictures in its scenes. The director of this movie used still portraits of Kahlo's work to transition into different, important scenes in the movie which made both the film and the artwork very emotional. What Frida did with her artwork, I hope to do with my photography- I want people to feel emotion about film photography.

Digital Causes Job Loss!!!!

Earlier this week I discovered that about 176 out of 300 Picture People Photography studios have been closed due to the competition of a new studio called Portrait Innovations. Just by chance this studio happens to be a complete clone of Picture People brand and style for half the price. And why half the price you may ask? Because they started out digital. This company took the idea of the one hour portrait and did it better. Instead of having to wait one hour for thier portraits, customers are able to see them immediately and the cost is comparable to Wal-Mart prices. When I learned that nearly half the employees from our studios left for the Portrait Innovations company I was astounded. Not only have we lost business, customers, and brand identity to this company-we have also lost some of our most amazing photographers. And why not? This company is doing well, putting one of the leading one hour studio's at a loss of 176 locations is no small feat. As for now, the Glenbrook Picture People is safe until Portrait Innovations moves to Fort Wayne and then we will have to hold on to our britches! Although I am astounded by the number of stores we have closed recently, I took a look at their site and I can't say that I'm surprised. They have great photography at a good cost. I may be forced- and I do emphasize FORCED- to go digital if this company continues to hinder our business.
http://www.portraitinnovations.com/index.html

A Few Quick Tips

I found this website while searching for more information about film photography and how to use it daily. In my studio the light settings, f stop, and aperture are set just for a studio setting. Also doing independent photography on the side I have often found myself in need of a good site that gives me helpful tips. I like this site because it has helped me with film choice and light settings which are not in a controlled environment. It also gives a basic rundown on different types of film, which film speed that should be used in certain situations and various techniques and themes to base photograpy off of. This is a great site to discuss techniques and get suggestions from fellow film photographers. If you have questions about manual settings and what camera to use, this is the place to go. All in all...it makes me smile.
http://www.betterphoto.com/QnACat.asp?catID=217

Instant Gratification

I am Senior Assistant Manager at the Picture People photography studio in Fort Wayne. Upon dealing with customers on a daily basis I have decided that the largest issue facing the annihilation of film photography is the need for instant gratification. Just about every day I have customers asking me why they can't see thier portraits immediately after the sitting, why they can't get thier photos on a disk to print off at home and "when will your studio finally be digital?". I have been a manager at this studio for three years and with the exception of minor machine complications our portraits are out and ready to view in about an hour. There is no other studio in Fort Wayne with this kind of quality photo turn over and yet it is still not good enough for my customers. I often wonder what the rush is, why do we in our fast paced society let instant gratification run our lives? This often bothers me because I see the appreciation and need for film photography dwindle more and more as our society deems it necessary to have everything within an instant.

On the other hand, The Picture People will soon be going digital-at least before the end of this year. Although I have protested digital for a long time I am hoping that this will reduce the amount of customer stress in my job. Once we go digital instant gratification will be securely in place and I will have a new set of demanding questions from my customers on a daily basis. I do not think that going digital will make my job less stressful, but maybe it will give my customers what they are looking for-and fast too!

I have included a link to the Picture People that shows many of the different products and photography that we have to offer. And yes, all items take about 2-3 weeks to process-try to have more patience than my easily angered customers! http://www.picturepeople.com/

Flicker of Hope

This website, http://www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/, which is the homepage for the National Media Museum brings a smile to my face and a flicker of hope to the ever dimming world of film photography. It is the hope that film photography will not die. This museum is known for recognizing all forms of media, with a special section reserved for film photography. It is good to know that the medium that I work with on a daily basis in both work and school, will be remembered even though the new digital trend is arising. With special workshops included in the museums itinerary, I am happy to report that youth throughout the area are learning the joys of film photography. Aperture, f-stop and other manual tools are being learned daily and will hopefully live through this museum. Dark rooms will be filled with young minds who are eager to work directly with the meduim and they will learn to appreciate this artform. My hope is that youths along with adults will see that film photography is a beautiful art, not to be taken for granted because of the amount of time that must be dedicated to it. Hopefully, with the help of this museum and it's instruction, the art of film photography will live on in those who are willing to see beyond the hip new technology of digital and appreciate film photography for it's simple beauty.

Don't Believe The Hype!

And yet again I find myself at a loss with those who no longer apprectiate the value of a good ole film portrait. This website(http://www.dlynnwaldron.com/digitalcameras.html) created by an obvious amateur photographer proudly boasts about the superior quality of digital photography. I was appalled by the lists upon lists of reasons why one should go digital, and list by list I saw the light of film photography grow dimmer and dimmer. Not only does this site completely ignore film photography all together, it claims that film is NOT the way to go. This article even goes to the extreme of stating that film has no comparitive latitude. The research on this topic seems to be completely one sided, the one side being pro digital. D'Lynn almost intentionally leaves out all of the promising and rewarding features about film photography, taking digital for the victor. I mean, who would want to actually buy film, compose a portrait, and then personally develop the beautiful images that one has worked so hard to create? Why even try to be personal with your medium of choice at all when it is so much easier to download the picture into photoshop and touch it up anyway? D'Lynn, my friend, take a minute to actually look at and appreciate film photography. Everything is not about how fast and how cheap one can get things done. In a day and age where technology is moving at mach speed and it's easy to jump on the band wagon I have one word of advice-DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE!

The New Health Kick

I have to admit that, while I do believe that digital photography is quickly deteriorating the appreciation for film photography, it does have some amazing benefits. Ever since I read the article about digital mamograms I have been intruiged by improvement of the quality of life because of digital technology. I still stand strong on the artistic stand that digital is ruining film photography artwork, but I am stepping away from this standpoint to explore other digital advancements. As I do more research I am finding that digital has been the latest "health kick" as far as detecting health problems. The most recent article that I have read was publishe in December 2006 in the "Telemedicine Journal & E-Health" magazine. This article talked about the difference between film and digital in the detection of glaucoma. The results were amazing, stating that digital allowed doctors to detect damage in the optic nerve 3-4 months sooner than film. The ability to see damage immediately and compare it on a computer screen to other evaluations of the optic nerve has given doctors the ability to detect glaucoma much sooner. This detection then allows doctors to start treating patients sooner than with film exams. So, considering the advancements in the medical field due to digital photography, I have to admit that I am pro digital-strictly for medical purposes.

Digital for The Sake of Health

While researching some of the downfalls that digital has created for film photography I ran across an article that caught my eye. In this case, digital has not only changed an occupation, it has helped with the detection of breast cancer in women. In the article "Mamograms go Digital" by Clint Cooper taken from the Chattanooga Times (January 2007) the use of digital photography is actually enhancing the ability to detect breast cancer in an amazing time frame. This article suggested "...digital imaging improved cancer detection by 15 percent in women under age 50 and in those nearing menopause and by 11 percent in women of any age with dense breasts." It has also been proven to use less radiation, create sharper image quality and now they have the ability to readily track change in the images by saving them to a computer disk. This is once instance in which digital is actually improving the quality in life of women all over the world. Although many doctors and avid film lovers are opposed to the use of this new technology, it can not be denied that in this field it is better to go digital. Sometimes we have to hang up the towel and realize that all new things are not bad. If the advancement of digitial technology in mamograms means that more women are able to detect breast cancer at an earlier stage, I say go digital for the sake of health.

Can I get that on a disk?

I have been working for a film corporated photography studio for three years and almost every day customers ask when we are going digital. Even more than this question is the habitual question of "can I get my proofs on a disk?". I have become more and more amazed by the amount of people who expect to get copyright from a corporated studio. Also on at least a weekly basis I have customers who try to take pictures with thier own cameras while photographers are working hard to create great memories. The art of photography is dying. Many people want everything for little to nothing and it is hard to convince them of the artwork that is being created. A lot of people believe that the fact that a corporated studio does not hand over all copyrighted work on a disk is ludacris. Scanners, software and cds have become the main weapon of destruction for film photography. With the ability to download, send and print portraits from the convenience of their own homes at a low rate of cost-the rate at which people are buying professional portraits is dwindling. My question is when will we begin to sell ourselves short and give away our rights as photographers and artists to maximize on our business? With this new era of digital photography this end result of selling ourselves short seems inevitable.

The Photoshop Dilemma

Adobe's softwart program, Photohop 7.0, (although highly lucrative for it's inventors) has been highly destructive to the art and beauty of photography. With many "do it yourself"ers out there, the invention of Photoshop is one more step in the process of film photography extinction. One article in Popular Photographing and Imaging (May 2007) focuses primarily on new tricks of the trade involving Photoshop and the wonders it can do to make your home, candid portraits look professional. This article written by Debbie Grossman guides the reader through many different tools to copy and paste items and people into and out of the picture. It also explains how to take a home snap shot and quickly delete the background and replace it with a "studio like" backdrop. The question at the end of the article, indirectly states the obvious -why pay money for professional portraits when all the resources you need are at home? Access to such software programs are beginning to deteriorate the profession of film photography artists all over the world. Along with the fall of this profession is the appreciation of the craftmanship that true photography exibits. As I have earlier stated, when you buy professional portraits you are not paying for the picture, but the ability to create artwork. If that artwork can be reproduced for a fraction of the cost, then where does the need for photography artwork come from?

The Arguement for Film Over Digital

While many photographers and camera companies are switching to digital imaging, there are still a few who cling to their solid belief in film photography. One article by Terry Lee Goodrich entitled "As industry shifts away from film cameras, some photographers stick with tradition", the author suggests that while many modern photraphers and camera companies are following the lead of the public to be faster, bigger, and better, there are still a few who are determined to stick with good old film. Goodrich stated in his article (published by Fort Worth Star Telegram in February of 2006) that the world has begun to change in it's way of thinking. Now a days it's about what is most convenient, what is the fastest, and what can fit into your pocket without taking up very much space. Along with the drive for photographers to change their format to digital, camera companies are also seeing the same pressing need to upgrade their product. Goodrich reiterated this concept with the news that Nikon Corporation, which has based its business soley on photography, will stop making most of its film cameras to concentrate on digital ones. Nikon Corp. Another company widely known throughout the photography business, Konica Minolta also stated that it would stop making cameras, film and color paper by March 2007. And finally one of the most home hitting facts was that out of the 12o members of his film photography group, 90% of Goodrich's comrades converted to digital. The argument stands, however, that even if one does change to digital the ability to take good photography is essential. Although this may be an end of an era for the film photographer, the artform of photography will (hopefully) still live on.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram (TX); 02/27/2006

The "Digital" Era

As digital imaging progresses more and more through the years, many film photographers feel the pressure to assimilate into this new era. Without thinking about the repercussions to old fashioned film studios and photographers, new technology has inevitably destroyed the artform that was once considered priceless. The introduction of digital cameras along with the ablity to scan and upload copyrighted information with little to no repercussion has turned film photography from essential to non-existent. The question is, with so much advancement in technology, are we losing the appreciation of an artform to what is cheaper and easier in the end? When a photographer takes a portrait, he or she is not selling the portrait, but the ability to create a memory that will last a lifetime. With our new age digital cameras we are taking that artform into our own, unprofessional hands and settling for snapshots that cost 40 cents to develop at Wal-Mart. Or even worse, those who are purchasing portraits from a professional photographer are scanning them to computers and printing them at little cost while the photographer looses in profit. What should be done to save this art, or is there anything we can do at all?